The Greater Mekong Subregion biodiversity conservation corridors and project management plans will be put into operation from 2019, said Vice Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Environment Nguyen The Dong.

The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association and the World Wildlife Fund launched a water risk report for Vietnam’s textile and garment industry and a tool for assessing water risks in the Mekong region in HCMC on November 28. 

 Leaders from 25 business associations in central provinces have pledged to combat illegal wildlife consumption by adopting new programmes to shed light on wildlife crime and the myths about consumption that are driving the trade in Vietnam.

 Non Nuoc Cao Bang received the global geopark status from the UNESCO at a ceremony held in the northern border province of Cao Bang on November 24.

 Ho Chi Minh City will enforce regulations on garbage sorting on November 24, with fine of up to 20 million VND (over 850 USD) to be imposed on those who fail to comply with the rules.

 People in HCM City will be fined if they repeatedly fail to sort their rubbish.

 A retired state official has been fined after the video clip of him dumping bags of rubbish on the streets was posted.

 Ten Asian small-clawed otters (Aonex cinerea) have been rescued from illegal traders by the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) in the northern province of Nam Dinh.

 As wildlife-related crimes are able to generate profits almost equal to those from the trafficking of drugs, firearms, and human beings, they are quickly becoming increasingly more of a threat to Vietnam.

 A woman in the central province of Nghe An has been detained while transporting wild animals for sale. 

 The import of wheat contaminated with the cirsium arvense into Vietnam has continued despite warnings, posing a high risk of the spread of this harmful weed.

 A Malayan bear which had been kept in a tourism site in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong was handed over to FOUR PAWS Viet on November 16. 

 Saltwater intrusion and water scarcity are issues attracting much public concern in recent days. The paradox is that water shortages and saltwater intrusion still occur during the rainy season.

 Bai Tu Long National Park in the northern province of Quang Ninh has proven to hold significant biodiversity values, with great efforts having been made to conserve them.

 FOUR PAWS Viet on November 15 received an Asiatic black bear named Trang, the last bear kept in private farm in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, putting an end to bear bile farming in the province.

 The Ministry of Transport (MoT) plans to tighten control of emissions of vehicles in circulation as well as used vehicles imported to curb air pollution.

 An enterprise and a driver received an administrative fine of over VND383 million for discharging dangerous waste into environment in the central city of Da Nang.

 Nguyen Xuan Man, head of the forest ranger unit in Ha Loc District, Ha Tinh Province, said on November 10 that they were collaborating with related agencies to deal with illegal poaching in the area.

 25 scrap containers have been found at Cat Lai Port in HCM City recently despite the government’s tightened controls over scrap imports.

 The mass fish deaths in Danang coast might have been caused by fishing using explosives according to local authorities.