Captured Tibetan bears find new home

Rangers and environmental police in northern Tuyen Quang province on April 14 handed over two Tibetan bears to the Tam Dao Bear Rescue Centre at the Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc province.

New club promotes youth environmental activism

Toyota Motor Viet Nam (TMV) has opened the Go Green Club in HCM City with the aim of expanding its environmental protection work among young people. Around 100 volunteers participated in the opening ceremony. They will also take part in training courses to upgrade skills in social and environmental activism.

Norway helps build Green One UN House in Vietnam

The Norwegian government has pledged 1.8 million USD toward the building of the Green One UN House in Vietnam. The grant agreement was signed in Hanoi on Apr. 15 between the visiting Norwegian State Secretary for International Development, Hakon Gulbrandsen, and Setsuko Yamazaki, Country Director of the UN Development Programme in Vietnam.

Environment policemen trained to fight wildlife crime

Environment police officers from 28 provinces in the central and southern regions are participating in a 3-day training course held by the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) in the central province of Thanh Hoa. The training course, opening on April 14, aims to sharpen environment police officers’ ability in combating wildlife-related crimes. The course is part of the project named “Changing behaviour, reducing consumption of wildlife products in Hanoi”.

Vietnam plans to weather natural disasters

Vietnam plans to develop a nationwide satellite-based information network in a bid to cope with natural disasters and minimise possible losses in lives and property caused by them. According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the network will be set up before June 30 by the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT).

Nam Cat Tien home to largest gaur herd in Vietnam

Managers of Nam Cat Tien National Park on April 10 said that there are 19-22 herds of gaur (Bos gaurus), a total of 110-120 heads, living in the park. The above statistic is the result of a three-year project (2006-2009) to preserve wild bulls in the park, which is located in the three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc, funded by the French Agency for World Environment Protection (FFEM), the French International Development Agency and the French Embassy in Vietnam.

12 species of bat uncovered in Nui Chua National Park

Scientists of the programme for basic research of wildlife in the semi-dry forest in Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Thuan province have discovered 12 species of bat. With mist nets, scientists collected samples of 12 species of bat in this area. This is the first research work about the distribution of bats in Nui Chua National Park.

VN moves to protect biodiversity

The law, approved by the National Assembly in November 2008, was a great move toward solid development, said Nguyen Dang Vang, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology and Environment Committee. "Biodiversity takes millions of years to develop. Once a species becomes extinct, we can’t bring it back to life," Vang said.

Tourism push for eco labelling

The tourism industry needs to build an eco-label system, according to a leading official of the hotel management section. Nguyen Phuong Anh, deputy director of the Hotel Department under the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), made the comment at a two-day meeting of international and domestic experts in Ha Noi.

Capital urged to map out action plan against pollution

The Hanoi People’s Council has asked the Hanoi People’s Committee to promptly develop a master plan to protect the city’s environment. The announcement was made at a working session on April 8. Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Council Le Quang Nhue said the plan would focus on building a new waste-treatment network to supplement the existing treatment facility in Cau Giay districit.