Background

Owing to habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade, Vietnam’s rich biological heritage is under threat. Rapidly increasing urban prosperity is believed to be accelerating domestic demand for wild animal products, and for wild meat in particular.

To address the extinction crisis for Vietnam’s endemic wildlife species, specifically those located in and around the Pu Mat National Park in Con Cuông (Northern Vietnam), we collaborated with Acting for Good (AFG) and NGO Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW). We aimed to first increase our understanding of Vietnamese wild meat consumers and the drivers of their behaviour and subsequently, reduce the illegal consumption of wild meat in Con Cuông.

What We Did

We worked alongside SVW to design a data-led intervention approach targeting both consumers and suppliers of wild meat. A key factor of the intervention was the use of an effective messenger, in this case, a local government organisation whose involvement in campaign delivery added an increased sense of credibility and authority. The interventions included: 2 distinct print media consumer campaigns (one health-focused and one aimed at increasing perceived disapproval); a campaign website; and a multifaceted restaurant intervention including pledges and commitments, and a certification label to allow public positive recognition and increase accountability.

Outcome

To assess impact, we conducted an in situ repeated measures design experiment. Following our interventions, we found that the number of people who were not willing to consume any wild meat products increased by 36%, and citizens became both more disapproving of wild meat themselves and believed that their society was more disapproving of wild meat consumption.

Service

Consultancy