Environmental Justice Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a [non-governmental organisation]] (NGO) founded in 2001 by Steve Trent and Juliette Williams that promotes the non-violent resolution of human rights abuses and related environmental issues in the Global South. It describes itself as “a UK-based non-profit organisation working internationally to protect the environment and human rights.”
EJF's core tenet is set out in the Mission Statement on its website . It asserts that the injustices suffered by people living in poor and disenfranchised communities are often closely related the destruction, over-exploitation and other abuses of the local natural environment these people depend on.
EJF makes direct links between the western world's demands for cheap food and other goods, especially fish, shrimp and cotton and degraded natural environments in poorer countries.
In seeking to resolve environmental and human rights abuses, EJF works to give an international voice to vulnerable communities working to protect the local environment that sustains their basic human needs of a shelter, food and income.
By 2010 its work had grown to cover five main campaigning areas
EJF has also campaigned on the issue of the trade in wild animals with NGO partner WildAid
Much of the Environmental Justice Foundation's work involves training and equipping affected communities in producer countries to investigate, record and expose abuses and then campaign effectively for an equitable resolution to the issues .
Emphasis is placed on the power of film , both to record irrefutable evidence of environmental injustice and to create strong campaigning messages. EJF reports in the 2008/09 Impact Report that it worked with local communities, organisations and Heads of State in 19 countries in this way .
EJF also campaigns in the UK, Europe and internationally.
It sees its role as a catalyst working to achieve long-term change, alerting governments, international policy makers, consumers and businesses to the damaging human and environmental effects that western demand has on the natural environment and local communities, primarily in the global south. EJF aims to catalyse action by key decision-makers in business and politics, along with individual action by consumers and concerned invidividuals . In April 2011 EJF collected 28,000 signatures via campaigning website Care2
calling for a global ban on deadly pesticide endosulfan .
EJF campaigns directly to policy formers including the European Commission, Parliament and United Nations organisations. In January 2011 EJF presented a petition of 10,000 signatures to the UN in 2011 calling for a Global Record on Fishing Vessels .
in August 2001 by Steve Trent and Juliette Williams. EJF's creation was a response to the human suffering and environmental degradation
its founders witnessed in their work as environmental campaigners with over forty years combined experience.
This experience had led both founders to conclude that basic human rights
of people in the world's poorest countries often depend on those people's access to a healthy environment for food, shelter
and a living.
EJF undertook its first campaign, to defend community fishing rights in Cambodia in 2001. As a result of training and documentation programmes, a national network – the Fisheries Action Coalition Team - was founded. The Fisheries Action Coalition Team is a coalition of NGO consisting 12 NGOs, both local and international, which was localised from NGO Forum. A campaign report called Feast or Famine was produced and presented to policymakers at a meeting hosted by the British Ambassador to Cambodia, proving a catalyst for the issue in the country as well as securing international support.
EJF expanded its work to encompass the pesticide endosulfan
(2002), trafficking of wildlife
(2003), shrimp trawling and shrimp farming (2003), illegal, unreported and unregulated IUU fishing (2004), cotton production (2004) and climate refugees (2009).
It sends its own reporters to investigate, document and compile reports of environmental and human rights abuses in the Global South. It also works on the ground to help train local groups in effective investigative and reporting techniques to publicise abuses in their area and then advocate on those issues nationally and globally .
EJF's work often takes it into partnership with other NGOs, national governments and international bodies, businesses and corporations. It works with celebrity ambassadors to publicise its campaigns including its Patrons - artist Rachel Whiteread
, actress Emilia Fox
, writer Iain Banks
and explorer Benedict Allen
.
. Categorized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
as a ‘highly hazardous’ substance, endosulfan has been compared to DDT
in its potential for environmental harm .
EJF points out that pesticides such as endosulfan, that are banned or restricted in the EU, the US and other developed nations, are widely used in developing countries, where their harmful potential can be exacerbated by low levels safety awareness, inadequate labelling, illiteracy and poor access to safety equipment .
Endosulfan is readily absorbed by humans via the stomach, lungs and skin where it can cause hormone disruption as well as being a neurotoxin
, haematoxin and nephrotoxin.
