Forests and forestry

Forest cover is expected to increase to 68 per cent of the country’s land area by 2020, slightly below the target of 70 per cent, the latest report on the matter suggests. A 2015 survey revealed that forest cover stood at 58 percent. With an annual ...

The loss of forestlands is disastrous for the indigenous Koi people of south east Asia. The Chom Penh forest provides their homes, their food and their income. Many in this region make their living from selling resin from the trees that surround them. But their ancestral ...

Forest encroachers caught clearing land or burning trees, in any of Thailand’s national parks or gardens, in order to occupy the land, will soon face jail terms of up to 20 years and/or a fine of as much as two million baht under the new ...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is calling for ideas to create a draft decree that establishes a system of regulations ensuring Việt Nam’s legal timber and wood products qualify for import and export. The ideas are expected to come from relevant ministries and sectors, experts and ...

In the Southeast Asian region, loss of area under natural forests is largely driven by natural resources extraction and demand for more land for production of food and other commodities. Earlier in 2018, progress tracking of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals for Southeast Asia revealed ...

It is widely assumed that land uses that increase carbon in biomass and soil to mitigate climate change also benefit biodiversity. But that might not always be the case. Until recently, there was no clear picture on what the most likely carbon-boosting strategies, such as ...

As Myanmar develops and urbanises, buildings, roads and bridges that meet international standards alone will not do. It is also important to systematically grow and preserve trees and green spaces in the city. The example of modern buildings together with parks is a popular trend in developed ...

A timber company in Cambodia is ignoring environmental protection laws by transporting felled trees by night from protected forests in the country, activists said on Monday. The Oeun Sovann Company, operating out of Kampong Thom province, has not been punished or stopped from ignoring conservation laws, ...

Cambodia’s Beng Per Wildlife Sanctuary is symbolic of the country’s poor forestry management. Around 2,000 square kilometres (sq km) – around three times the size of Singapore – is lost to illegal logging in Cambodia every year where wildlife sanctuaries – despite their name – ...

Nittaya vows to keep fighting for land rights as Court slaps her with four months in jail, Bt40,000 in fines. THE APPEALS Court yesterday upheld a guilty verdict and jail term against a land-rights activist over forest encroachment. But in the eyes of many, Nittaya ...