Environment and land
New decree strengthens environment fund
A new government decree on a key environmental fund will help bolster fundraising for the protection of environment across the country, sources say. An official from the Environment Protection Fund (EPF) Mr Vithoun Inthavong discussed his expectations speaking with Vientiane Times on April 19 about the ...
More timber seized from Ratanakkiri
Ratanakkiri provincial authorities on April 19 seized a large cache of luxury wood and arrested four people about to sell the timber to Vietnam. Ratanakkiri provincial police chief Kim Reaksmey said the wood was discovered at two separate locations in Banlung town’s La Bansiek commune and ...
Over 700 illegal fishermen netted
A four-month government campaign has exposed 730 cases of illegal fishing on Tonle Sap lake. Noa Thuok, secretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, said 30 people have been sent to court so far as a result of the inter-ministerial crackdown, which began in ...
Mekong River survey begins despite opposition
Survey work on the Mekong River channel project officially started on April 19 in Chiang Rai, and field survey by a Chinese company is expected to begin tomorrow amid strong opposition by environmentalists. The Marine Department revealed on April 19 that China’s CCCC Second Habor Consultant Co ...
Mekong survey draws protests
A network of environmentalists is getting ready to protest against a Chinese government survey of the Khon Pi Long rapids in Chiang Rai. The Chinese team on April 18 began its 50-day study of the rapids, which lie along the Mekong River. Environmentalists fear China wants ...
Panel hears bribery rife in fish industry
The Command Centre for Combating Illegal Fishing has set up a panel to look into complaints accusing some officials of demanding bribes from trawler operators. Centre deputy head Vice Admiral Wannapol Glormgeao said Tuesday the centre recently received a number of complaints from anchovy trawler ...
Forest conservation might be an even more important climate solution than we realize: study
It’s estimated that deforestation is responsible for about 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Of course, in addition to the direct emissions created, the destruction of a forest means the removal of a valuable carbon sink, as well, which is why deforestation represents a “double ...
Scientists launch global search for 25 ‘lost’ species
Unseen for decades in the wild, many species are now feared extinct. Some exist only as museum specimens, others are only known from old drawings or photographs. But some of these missing species may still be out there, lurking in remote, unexplored regions of our planet. And to ...
Caffeine high as Laos tops South-East Asia's coffee producer rankings
Laos is riding high as largest coffee exporter in ASEAN followed by Vietnam in second place and Thailand third according to figures compiled by the Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment. Coffee is among Laos top export income earners in terms of agricultural commodities, earning ...
Documenting the fight to save Borneo’s animals
After graduating from school, Aaron “Bertie” Gekoski was on a fairly conventional career path for a young businessman, starting out in copyediting for a magazine before launching a modeling agency in London. But the more successful his agency became, the more Gekoski felt like something ...
