BUILDING CAPACITY PROGRAMS
SVW’s building capacity programs provide participants with the knowledge, information, and practical skills to empower trainees to participate in protecting wildlife and deliver effective conservation practices.
Building capacity trainings and workshops for government officials
The right approach to behavior change and smooth cooperation between the government and conservation organizations increase the survival chance of confiscated wild animals. Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, in collaboration with the Carnivore Pangolin Conservation Program (CPCP), have trained more than 2,500 government officials and law enforcement officers including rangers, environment police and border guards in conservation hotspots about small carnivore and pangolin conservation, to handle confiscated wildlife, and to promote the responsible and pro-conservation placement of confiscated wildlife over a ten-year period.
We continue to build upon this achievement. In 2016, we held two training courses at Cuc Phương National Park, attended by 54 law enforcement officers and leaders from 13 provinces in Central and North Vietnam. The courses helped to build their capacity in handling and caring for confiscated pangolins; helped them understand and take pride in the importance of their work, therefore encouraging them to report and transfer confiscated pangolins to the rescue centres. Despite all the challenges, by using new and suitable interactive methods, the training was very successful in changing participants’ behaviour and motivating them to become more enthusiastic about their work.
As a result of the training courses, positive changes were achieved. The most significant outcome of the courses is a sharp rise in the number of confiscated pangolins that were informed to SVW through authorities (from 22 pangolins in 2014, 145 pangolins in 2015, 251 pangolins in 2016). Amongst all the rescues in 2016, the rescue of 127 seized pangolins from three provinces attending the mentioned training courses – just one month after the training ended – was the strongest proof of long-run cooperation between SVW and Vietnamese law enforcement in the future. Find more details, training materials, and photos here
In 2018 and 2020, SVW conducted four capacity building workshops about “Strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation on wildlife protection in Pu Mat National Park” for 273 governmental officers and leaders in Con Cuong District, Anh Son District, and Tuong Duong District, Nghe An Province.
The workshop became an outset of the following participation, involvement, and cooperation of local governments and communities to conservation work in the area. The most significant outcome of the workshops was that the local governments agreed and issued official documents about action plans and policies regarding wildlife protection, combating illegal hunting and trading, and especially, reducing the demand for wildlife consumption.
Building capacity program for university students
SVW and CPCP have carried out numerous seminars and training courses for students in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to raise awareness for the conservation of wildlife and showcase our field research results and the need to protect pangolins and carnivores.
In 2015, we conducted three intensive training courses on the threats and conservation status of pangolins and provided attendants with skills needed for social research. The courses were attended by 114 students from 49 universities throughout Vietnam. These students assisted us to conduct background research interviewing 8,323 people in 15 provinces, and many students in the process have become active supporters and regular volunteers of SVW. Find more details, training materials, and photos here.
In 2021, SVW is planning to deliver a training program for university students and young Vietnamese wildlife conservationists. The course will focus on providing trainees with practical skills from many different topics of field survey skills, species ecology and identification, law enforcement, wildlife criminology, GIS, camera trapping studies, radio telemetry projects, research, project design and grant proposal development. In addition, the course will consist of sessions to inspire, orient, and motivate trainees to start and pursue their conservation careers. Contact us if you are interested in giving funds or collaborating to make this happen as soon as possible.
Building capacity program for journalists
Since October 2020, SVW has worked with partners and has engaged with journalists to battle wildlife trade, starting with a 1-week training for the journalists, co-hosted by PanNature and SVW. The training on how to investigate, support and write about wildlife conservation was participated by more than 20 journalists from 20 local and national newspapers/journals who often focus their writing on environmental topics.
Passionate journalists were inspired about wildlife conservation, and get to learn skills relating to undercover investigations. This writing area was considered exciting and meaningful, but difficult and dangerous. SVW also provided information on wildlife issues and subjects from illegal wildlife trades in Nghe An province to encourage the journalists to carry out investigations in Nghe An. The workshop contributed to the increasing involvement of the media in the fight against illegal captivity and trafficking in Nghe An. Read one of the stories here.
Other building capacity programs
SVW also offered and conducted training programs for other stakeholders such as school children and teachers, governmental and business partners, and conservation colleagues from other organizations. Contact us for further information.