The short course, titled "Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade," is a collaboration between the School of Biochemical Technology and the Environment of the University of Vinh and the wildlife conversation organization WildAct.
The course will be conducted at the University of Vinh and run from February 18 to April 12, 2019, Tuoi Tre reports. The course's aim is to provide students with an understanding of current issues in illegal wildlife trading in Vietnam from an integrated and interdisciplinary approach.
According to director of WildAct Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, the organization started developing the course three years before collaborating with the university.
The university has started accepting applications from students enrolled in Master's degrees in biology, law, law enforcement and employees in nongovernmental organizations and others who express interest in the subject. The fee for the course is VND5,400,000.
The course structure is comprised of two elements. Sessions cover topics such as wildlife trading in Vietnam and in a global context. Ecotourism and conservation are delivered in English and Vietnamese by lecturers from the university’s biology, economics and law departments, along with talks from practitioners of organizations such as TRAFFIC, Fauna and Flora International – Vietnam Program, Free the Bears, Animals Asia Foundation, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, Asian Turtle Program and Wildlife Conservation Society.
The second component is a professional placement, during which students will work on a project that addresses issues surrounding wildlife trading. The final deliveries include a 5,000-word thesis, a 2,000-word essay, a presentation and four coursework exercises.
[Photo via Four Paws]