Environment and land
Govt looks to ease Mekong dam impacts
The Department of Fisheries will roll out a number of measures to help cushion the impacts of dam construction in the upper reaches of the Mekong River on Thai fishermen. Department chief, Adisorn Promthep, said the measures will entail further diplomatic coordination with Laos — which ...
Apinya Wipatayotin
Earth’s largest freshwater creatures at risk of extinction
Some have survived for hundreds of millions of years, but many of the world’s freshwater megafauna—including sumo-sized stingrays, colossal catfish, giant turtles, and gargantuan salamanders—may soon find themselves on the brink of extinction, according to a new study published. For the first time, researchers have quantified the ...
Stefan Lovgren
Giant river animals on verge of extinction, report warns
Populations of the great beasts that once dominated the world’s rivers and lakes have crashed in the last 50 years, according to the first comprehensive study. Some freshwater megafauna have already been declared extinct, such as the Yangtze dolphin, and many more are now on the ...
Damian Carrington
Cambodia, Thailand discuss linking ports
Thailand has proposed connecting one of its ports to Sihanoukville’s deep-water port in a bid to boost trade between the countries. A delegation from Thailand’s eastern economic corridor met with Cambodian authorities on Tuesday to discuss linking the infrastructures of the Laem Chabang port in Chonburi ...
Opinion: Mekong Region Needs to Overcome Drought Together
Drought, follows flood and storm, is among the most influential natural disasters in the world. According to 2018 publication on the International Disaster Database website, 16% of people affected by disasters in 2018 were affected by droughts. Over the past few decades, countries along the Lancang-Mekong ...
Dr. Liu Hui
EU stumps up $11mln for Greater Mekong wildlife conservation
The European Union (EU) has teamed up with wildlife and conservation groups in the Greater Mekong region, Malaysia, and China to try and disrupt the flow of illegally trafficked wildlife through the region. The €10 million (about $11.14 million) project which will run through until December ...
Sreypov Men
ASEAN forges cooperation in agriculture, forestry
The Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 40th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (Special SOM-AMAF) opened in Vietnam’s central province of Thua Thien-Hue on August 5. The event brought together 130 delegates from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian ...
The challenges of campaigning against wildlife trafficking in Vietnam
In late January, WildAid and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Center of Hands-on Actions and Networking for Growth and Environment (CHANGE) launched a graphic anti-wildlife trafficking campaign focused on three animals: pangolins, elephants and rhinos. In a bold move, the organizers brought a group of bloodied, weakened statues ...
Michael Tatarski
Forest activists call for seizure of assets from corrupt officials
Civil society and forest protection activists on Monday called for officials in the government and armed forces guilty of corruption and exploiting state property to be removed from their positions and have their assets frozen. The request came after a government spokesman said Prime Minister Hun ...
Soth Koemsoeun
China’s Push to Control the Mekong River a “Troubling Trend”
The United States has expressed concern over Chinese dam building, dredging and other activities on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, calling them “troubling trends.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with ministers from lower Mekong River countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The foreign ministers of ...