TRAFFIC encourages Quang Ninh business community to embrace international standards and counter illegal wildlife trade

The workshop, held in tourism hub Quang Ninh Province, focused on strategies to make local businesses more competitive and offered guidance to help them recover in the wake of the COVID-19 global health crisis, which has severely affected the region. The event featured presentations from the Vietnam Standards and Quality Institute on key points from the Vietnamese legal framework on regulatory compliance and product certification and was attended by 50 participants from agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and tourism sectors.

Representatives from TRAFFIC explained the benefits of adopting wildlife-focused corporate social responsibility in attracting environmentally minded clients and mitigating risks of being involved in illegal wildlife trade. TRAFFIC also put forward the FairWild Standard, an international best practices framework for wild plant trade, as a means by which companies could ensure that they were meeting global standards in product quality, labour practices, and sustainability. 

As Vietnamese businesses increasingly integrate into the global market, it’s crucial that we comply with international standards. This is essential not just for the economic development of the country but also to protect the environment—both in Viet Nam and around the world."

Le Thi Thuy Thuy, deputy director of Enterprise Development Foundation, VCCI.

The event is the latest in a series of workshops held by TRAFFIC and VCCI encouraging Vietnamese businesses to take a leadership approach in countering wildlife trafficking in the country. Quang Ninh is a critical location for these activities, having been identified in previous TRAFFIC research as a key market for ivory and other illegal wildlife goods.

The workshop is part of an ongoing project from TRAFFIC and Save the Rhino International aimed at eradicating illegal wildlife trade from tourist hubs in Viet Nam.