Vietnam Hosts Meeting to Protect Pangolin

Vietnam is hosting the First Pangolin Range States workshop in the central city of Danang on June 24-26 with the attendance of Secretary General of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and U.S. diplomat. The workshop, which marks the attendance of Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, Ms. Claire Pierangelo, outlines measures to protect wild pangolin population from over-exploitation and illegal trade that appears to be occurring at an industrial scale. “For the first time, experts are coming together from all corners of the globe in response to calls for information and action to focus on one of the world's most threatened species: the pangolin,” said Claire Pierangelo. During the two-day event, the participants who come from African and Asian range states and experts from both within and outside the governments share opinions on how (i) to collect better data on population status to promote the conservation of pangolins, (ii) to engage with suppliers and consumers to ensure that any international trade in pangolins, and (iii) how to prevent unsustainable trade in African pangolins and to combat the illegal trade from within and between both Asia and Africa. According to Education Nature of Vietnam (ENV), pangolins are commonly consumed as specialty dishes at restaurants, soaked and served in wine, or used in traditional medicine. Danang is seen as an ideal trans-provincial rendezvous for wildlife trafficking as smugglers often ship wildlife animals from foreign countries into Vietnam. (Cong An Nhan Dan – People’s Security June 25 p4)