First Vietnamese conservationist receives largest environment award
The Director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife, Nguyen Van Thai, has become the first Vietnamese wildlife conservationist and the only Asian so far to receive the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize - the world’s most prestigious award for grassroots environmental activists.
Director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife Nguyen Van Thai (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife, Nguyen VanThai, has become the first Vietnamese wildlife conservationist and the onlyAsian so far to receive the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize - the world’s mostprestigious award for grassroots environmental activists.
The prize honours grassroots environmental heroes from theworld’s six inhabited continental regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands andIsland Nations, North America, and South and Central America.
The prize, worth 200,000 USD, recognises individuals forsustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment,often at great personal risk.
Thai was given the award at a virtual ceremony, which tookplace on June 15, for his contributions to rescuing 1,540 pangolins from theillegal wildlife trade between 2014 and 2020 and establishing Vietnam’s firstanti-poaching team under the co-management of Save Vietnam's Wildlife – a localnon-governmental organisation and the Government since 2018.
The team has destroyed 9,701 animal traps, dismantled 775illegal camps, confiscated 78 guns and arrested 558 poachers between June 2018and December 2020, leading to a significant decline in illegal poaching in Pu MatNational Park in the central province of Nghe An.
In 2016, Thai opened the Carnivore and Pangolin EducationCentre, the first of its kind in Vietnam, in order to provide wildlifeconservation courses to local children and the general public. He also givestraining courses to customs officials, border guards and forest rangers onwildlife laws and how to properly care for seized pangolins.
As a result, nearly 8,200 children living in the buffer zoneof Cuc Phuong National Park have been inspired in wildlife conservation so far.About 2,500 law enforcement officers have been given training courses onwildlife conservation.
The Goldman Environmental Prize was established in 1989 bylate San Francisco civic leaders and philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman.
In 32 years, the prize has had an immeasurable impact on theplanet. To date, the prize has honoured 206 winners from92 nations, and has shone a light on many of the critical issues facing theEarth./.
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Director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife Nguyen Van Thai (Photo: VNA) 
