Environment and natural resources
Forests and forestry
New guidelines on impact assessments almost ready
Civil society groups are getting closer to unveiling a new set of guidelines that will change how the impact of big development projects is assessed across the Mekong region, NGOs said on November 1, following the end of a two-month public consultation period. Activists, however, ...
Laos, China agree to strengthen border security
Laos and China have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in the maintenance of security along their shared border with the signing of a new agreement. The agreement was signed by the Head of the National Boundary Committee Office of the Ministry of Foreign ...
Wooden furniture manufacturers beg for support
The HCM City Fine Arts and Woodworking Association predicted that Vietnam may reach $7.6 billion from timber and wooden exports in 2016, an increase of 10 percent compared to 2015. Meanwhile, experts have repeatedly warned of the danger of falling behind other regional countries. Vietnam urged to ...
Nearly $1 billion in forest carbon finance committed in 2015
The inclusion of the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation program, known as REDD+, as a standalone article in the Paris Climate Agreement was widely hailed as an encouraging political signal that protecting forests and other valuable carbon sinks would henceforth be a ...
Myanmar's logging ban feeds shadow economy of illegal trade
Sitting in a shop on the riverfront in Mandalay just last week, Win Nyunt assessed whether it was safe to hide a ton of illegally logged teak in a nearby monastery at midnight. “If I put the logs in the monastery it is safer, but I ...
Authorities bolster efforts to stem illegal wildlife trade
Despite concerted efforts by officials to end the illegal wildlife trade through regular inspections at markets throughout the country, the trade continues to flourish. To reduce illegal wildlife trading in Laos, especially in the main towns, the authorities have asked various agencies to join the ...
Agro-forestry-fishery export value up 6.3%
The total export value of agro-forestry-fishery products in the first ten months of this year reached US$26.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.3 per cent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Specifically, export value was $12.5 billion from of main farming products, ...
PM announces continued suspension of mining concessions
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on October 19 the government will maintain the moratorium on new mining concessions because it needs more time to inspect a number of operations. The prime minister was speaking at a three-day conference taking place at the National Convention Centre for mining ...
ADB supports sustainable biodiversity management
The Asian Development Bank has approved US$12.8 million in additional financing for the ongoing Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project in Laos. The grant assistance is sourced from ADB’s Strategic Climate Fund, Forest Investment Programme. The grant agreement was signed in Vientiane on October 18, inked by Deputy Minister ...
Attapeu airport potential examined during PM's visit
Attapeu International Airport may become more widely used in order to boost air transportation within Laos and the region. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith visited Attapeu province on October 15-16 for a working visit to discuss the future of the airport with provincial authorities after it opened for ...
