Deforestation drivers

Earth’s intact forests shrank by an area larger than Austria every year from 2014 to 2016 at a 20 percent faster rate than during the previous decade, scientists said 20 June as the UN unveiled an initiative to harness the “untapped potential” of the land ...

Despite official pledges to halt the trade, smugglers in Cambodia and Laos are finding ways to illegally ship timber to neighboring Vietnam. The precious hardwood is often used in furniture factories that ship their products largely to China. []Located west of the Mekong River and covering ...

Mighty Earth, an environmental group devoted to protecting rain forests and other endangered landscapes, is praising Bridgestone Corp. for the zero deforestation portion of its recently announced Global Sustainability Procurement Policy. []Demand for natural rubber has caused rapid deforestation in Southeast Asia, especially in Cambodia, Laos, ...

Landlocked Southeast Asian country facing double environmental threats of destructive dams and illegal logging.[]But logging isn’t the only threat. Of perhaps much greater concern is the plan to build a series of hydro-power dams along the Mekong river and its tributaries.Keep reading ...

Laos’ reputation as having some of the most lush and diverse forests in the Mekong remains under serious threat after a December investigation by government officials found evidence of large-scale illegal logging operations in the southern Attapeu province, despite recent efforts to end the practice. ...

Banks and regulators in Southeast Asia should strengthen financial-sector rules and guidelines to promote funding for environment-friendly projects in a region threatened by deforestation and climate change, the World Wildlife Fund said. Keep reading ...

The government will ban the export of rubberwood effective July 1, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. Dr Wee said on Thursday that the decision was made to address the shortage of raw materials faced by the Malaysian ...

Fires tore through the Tonle Sap wetlands last year, destroying an estimated third of the seasonally flooded forests that surround the lake. The loss of the trees, which are breeding grounds for freshwater fish, poses an existential threat to the area’s ecology and to the ...

National Assembly deputies said on Monday that the Law on Forest Protection and Development had not clearly identified responsibility for forest protection nor encouraged people to participate seriously in protecting the country’s trees.Read more ...

Champassak province should close all loopholes relating to the timber trade, and review all the procedures that have frustrated investors and delayed development. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Sonexay Siphandone tabled these issues in discussions with Champassak authorities during his visit to the province last week. ...