Vietnamese pop singer, Thu Minh, joined Prince William and David Beckham in London on June 9 in support of the new United for Wildlife Campaign’s “Whose side are you on” project.
The Google Town Hall was also attended by celebrities including tennis player Andy Murray and rugby star Francois Piennaar. The purpose of the event was to promote the use of social networking to increase involvement and raise awareness for the protection of endangered species that are victims of the global illegal wildlife trade, reports Zing.
Minh said that she would try her best to highlight the issue in Vietnam which has faced serious problems, not only with poaching within its borders, but also controlling the flow of illicit African ivory.
African elephant populations have faced the brunt of exploitation since their Vietnamese cousins are on the verge of extinction with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimating that only 70 remain, compared to 1,500 – 2,000 in 1980.
“They’re right on the edge. And it will take a lot for them to recover. Not only a huge conservation shift but a huge cultural shift as well,” said Barney Long, Director of the WWF’s Species Program.
He lamented that while the government has set aside land and made bold statements, lax enforcement and poor management have rendered conservation efforts “very ineffective.”
[Zing]
