Environment and natural resources
Forests and forestry
Nepal tests fencing approach to protect farms and elephants
“We are not angry with the elephant and know that we need to protect it, but we also need to protect ourselves”. This is a brave statement by Kaushala Budha, a Nepali farmer in the Patabhar hamlet, whose house had been nearly destroyed by a ...
Hundred-year-old nghien forest in Ha Giang destroyed
Ancient nghien trees (Excentrodendron tonkinense) in Ha Giang province, in the middle of old forests and on high cliffs, have been lost due to illegal logging and clearing to make room for hydropower plants and mineral exploitation. However, the plan has failed: the province has lost ...
Vietnam-bound timber seized
Ratanakkiri provincial forces and military police yesterday seized 15 logs of luxury wood bound for export to Vietnam. Provincial military police chief Kim Reaksmey said the haul was found when officers targeted the location in Patort village in Lumphat district for the second time. The team ...
The last nghien wood kingdom is being destroyed
The nghien (excentrodendron tonkinense) kingdom growing on the rocky mountains in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang is getting smaller because of illegal logging. This is a hard, tough and durable wood with no termites, even if it is buried underground. Tay and Nung ethnic minorities like ...
Protected birds come under threat
A protected bird species has come under renewed threat after land-grabbers invaded Preah Vihear province’s Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary and destroyed their habitat. The lesser adjutant is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Protection of its nests started ...
Sơn Trà master plan needs amending
The central city plans to petition the Prime Minister for adjustments to the Sơn Trà Master Plan in order to better protect the eponymous nature reserve. Đà Nẵng Deputy Chairman Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn also said at a press conference on Monday that the city will ...
Exports of logs double in 2016
Despite a ban on the export of timber to Vietnam and the creation of a much-publicised anti-logging task force, Cambodia last year still exported nearly $33 million dollars’ worth of unprocessed logs to its eastern neighbour, a volume more than double that of 2015, according ...
Illegal logging groups arrested
Eleven Vietnamese men and two Cambodian men have been arrested for border crossing offenses and logging in protected forests. Interior Ministry immigration police officer Bun Chantha said the Cambodians and seven of the Vietnamese were arrested in Rattanakiri province’s Lumphat district on March 27. The provincial ...
Forestry agreement inked as Laos, China pursue sustainable resource development
Bilateral cooperation for sustainable and forestry industry development is set to expand following the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos and State Forestry Administration of China. Cooperation is set to cover seven main areas such as afforestation, forest ...
In defining plantations as forest, FAO attracts criticism
What’s in a definition? For some, too much. Nearly 200 organizations have signed an open letter to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, calling for the agency to change how they define “forest” – the very landscape honored today on International Day ...
