The problem is twofold. Firstly, while knowledge of the link between human contact with wildlife and zoonotic pandemics is becoming more prevalent, there are still members of Vietnamese society who need to be made aware of the fact. This in turn means that not everyone knows something like this is preventable – we can counteract any future outbreaks by breaking our links to wildlife. The illegal consumption, keeping, and trade of wild animals lies at the root of the problem, and by putting a stop to all such illegal activities, we can ensure the future safety and health of our communities. Secondly, this public awareness needs to stretch beyond the immediate state of panic created by Covid-19. People’s overall mindsets need to be changed to such an extent that emphasis remains on eradicating the illegal wildlife trade for the safety and health of our society – even after the current pandemic has been overcome.

Solution: Affecting behavioral change by raising public awareness on the link between the illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic pandemics, involving the public in ending the illegal wildlife trade, and impressing upon the Vietnamese government and enforcement agencies the grave importance of prohibiting the illegal wildlife trade on all fronts. This forms part of ENV’s integrated approach to combatting the illegal wildlife trade, made up of public awareness creation, enforcement, and legal advocacy, and these messages are delivered by ENV through various channels, including media statements to an extensive journalist network, viral social media campaigns, Public Service Announcement (PSA) films, radio shows and adverts on national radio, public events, and more. Alongside our efforts to educate the public and in order to effect greater change and achieve further reach, ENV expects the government to launch a national communication program designed to spread the message: Contact with wildlife directly threatens the health of our society.

Result: Through free corporate partnerships with Goldsun Focus Media, Chicilon Media, and Saga Media, ENV’s Covid-19 campaign resources (various posters and the Covid-19 PSA) have been shared across Vietnam, with an estimated number of impressions of around 18 million across thousands of screens in residential and office buildings, airports, and public transport. The Covid-19 PSA has also been screened on more than 50 national TV channels, and various national TV news segments and national radio shows and ads have featured ENV’s Covid-19 content. Finally, through ongoing viral social media campaigns, ENV is reaching thousands of Vietnamese citizens on a weekly basis and engaging them with the Covid-19 messaging.

Visit for more information: https://env4wildlife.org/