Biodiversity
Ecosystems
Deteriorating Mekong ecosystem alarms activists
Environment advocates are voicing concerns over the Mekong River’s deteriorating ecosystem, especially with more projects set to affect the waterway in the pipeline. “If these so-called development projects continue, especially the construction of more dams, the Mekong will face a crisis,” said Niwat Roi-kaeo, president of ...
Wassayos Ngamkham
Endangered River Dolphin Species' Numbers on the Rise
It’s 5:30 p.m., and several tourist boats linger in the middle of the Mekong River. A blood-orange sun casts a warm glow across the milky brown water, making it the ideal time to photograph the rare Irrawaddy river dolphins that congregate in deep, swirling pools. ...
Stefan Lovgren
Exploring wetland along upper Mekong River in Stung Treng
Trees with aerial roots exposed over the water, white sand islets dotted across limpid water, Irrawaddy dolphin pools and critically endangered fish breeding pools among braided channels and flooded forests; these are just some of the attractions drawing tourists from around the world to the ...
Raksmey Hong
Asean calls for improvement in key biodiversity area identification
A series of workshops held in Bangkok this week aims to help participants identify sites critical to the global persistence of biodiversity in the Asean region. It will also develop visualisation tools to aid the reporting processes for multilateral environmental agreements. Keep reading ...
Laos builds more dams, scientists worry about Mekong’s ecosystem
Instead of requesting additional data used in the building of Pak Lay hydroelectric dam in Laos, Dr Le Anh Tuan, a Mekong River expert and deputy head of the Institute for Climate Change Research at Can Tho University, believes that it would be better to ...
WWF-Cambodia announces new ‘accurate’ survey of reptiles
To help conserve the critically endangered Siamese crocodile, WWF-Cambodia has announced it will conduct a survey this year to accurately record the number of the reptiles left in the wild in the Kingdom’s Eastern Plains Landscape. The Siamese crocodile was once widespread throughout much of ...
How wasps saved Asia’s forests
In our recent study, we combined field observations and satellite imagery to show how the tiny pest-killing lopezi wasp (Anagyrus lopezi) helped combat deforestation in Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam by controlling a pest that was devastating cassava crops across the region. Keep reading ...
The last 92 Irrawaddy dolphins in Mekong River may not survive
Experts are concerned that the Mekong dolphin is unlikely to survive Cambodia’s modernisation as a new dam is planned. It says, “building dams destroy habitats” and lists threats to dolphins, including pollutions and gillnets. It looks like an insect-eaten papyrus. The Irrawaddy dolphin is a critically endangered ...
Nathan A. Thompson
Seminar talks marine planning, coastal ecosystems in Mekong Delta
A seminar was held in Hanoi on November 22 to look into marine spatial planning and a project on improving the human habitat and coastal ecosystems in the Mekong Delta. Keep reading ...
Thailand’s last untouched Mekong tributary
The Lower Songkram River basin is the latest site in Thailand under the global spotlight as a crucial ecological resource, the WWF-Thailand said ahead of World Environment Day today. The river basin has been nominated as a wetland of international importance (RAMSAR), intended to protect ...