Forest protection
Protected areas
Farmers choose solar farm over endangered bird
When given a choice between renewable energy and wildlife conservation, people in Samut Sakhon have opted for a solar farm for financial reasons. Tractors and trucks loaded with soil were seen busily working in a field yesterday to fill a salt pan in Ban Khok ...
Land used for palm oil could double without damaging forests, say researchers
The area covered by palm oil plantations worldwide could double without damaging protected areas or sensitive forests, Austrian researchers said on Tuesday (July 26).Researchers from the Austria-based International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) studied satellite maps from South-east Asia, Africa and Latin America to ...
Disney carbon deal follows past emissions credit failure
A $2.6 million deal by Walt Disney Company to preserve nearly 300,000 hectares of eastern Cambodian forest through the purchase of carbon credits will need to overcome past failures to succeed, critics said on 25 July. The carbon trade aims to counter 365,000 tons of emissions ...
How Buddhist monks are battling deforestation in Cambodia
Cambodia has one of the world’s highest deforestation rates. But a group of Buddhist monks are stepping up efforts to save forests by publicly revealing wrongdoings and mobilizing local villagers. Ate Hoekstra reports. In Cambodia, where over 90 percent of the population is Buddhist, monks enjoy ...
UNESCO push will clear villagers off of Kulen Mountain
Hundreds of villagers living on Siem Reap’s historic Phnom Kulen are reeling after the government announced they would be relocated as part of a scheme to secure a UNESCO World Heritage Listing for the site. But one resident, 53-year-old Khev Kheng, who has lived there for ...
Prey Lang still logged: community
Continued widespread logging in the Prey Lang forest is evidence that the government’s recent push to have more than 400,000 hectares of land protected is toothless, according to activists as well as a Prey Lang Community Network report released on 29 June. The report’s purpose was ...
Government declares closing of natural forests
Up to 2.25 million hectares of natural forests in the Central Highlands are not allowed to be open to commercial projects, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The Government leader announced the closing of natural forests at conference in Dak Lak province’s Buon Ma Thuot city ...
DSI looking into Buri Ram forest encroachment
The Department of Special Investigation is considering whether to take over a case of alleged encroachment involving more than 2,000 rai of a forest reserve in Satuk district planted in cash crops by investors. A team of DSI investigators went to Khok Chod national forest reserve ...
Hard battle against wildlife crime
Lack of legal assistance from foreign countries means the fight against wildlife crime is still very tough. This is according to Nguyễn Duy Giảng, head of the Department for Prosecution and Supervision over Criminal Cases, under the Supreme People’s Procuracy of Việt Nam at press conference ...
Move to grow artificial forest in Nan dubbed unsustainable
Critics claim an all-star conservation group set up to tackle deforestation has missed the mark by advocating an artificially grown forest, which they say will not result in sustainability and rich biodiversity. Many people have welcomed the plan by the Plook Loei Group, which is led ...