During its investigations, EJF has documented in a series of reports acute medical symptoms linked to endosulfan among farmers and local populations. These symptoms include headache, nausea, breathing problems, renal problems, loss of consciousness, and seizures; numerous fatalities have been documented, particularly in West Africa
.
In its reports EJF has expressed concern that, like DDT, endosulfan is persistent in the environment, where it is harmful to mammals, fish, bees, birds and other wildlife . Endosulfan use has led to the pollution and abandonment of agricultural land and it has been shown to bioaccumulate and travel long distances through air and water. In 2009 the Stockholm Convention’s Scientific Committee acknowledged endosulfan as being a persistent organic pollutant .
EJF began documenting the use of endosulfan in Cambodia in 2002 and published a report called Death in Small Doses in 2003.
Death in Small Doses, a report on the problems of, and alternatives to, pesticide use in Cambodia was presented to Ministries in Cambodia, international donor agencies, media, business and NGOs as part of an advocacy strategy to raise public and political awareness .
Working with CEDAC (Centre d'Etude et de Développement Agricole Cambodgien), a Cambodian NGO , EJF documented widespread use of endosulfan by Cambodian farmers and recorded numerous safety concerns, including a lack of protective equipment and exposure of children, homes, livestock and family food crops.
Labelling inadequacies where endosulfan was being imported to Cambodia
from Vietnam
and Thailand
were also highlighted in EJF's 2004 briefing paper "End of the Road for Endosulfan" .
As part of EJF's work in Cambodia in 2002 the charity worked with Cambodian farmers to promote sustainable agriculture and educate them about risks of hazardous pesticides. A short briefing entitled End of the Road for Endosulfan was compiled which was used in to convince the Cambodian Environment Minister to ban endosulfan in the country.
This briefing was later cited in the European Union
’s 2008 proposal to include endosulfan in the Annexes of the Stockholm Convention
.
In 2007, EJF produced a report, Deadly Chemicals in Cotton following investigations that gathered evidence of hazardous pesticide use on cotton crops in Mali and India in 2006, which included documenting the medical impacts of the chemical.
The report, Deadly Chemicals in Cotton, was produced with the Pesticide Action Network
UK to raise awareness of the human and environmental costs of pesticide
use in West Africa
, Uzbekistan
and India
.
The report also highlights the heavy reliance of cotton production on pesticides and insecticides: an estimated eight times more per average hectare than the average hectare of food crop. EJF reports that US$2 billion-worth (2007) are used on cotton crops each year, US$819 million-worth of which are classed as hazardous by the World Health Organisation according to the report. EJF characterises cotton as the world's dirtiest crop.
In 2009 EJF launched a new report with the same name as the 2004 briefing paper, 'End of the Road for Endosulfan' . This documents health and environmental impacts associated with endosulfan exposure and advocates alternatives available for all its uses, organic crops and the avoidance of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
In 2009/10 EJF recruited high profile Indian celebrities, including film directors Deepa Mehta
and M Night Shyamalan, and musician Ravi Shankar
, to lend their support to the campaign .
In 2010, EJF was involved in securing a commitment from Bayer Cropscience to end its manufacture of endosulfan by the end of that year .
In 2011, EJF announced on their website that they were "delighted to announce that, after extensive review and debate, we have finally reached the end of the road for chemical pesticide endosulfan" following news that on Friday April 29th 2011, national delegates at the fifth conference of parties (COP5) agreed to list endosulfan under Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) .
campaign is to train and support investigators and advocates for wildlife in key conservation
locations around the globe . It is particularly concerned that illegal trafficking of plants and animals for pets, trophies, food and traditional medicines, estimated to be worth $20 billion a year, has a detrimental effect on biodiversity
and ecosystems and is pushing some species to the brink of extinction .
The campaign has so far concentrated on working in Vietnam
where EJF report that a great diversity of wild species is under threat from the swift recent conversion to agriculture
and building development. EJF believe that, Vietnam, although a signatory to CITES, lacks the manpower and legal framework to enforce domestic wildlife legislation . [ ]
EJF first collaborated with the NGO Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) in 2003 which was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization focused on conservation of nature and wildlife, to combat illegal bear farming . EJF reports that estimated 4000 Asiatic black bears and sun bears are kept illegally in Vietnam's bear farms. Adult bears are caged and their bile regularly extracted for the ursodeoxycholic acid it contains which is then used in traditional medicines and tonics.
