Environment and natural resources
Laos announces fourth Mekong dam amid fears of ecological disaster
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) announced yesterday that Laos has formally notified the Commission of its intention to construct the Pak Lay dam on the mainstream of the Mekong River. The notification triggers commencement of the Prior Consultation procedure under the MRC’s Procedures for Notification, ...
Regional Short Film Contest Launched to Combat Wildlife Trade
The British Embassy in Yangon launched a regional short-film competition on Thursday as part of a UK government initiative to combat the global illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The UK government, in association with the Luang Prabang Film Festival, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Wildlife ...
An Environmental Report Card for Southeast Asia
As school semesters come to a close across Southeast Asia, and teachers begin calculating final scores, another type of assessment is called for: an environmental report card for the region. While evaluating every environmental issue that has arisen in every country is unfeasible, it is ...
Young ASEAN leaders contribute ideas to protect Mekong Delta environment
Some 120 young leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) contributed their ideas to protecting the environment in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam at a workshop which opened in Can Tho city on June 5. The event, which runs until June 9, was ...
Workshop discuses environmental protection measures for Mekong Delta
A delegation of US diplomats in Vietnam and the Center for Community Human Resource Development under An Giang University co-organised a workshop titled “Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) 2018: Protecting The Mekong Delta Environment”, in Can Tho city, from June 4 to 9. The workshop ...
Live Lao pangolins seized on Mekong boat
The Thai authorities on Wednesday morning rescued some 40 live pangolins, weighed 200kg in total, that were smuggled in 10 sacks in a boat across the Mekong River into Chiang Rai’s Wiang Kaen district to be sold to restaurants and medicine shops. The pangolins were ...
China eyes its next prize – the Mekong
Beijing’s islands-building in the South China Sea and their militarisation, replete with surface-to-air missiles, is near complete. With guile, threat, and coercion, China can now seize control of one of the main transport arteries of Southeast Asia, making a mockery of international laws and norms. ...
Thailand’s last untouched Mekong tributary
The Lower Songkram River basin is the latest site in Thailand under the global spotlight as a crucial ecological resource, the WWF-Thailand said ahead of World Environment Day today. The river basin has been nominated as a wetland of international importance (RAMSAR), intended to protect ...
Hydropower in Cambodia could threaten food security of region
Farmers and anglers in Cambodia depend on the Mekong River’s predictable seasonal patterns, but new dams for hydroelectricity are altering the hydrology of the river. These changes have the potential to threaten fish migration, livelihoods, and regional food security. Keep reading ...
Southeast Asia's Road Building Spree Splinters Ecosystems
Southeast Asia is a global biodiversity hotspot, and Indonesia and Malaysia are no exception, harboring some of the highest levels of species diversity in the world. Yet those two countries also supply more than 80 percent of the world’s palm oil, and it’s widely acknowledged ...
