Environment and natural resources
Patrolling The Mekong ep.2: border control police balance work and life in isolated area
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Joint Patrol and Law Enforcement initiative on the Mekong River. In December 2011, security authorities in China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand launched the initiative after around 8 gunmen stormed two Chinese vessels and killed thirteen sailors. In today’s ...
Stronger forestry laws needed: officials
Ineffective forest management has exposed shortcomings in the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development that need to be addressed through amendments, officials said at a conference on December 15. Participants at the national conference in the capital city said the law defined the forest ...
Rainbow snake, tiny frog among new Mekong species
A rainbow-headed snake, a tiny frog and a lizard with dragon-like horns are among more than 150 new species confirmed by scientists last year in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region, researchers said on Monday. Winding its way from the Tibetan plateau through the ...
Laos prepares for face-to-face EU FLEGT, VPA negotiations
The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade technical working group on December 15 met in Vientiane to discuss finalised key parts of the draft timber definitions to be submitted to the European Union by the end of this month. The submission is crucial preparation for ...
Illegal Thai fishing hauls a possible threat to Woolworths sushi partner's supply
Thailand’s ‘ghost’ fishing fleet may have supplied contaminated seafood to Sushi Izu. Seafood caught by Thailand’s notorious ghost fishing fleet may have contaminated the supply chains of a sushi company operating in more than 165 Woolworths supermarkets. Guardian Australia can reveal that Woolworths and its fresh ...
When selling is more lucrative than protecting: Myanma timber enterprise and the deforestation crisis
For years, Myanmar’s state-owned timber giant has been subject to accusations of corruption and shadowy closed-door dealings. Environmental advocacy groups have long blamed Myanmar Timber Enterprise for operating its industry monopoly without transparency. On November 15, their allegations appeared to gain newfound teeth, substantiated by ...
Dire threat to famed Côn Đảo flora, fauna
The famous Côn Đảo Island’s ecosystem and its biodiversity is seriously threatened by overexploitation and low environmental awareness of visitors and locals. Concerned officials as well as residents are calling for strong protective measures that can prevent the slide into irrecoverable loss. “The commercial hunting ...
Mekong River Delta wastes 140,000 tons of fertilizer a year
The Agricultural Environment Institute estimates that the volume of fertilizer unnecessarily used in agricultural production in Mekong Delta is around 140,000 tons a year. Mai Van Trinh, head of the institute, said that the abuse of plant protection chemicals in cultivation is becoming more common ...
App boosting Prey Lang network’s data collection
The number of illegal logging sites discovered within Prey Lang forest between April and July was 14 percent higher than the previous four-month period, according to a report released on December 15 by the Prey Lang Community Network based on data collected with a novel ...
Experts call for reducing rice exports
The country should halve its rice exports from the normal 7-8 million tonnes until 2020 because of difficulties exporters face and falling production due to climate change, according to the Viet Nam Food Association. Speaking at a seminar in HCM City on December 13, Huynh The ...
