Environment and land
Vietnam reconsiders methane-emitting rice amid climate crisis
At the United Nations COP26 summit in Scotland, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined 109 countries in pledging to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. To meet the commitment, the Southeast Asian nation will need to look at rice – one of the ...
Govi Snell
Thailand endorses projects for the conservation of marine mammals
The government is proceeding with conservation and management efforts for marine mammals by enforcing regulations that are in line with international practices, to prevent negative effects on Thai seafood exports. Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon presided over a meeting of the National Fishery Committee, which gave an endorsement to urgent projects ...
Pattaya Mail
Farmers tempt endangered cranes back – by growing their favourite food
Several years ago, I counted more than 300 cranes in the wetlands near my rice field,” says farmer Khean Khoay, as he reminisces about the regal-looking eastern sarus crane. Khoay’s village, Koh Chamkar in Kampot province, lies on the outskirts of the Anlung Pring protected landscape in ...
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
The Greater Mekong region: A hotspot of wildlife and crime
Did you know that illegal logging can be five times as lucrative as selling the world’s most well-known soda? In 2020, the Coca-Cola company reported $33 billion in revenue. The global illegal timber trade, in comparison, generates up to $152 billion a year — accounting for up ...
Sheryl Lee Tian Tong
Farmers Encouraged to Replace Tobacco Crops in Laos
Health officials in Laos have asked the government to encourage farmers to grow other crops as alternatives to growing tobacco. Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Sanong Thongsana, has provided answers to questions by National Assembly members on Friday regarding the amendment of the draft law on ...
Phayboune Thanabouasy
Vietnam's mega irrigation system to be ready in two weeks
A MEGA irrigation system to supply water to agricultural fields in the Mekong Delta is expected to be completed in two weeks. It is also expected to save the southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta from drought and increasing salinity. According to a Vn Express report, the system is ...
New Straits Times
Climate change adaptation compromised, Mekong Delta faces manmade disaster
Anthropogenic drivers in the Mekong Delta will limit opportunities to adapt to climate change even as it dominates threats to the region in coming years, a new report warns. The Mekong Delta has long historical experience of dealing with water- and climate-related factors which can threaten ...
Viet Anh
Mangrove forest threatened
THE mangroves in Cai Gio District hold a deep, dark secret. They are the only ones to have recovered from chemical warfare. Formed in the large delta at the estuaries of three rivers – Dong Nai, Sai Gon and Vam Co – the Can Gio mangroves ...
ASEANPLUS NEWS
China-backed gold mine in Laos pollutes local river, killing fish
A gold mine run by a Chinese company in southern Laos is releasing waste into a river in Sekong province, killing fish and fouling water used by villagers for drinking and bathing, Lao sources say. The Lao Kaleum Gold Mining Project began operations last year and ...
Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
As Warming and Drought Increase, A New Case for Ending Big Dams
As the hydroelectric dam industry tries to reposition itself as a climate change solution, more and more evidence shows that climate change actually undermines the case for hydro dams. Gone are the days when hydropower was considered the predominant engine of the world economy, leading a ...
JACQUES LESLIE