In 2003 EJF provided ENV with video, media and advocacy training, a digital stills camera and a computer for film editing and design. It also gave advice and support on website development .
In 2004 EJF helped ENV to conduct undercover investigations into bear farms in and around Hanoi and undertake a consumer survey in preparation for a campaign to influence people's attitudes to bear farming. This included recruiting Vietnamese singer My Linh to front a public service announcement (PSA) shown on Vietnamese television . [ ]
In 2006-07, EJF continued training ENV in the use of film to produce another PSA, supplying a cameraman and editor to give assistance. The charity used funding from the World Society for the Protection of Animals to equip ENV with new computer and filming equipment and professional editing software. Further video and media training for ENV was completed in 2008-09 .
As a separate part of its wildlife campaign, EJF has committed to support the leading wildlife charity WildAid
- http://www.wildaid.org - in their work to support protected areas, investigate illegal wildlife trade and reduce consumer demand . EJF and WildAid UK share a London office and Steve Trent, EJF's Executive Director is the President of WildAid
.
EJF's core tenet is set out in the Mission Statement on its website . It asserts that the injustices suffered by people living in poor and disenfranchised communities are often closely related the destruction, over-exploitation and other abuses of the local natural environment these people depend on.
EJF makes direct links between the western world's demands for cheap food and other goods, especially fish, shrimp and cotton and degraded natural environments in poorer countries.
In seeking to resolve environmental and human rights abuses, EJF works to give an international voice to vulnerable communities working to protect the local environment that sustains their basic human needs of a shelter, food and income.
By 2010 its work had grown to cover five main campaigning areas
- 'Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated' fishing IUU
- Pesticide use
- Cotton production
- Shrimp farming
- Climate refugees .
EJF has also campaigned on the issue of the trade in wild animals with NGO partner WildAid
WildAid
WildAid is an international 501 NGO whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade. Rather than an issue of biology or culture WildAid views the illegal wildlife trade fundamentally as a matter of economics - of supply and demand....
Much of the Environmental Justice Foundation's work involves training and equipping affected communities in producer countries to investigate, record and expose abuses and then campaign effectively for an equitable resolution to the issues .
Emphasis is placed on the power of film , both to record irrefutable evidence of environmental injustice and to create strong campaigning messages. EJF reports in the 2008/09 Impact Report that it worked with local communities, organisations and Heads of State in 19 countries in this way .
EJF also campaigns in the UK, Europe and internationally.
It sees its role as a catalyst working to achieve long-term change, alerting governments, international policy makers, consumers and businesses to the damaging human and environmental effects that western demand has on the natural environment and local communities, primarily in the global south. EJF aims to catalyse action by key decision-makers in business and politics, along with individual action by consumers and concerned invidividuals . In April 2011 EJF collected 28,000 signatures via campaigning website Care2
Care2
Care2 is a social network website that was founded by Randy Paynter in 1998 to help connect activists from around the world. It has a membership of more than 17 million people....
calling for a global ban on deadly pesticide endosulfan .
EJF campaigns directly to policy formers including the European Commission, Parliament and United Nations organisations. In January 2011 EJF presented a petition of 10,000 signatures to the UN in 2011 calling for a Global Record on Fishing Vessels .
History
The Environmental Justice Foundation was founded in London, UK in 2000 and became a Registered CharityCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in August 2001 by Steve Trent and Juliette Williams. EJF's creation was a response to the human suffering and environmental degradation
Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
its founders witnessed in their work as environmental campaigners with over forty years combined experience.
This experience had led both founders to conclude that basic human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
of people in the world's poorest countries often depend on those people's access to a healthy environment for food, shelter
Shelter
Shelter is a basic architectural structure or building that provides cover. The word may also refer to:-Places:*Port Shelter, Hong Kong*Shelter Bay , various locations*Shelter Cove , various locations...
and a living.
EJF undertook its first campaign, to defend community fishing rights in Cambodia in 2001. As a result of training and documentation programmes, a national network – the Fisheries Action Coalition Team - was founded. The Fisheries Action Coalition Team is a coalition of NGO consisting 12 NGOs, both local and international, which was localised from NGO Forum. A campaign report called Feast or Famine was produced and presented to policymakers at a meeting hosted by the British Ambassador to Cambodia, proving a catalyst for the issue in the country as well as securing international support.
