Recently, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife in collaboration with Pu Mat National Park has completed the installation of 16 additional awareness-raising signs at forest entrances, residential roads, trails, and hotspots where wildlife hunting and trading have been recorded across the Con Cuong, Anh Son, and Tuong Duong districts of Nghe An province.

This activity brings the total number of large-scale awareness signs installed in the buffer zone of Pu Mat National Park to 35 within the first eight months of 2021. This is part of a series of educational programs aimed at raising awareness among local communities in the buffer zone, complementing efforts to strengthen law enforcement, protect habitats, and conduct conservation research to provide a comprehensive solution for ensuring a safe environment for wild animal populations.

Regarding content, the signs feature two main messages with two different designs. One design focuses on providing information and images of endangered, precious, and rare wildlife species protected by law. The other design clearly outlines prohibited forestry activities. Both designs explicitly state the penalties for violations. The purpose of these signs is to improve legal awareness among residents in the Pu Mat National Park buffer zone. This is a practical solution to address the lack of awareness and legal knowledge that leads people to hunt wildlife in the forest. The signs not only demonstrate the determination of Pu Mat National Park and Save Vietnam’s Wildlife to strengthen law enforcement but also serve as a deterrent for those who are aware of the law but choose to violate it.

In terms of format, these 16 signs are larger than those from the first phase. Specifically, there are two sizes: 2x3m double-sided signs, placed perpendicular to the road in open areas with ample space, and 2x6m single-sided signs for narrower locations or areas where visibility might be obstructed. In contrast, the 19 signs from the first phase were only 1.5x2.5m, double-sided, and placed perpendicular to the road. The small size of the initial signs hindered readability and limited placement options. Therefore, the size was increased in this phase to make information more accessible, with two types of signs to allow for flexible placement.

Mr. Chu Van Dai, Head of the Tam Thai Forest Ranger Station under the Tuong Duong Forest Protection Department, stated: "Installing these legal awareness signs for the communities in the Pu Mat National Park buffer zone is extremely important. These signs not only assist the Pu Mat National Park rangers but also help ranger stations across the entire district in raising public awareness. The signs are large, placed in prominent and highly visible locations, and attract many people to stop and read them. In particular, the sign placed next to the Tam Thai Forest Ranger Station is illuminated by lights from the station, allowing people to read it even at night."

Thus, the installation of these 35 signs has initially garnered the attention and interest of the local community, not only regarding law enforcement but also concerning the natural resource values of the Pu Mat forest.

Images and information regarding the educational programs, awareness-raising initiatives, and community activities are updated on the official SVW website and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/svw.vn, as well as the Nature Conservation Education page: https://facebook.com/GiaoDucBaoTonThienNhien.svw.vn. We invite you to follow along and help spread the message of wildlife protection to the community.

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