WB/CEPF supervision mission to visit PanNature

From 14th to 18th June 2011, three representatives from the World Bank, Senior Biodiversity Specialist Ms Claudia Sobrevila, Valerie Hickey and Karen Azeez, Douglas J. Graham, Environment Coordinator for Vietnam and CEPF Grant Director Jack Tordoff undertook a supervision mission to Vietnam.

The occasion provided an opportunity for an update on project progress. They visited a number of grantees including Fauna and Flora International, People Resources and Conservation Foundation, People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) and met a representative from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment – the Global Environment Facility Focal Point in Vietnam.

On 16 June, the group visited Ba Be National Park in Bac Kan Province where they were updated by a PanNature staff about the organisation’s media work in the area and other project activities. They were able to see the threats to the lake, reported elsewhere in this issue, first hand. On the same day, the team saw tiger and bear body parts for sale in a local restaurant in Ra market township, about 15 kilometres from Ba Be National Park. This is covered in the below article by PanNature several days later (www.thiennhien.net).

Hoang Van Chien, reporter of PanNature’s ThienNhien.Net, in a trip to the core zone of Ba Be National Park in 2010. Photo: ThienNhien.Net/PanNature.

The following day, a visit was paid to the Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD) project site on community fisheries along the Gam River in Na Hang Province. The group observed a training provided by the Center on ecotourism communications skills to local fishermen.

Source: The Babbler No. 38

Karen Azeez writes more about the trip on WB’s Sustainable Development website. Click here to read the full post >>