Environment and land

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc underlined the pressing need to focus resources on tackling climate change in the Mekong Delta in the wake of landslides along river banks, canals and seashores threatening life and property of local residents.  Keep reading ...

Dozens of projects threaten agriculture and fishing in Southeast Asia. Sam In, a 48-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia’s northeastern province of Stung Treng, never knew that people paid for water until he was forced to move out of his home on the banks of a Mekong ...

The Mekong Delta once sheltered Viet Cong guerrillas as they battled U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. Today the area is the country’s “rice bowl,” providing half of the national rice supply. It is also becoming an increasingly attractive investment destination for domestic and foreign ...

China deserves credit for shutting down the illegal trading in elephant ivory that has contributed in recent years to the killing of thousands of African pachyderms. But much credit should also go to international nongovernment organizations that have championed the elephants’ cause and raised public ...

Although the Mekong is popularly seen as a South East Asian river, its headwaters are located in China, where it is known as the Lancang. From there it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The future of the Mekong, though, will be heavily ...

In recent years, increased salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta, due to changing climate and fluctuations in river water levels especially during the dry season in coastal regions, has affected agriculture especially rice farming livelihoods. Salinity intrusion has also severely affected domestic water supplies. Saltwater ...

The renewable energy sector in Southeast Asia has progressed in leaps and bounds. From the harnessing of biomass to the use of water in generating electricity, there is room for tremendous economic growth as well as the obvious positive of caring for an ailing environment.  Keep ...

Representatives from civil society organisations, government line agencies and donor organisations met in Vientiane yesterday to discuss the strengthening of non-state actors for improved forest governance in the Mekong region. Keep reading   ...

The Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) is a major global rice producer and exporter but its population suffers from serious levels of poverty and malnutrition. Spanning six countries – China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – the region is home to 334 million people. Keep reading ...

Many elephants are being hunted for their skin across Asia and the problem is reaching a crisis point, said a report released yesterday by an international NGO that is dedicated to protecting the animals from extinction. Keep reading ...