Environment and natural resources
A wetland laid to waste
Fires tore through the Tonle Sap wetlands last year, destroying an estimated third of the seasonally flooded forests that surround the lake. The loss of the trees, which are breeding grounds for freshwater fish, poses an existential threat to the area’s ecology and to the ...
Illegal logging a perennial problem in Vietnam despite premier’s order
Natural forests in Vietnam continue to fall victim to illegal logging, despite orders from the prime minister to shut down access to at-risk areas last year. Following a directive from PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in late June 2016, local authorities are no longer permitted to ...
Vietnamese province declares ‘state of emergency’ as 2,500ha lake threatens to give way
Authorities in Thai Nguyen Province in northern Vietnam have declared a state of emergency as Nui Coc, a massive man-made freshwater lake, threatens to give way due to permeation at any moment. Tens of thousands of residents living in nearby lowlands are susceptible to the ...
Vietnam’s environment protection chief dismissed over Formosa disaster
A chief of environmental protection operations under Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been dismissed for his management oversight that had led to the Formosa disaster last year.Luong Duy Hanh, director of the Department of Control of Environmental Protection Activities, has been removed ...
Costs set to torpedo Krabi power deals
The auction results that awarded three private companies contracts to build a Krabi coal-fired power plant and deep-sea port are expected to be revoked after delays pushed construction costs higher. The Electricity Generating Authority (Egat) may have to open a new bid if the new environmental ...
Thuận Hòa Hydropower Plant starts commercial operation
Thuận Hòa Hydropower Joint Stock Company and Hà Giang Province’s People’s Committee has jointly inaugurated a power plant on the Miện River.Keep reading ...
One map to benefit natural resources management
Government and private sector representatives of Laos and Thailand have exchanged information on using a geographic information system (GIS) to build a single map for improved natural resources management. One map via geographic information system will benefit natural resources management while saving time and budget ...
New project promotes biodiversity conservation
A Switzerland-funded project to conserve biodiversity through sustainable trade of natural ingredients following the BioTrade principles in Việt Nam, Laos and Myanmar was launched in Hà Nội on Tuesday.Keep reading ...
Deputies critical of draft Forest Law
National Assembly deputies said on Monday that the Law on Forest Protection and Development had not clearly identified responsibility for forest protection nor encouraged people to participate seriously in protecting the country’s trees.Read more ...
Billion-dollar dams are making water shortages, not solving them
Dams are supposed to collect water from rivers and redistribute it to alleviate water shortages, right? Not so fast. It turns out that in most cases they actually create water scarcity, especially for people living downstream.Almost a quarter of the global population experiences significant decreases ...