EJF expanded its work to encompass the pesticide endosulfan
Endosulfan
Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is being phased out globally. Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor...
(2002), trafficking of wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
(2003), shrimp trawling and shrimp farming (2003), illegal, unreported and unregulated IUU fishing (2004), cotton production (2004) and climate refugees (2009).
Areas of work and EJF's approach
According to the Impact Report 2008/09 the Environmental Justice Foundation pursues its goals through: investigation, campaigns, aiding grassroots action by communities in producer countries and catalysing consumer, business and governmental action internationally.It sends its own reporters to investigate, document and compile reports of environmental and human rights abuses in the Global South. It also works on the ground to help train local groups in effective investigative and reporting techniques to publicise abuses in their area and then advocate on those issues nationally and globally .
EJF's work often takes it into partnership with other NGOs, national governments and international bodies, businesses and corporations. It works with celebrity ambassadors to publicise its campaigns including its Patrons - artist Rachel Whiteread
Rachel Whiteread
Rachel Whiteread, CBE is an English artist, best known for her sculptures, which typically take the form of casts. She won the annual Turner Prize in 1993—the first woman to win the prize....
, actress Emilia Fox
Emilia Fox
Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox is an award-winning English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appears as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the programme's second...
, writer Iain Banks
Iain Banks
Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
and explorer Benedict Allen
Benedict Allen
Benedict Colin Allen is a British traveller. He is best known for his survival modus operandi: tapping into local, indigenous knowledge above reliance on modern inventions. His approach is to present himself as ready to learn, like an infant; the communities that he visits take him under their...
.
Title: End of the Road for Endosulfan
One of EJF’s first programmes of work was its campaign for national bans and ultimately a global ban on the manufacture and use of chemical pesticide endosulfanEndosulfan
Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is being phased out globally. Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor...
. Categorized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
as a ‘highly hazardous’ substance, endosulfan has been compared to DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
in its potential for environmental harm .
EJF points out that pesticides such as endosulfan, that are banned or restricted in the EU, the US and other developed nations, are widely used in developing countries, where their harmful potential can be exacerbated by low levels safety awareness, inadequate labelling, illiteracy and poor access to safety equipment .
Endosulfan is readily absorbed by humans via the stomach, lungs and skin where it can cause hormone disruption as well as being a neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
, haematoxin and nephrotoxin.
During its investigations, EJF has documented in a series of reports acute medical symptoms linked to endosulfan among farmers and local populations. These symptoms include headache, nausea, breathing problems, renal problems, loss of consciousness, and seizures; numerous fatalities have been documented, particularly in West Africa
.
In its reports EJF has expressed concern that, like DDT, endosulfan is persistent in the environment, where it is harmful to mammals, fish, bees, birds and other wildlife . Endosulfan use has led to the pollution and abandonment of agricultural land and it has been shown to bioaccumulate and travel long distances through air and water. In 2009 the Stockholm Convention’s Scientific Committee acknowledged endosulfan as being a persistent organic pollutant .
EJF began documenting the use of endosulfan in Cambodia in 2002 and published a report called Death in Small Doses in 2003.
Death in Small Doses, a report on the problems of, and alternatives to, pesticide use in Cambodia was presented to Ministries in Cambodia, international donor agencies, media, business and NGOs as part of an advocacy strategy to raise public and political awareness .
Working with CEDAC (Centre d'Etude et de Développement Agricole Cambodgien), a Cambodian NGO , EJF documented widespread use of endosulfan by Cambodian farmers and recorded numerous safety concerns, including a lack of protective equipment and exposure of children, homes, livestock and family food crops.
Labelling inadequacies where endosulfan was being imported to Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
were also highlighted in EJF's 2004 briefing paper "End of the Road for Endosulfan" .
As part of EJF's work in Cambodia in 2002 the charity worked with Cambodian farmers to promote sustainable agriculture and educate them about risks of hazardous pesticides. A short briefing entitled End of the Road for Endosulfan was compiled which was used in to convince the Cambodian Environment Minister to ban endosulfan in the country.
This briefing was later cited in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
’s 2008 proposal to include endosulfan in the Annexes of the Stockholm Convention
Stockholm Convention
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants .- History :...
.
