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Thomas Osborn (right) and wildlife products that are exhibited at the Noi Bai International Airport.
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Tien Phong newspaper talked withTRAFFIC’s Southeast Asia’s coordinator, Thomas Osborn.
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Tien Phong: Have exhibitions like this been staged at other international airports?
Thomas Osborne: There have been a few, including one in early 2010 at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport exhibiting smuggled ivories, another at the Vientiane Airport (Laos) in April, and one at the airport in Atlanta (USA) several years ago.
Tien Phong: Aren’t you afraid that an exhibit of endangered wild animals will just whet the appetites of rich people?
We’re not just exhibiting animals. The displays in the waiting areas will provide information that helps passengers to learn about wildlife trading in Asia and to see the wildlife products that are traded illegally in Vietnam.
The message will be clear: people ought to gradually stop using and trading wild animal products.
We call this campaign “Don’t Buy Sorrow.” There are 15 posters featuring the six species of endangered wild animals that are traded most in Vietnam: tigers, bears, elephants, rhinos, sea turtles and pangolins. The posters warn that these species are protected by the law and the people who trade them can be fined or prosecuted.
Tien Phong: You say TRAFFIC’s mission is ensuring that wildlife trading activities don’t threaten the extinction of animal populations. Does that mean that TRAFFIC doesn’t protest trade in wild animal products per se?
Osborne: We have to be practical. There’s a demand for products from wild animals. Humans have always exploited natural resources, and that’s unlikely to stop. However, the exploitation must be moderate to ensure that nature can regenerate.
TRAFFIC supports preservation and development, meaning that the exploitation and use of wildlife for the goal of development must be controlled.
Tien Phong: So TRAFFIC is OK with the trade of ivories and rhino horn?
Osborne: In the list of wildlife products permitted for trading under CITES (“The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species”), there are both ivory and rhino horn. Some African countries allow the exploitation of ivory and rhino horn at certain levels.
The convention aims at controlling illegal trade in wildlife products and controlling the unsustainable exploitation of endangered species. If we control and prevent illegal activities, the danger of extinction of species will be reduced.
Tien Phong: What do TRAFFIC surveys reveal about Vietnam?
Osborne: We survey all the world, not Vietnam alone. We don’t yet know enough about wildlife trade in Vietnam, but it’s clear that for illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn from southern Africa, Vietnam is one of the hot spots. We want to find out more about the demand for ivory and rhino horn in Vietnam and whether it is consumed here or only passes through enroute to other countries. It seems that Vietnam is mainly a transit point for ivory and a big consumer of rhino horns, along with China.
Just a little while ago, two tons of ivory were found on a ship from Kenya that docked in Haiphong. From there the ivory was going to be smuggled into China.
Tien Phong: Why does TRAFFIC organize its exhibition at Noi Bai Airport, where the cost of space for exhibition is very expensive?
Airports are places where trafficking wildlife often occurs. They are ideal places for raising the awareness of the public, especially people whose income higher than average. Such people are considered the major users of wild animals.
Noi Bai serves nearly 4 million passengers a year. We have put a lot of effort into organizing this display. The Vietnamese Government has helped us to arrange use of space at Noi Bai.
TRAFFIC is technical advisor for the exhibition. The exhibit is also supported by the Transportation Ministry, the Northern Region Aviation Corporation, the Forest Protection Agency, the Environmental Police Agency, the World Wildlife Fund and especially the Party’s Propaganda and Education Committee.
With all this support, we’ve been able to organize this five-year wildlife trade exhibit at a cost of only $43,000 -- $35,000 from the Danish International Development Agency and $8000 contributed by Intrepid Travel.
TP