Environment and natural resources
Forests and forestry
Indonesian government challenges another green group over freedom of information request
The Indonesian government is going to the Supreme Court over an NGO’s freedom of information request for detailed maps of land on which oil palm companies have been licensed to operate in Kalimantan, the country’s portion of Borneo island. Civil society groups have tried for ...
New study analyses biggest threats to Southeast Asian biodiversity
Southeast Asia is a global biodiversity hotspot — but with about 4 billion people living in the region, the pressures on that biodiversity are severe. Southeast Asia is a global biodiversity hotspot — but with about 4 billion people living in the region, the pressures on ...
The Salween Peace Park: a radical, grassroots alternative to development in Karen State
A path has opened for environmental conservationists and rights advocates to strengthen their fight against gold mining and other socially and environmentally destructive projects in the rich forests of Karen State in eastern Myanmar: the Salween Peace Park. The 5,200-square-kilometer Peace Park is a radical ...
Farewell to Vo Quy, Vietnam's hero of the environment
Vietnam’s Professor Vo Quy has passed away in Hanoi at age 87. The well-known and well-loved zoologist had a storied career that spanned decades and, even in his 80s, he was still working and busy, as passionate as ever. I met Professor Vo Quy in Hanoi ...
Wildlife group extends support for National Protected Area
The Wildlife Conservation Society-Laos Programme will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to conserve the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area ecosystem. An agreement on the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area Management and Tiger Conservation Project Phase 5 was ...
Luang Namtha targeting rubber for poverty reduction
Luang Namtha provincial authorities are allowing some poor families to grow rubber trees on their small allotments to discourage illegal plantings in forest conservation areas. An official from the provincial Planning and Investment Department, Mrs Phommy Somboun, told Vientiane Times on January 5 the policy was ...
Even as more new species are found, Southeast Asia is in the grip of a biodiversity crisis
Rich in wildlife, Southeast Asia includes at least six of the world’s 25 “biodiversity hotspots”—the areas of the world that contain an exceptional concentration of species in habitats that are also exceptionally endangered. The region contains 20 percent of the planet’s vertebrate and plant species and the ...
Vientiane targets economic growth of 11 percent
Vientiane authorities are aiming to grow the capital’s economy by 11 percent this year and expect that GDP will increase by 41.6 trillion kip. It is also anticipated that the capital’s residents will have an annual average per capita income of US$5,000. The agriculture and ...
Agricultural land thirsts for clean water
As the shortage of clean water for irrigation has become serious, local authorities are trying every possible way to bring clean water to fields. To produce clean rice, vegetables and fruits, farmers need safe land which is not infected with heavy metals and with toxic chemical ...
Largest number of rare pangolins freed into wild
The largest ever number of rare Java pangolin (Manis javanica), 54 individuals, were released into the wild recently by the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) organisation in coordination with Cúc Phương National Park and the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Centre. The pangolins were rescued from illegal traders in ...