In 2007, EJF produced a report, Deadly Chemicals in Cotton following investigations that gathered evidence of hazardous pesticide use on cotton crops in Mali and India in 2006, which included documenting the medical impacts of the chemical.
The report, Deadly Chemicals in Cotton, was produced with the Pesticide Action Network
Pesticide Action Network
Pesticide Action Network is "an international coaltion of around 600 NGOs, citizens' groups, and individuals in about 60 countries."PAN is involved in fighting problems caused by pesticide use, and advocates ecologically sound alternatives. Branches include PAN North America, U...
UK to raise awareness of the human and environmental costs of pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
use in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The report also highlights the heavy reliance of cotton production on pesticides and insecticides: an estimated eight times more per average hectare than the average hectare of food crop. EJF reports that US$2 billion-worth (2007) are used on cotton crops each year, US$819 million-worth of which are classed as hazardous by the World Health Organisation according to the report. EJF characterises cotton as the world's dirtiest crop.
In 2009 EJF launched a new report with the same name as the 2004 briefing paper, 'End of the Road for Endosulfan' . This documents health and environmental impacts associated with endosulfan exposure and advocates alternatives available for all its uses, organic crops and the avoidance of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
In 2009/10 EJF recruited high profile Indian celebrities, including film directors Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta, LLD is a Genie Award-winning Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, most known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire , Earth , and Water , among which Earth was submitted by Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...
and M Night Shyamalan, and musician Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, to lend their support to the campaign .
In 2010, EJF was involved in securing a commitment from Bayer Cropscience to end its manufacture of endosulfan by the end of that year .
In 2011, EJF announced on their website that they were "delighted to announce that, after extensive review and debate, we have finally reached the end of the road for chemical pesticide endosulfan" following news that on Friday April 29th 2011, national delegates at the fifth conference of parties (COP5) agreed to list endosulfan under Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) .
Title: Wildlife
EJF's stated objective for its wildlifeWildlife management
Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include game keeping, wildlife conservation and pest control...
campaign is to train and support investigators and advocates for wildlife in key conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
locations around the globe . It is particularly concerned that illegal trafficking of plants and animals for pets, trophies, food and traditional medicines, estimated to be worth $20 billion a year, has a detrimental effect on biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and ecosystems and is pushing some species to the brink of extinction .
The campaign has so far concentrated on working in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
where EJF report that a great diversity of wild species is under threat from the swift recent conversion to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and building development. EJF believe that, Vietnam, although a signatory to CITES, lacks the manpower and legal framework to enforce domestic wildlife legislation . [ ]
EJF first collaborated with the NGO Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) in 2003 which was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization focused on conservation of nature and wildlife, to combat illegal bear farming . EJF reports that estimated 4000 Asiatic black bears and sun bears are kept illegally in Vietnam's bear farms. Adult bears are caged and their bile regularly extracted for the ursodeoxycholic acid it contains which is then used in traditional medicines and tonics.
In 2003 EJF provided ENV with video, media and advocacy training, a digital stills camera and a computer for film editing and design. It also gave advice and support on website development .
In 2004 EJF helped ENV to conduct undercover investigations into bear farms in and around Hanoi and undertake a consumer survey in preparation for a campaign to influence people's attitudes to bear farming. This included recruiting Vietnamese singer My Linh to front a public service announcement (PSA) shown on Vietnamese television . [ ]
In 2006-07, EJF continued training ENV in the use of film to produce another PSA, supplying a cameraman and editor to give assistance. The charity used funding from the World Society for the Protection of Animals to equip ENV with new computer and filming equipment and professional editing software. Further video and media training for ENV was completed in 2008-09 .
As a separate part of its wildlife campaign, EJF has committed to support the leading wildlife charity WildAid
WildAid
WildAid is an international 501 NGO whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade. Rather than an issue of biology or culture WildAid views the illegal wildlife trade fundamentally as a matter of economics - of supply and demand....
- http://www.wildaid.org - in their work to support protected areas, investigate illegal wildlife trade and reduce consumer demand . EJF and WildAid UK share a London office and Steve Trent, EJF's Executive Director is the President of WildAid
WildAid
WildAid is an international 501 NGO whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade. Rather than an issue of biology or culture WildAid views the illegal wildlife trade fundamentally as a matter of economics - of supply and demand....
.