Environment and natural resources
Biodiversity
Hemp growing initially to be limited to govt
Only government agencies will be able to seek permission to grow, sell and possess hemp – which is now classified as a type of narcotic – during the first phase of an initiative to legalise cultivation of the plant. Individuals and private entities will be ...
Stone, sand, water the key ingredients changing the Salween landscape
Tun Lin has a unique occupation: he is the security guard at Linno limestone karst cave on the bank of the Salween River in Myanmar’s southeast Karen (Kayin) State. He earns 80,000 Myanmar kyat (around $60) per month to guard the entrance to the cave, ...
87 new species discovered in VN
Việt Nam accounts for 87 of the 163 new species of animals and plants discovered in the Greater Mekong region, according to a report released on December 19 by the World Wide Fund for Nature. A new frog measuring less than 3cm long, which took ...
New index for VN climate resilience
Protecting, maintaining and restoring ecosystems, especially water systems, is among the most urgent tasks for strengthening the country’s resilience to climate change, said Dr Trần Văn Giải Phóng, technical specialist at the Institute for Social and Environment Transition. He spoke at a workshop of a ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Environmental and social monitoring receives World Bank support
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and its development partners organised a review of the Second Lao Environment and Social Project in 2016 and planning meeting for next year’s works. The concerned departments at the ministry highlighted the key achievements of 13 sub-projects under ...
Multi-million dollar project could spoil historic Hoi An town
The implementation of a series of projects on the beach dunes near Hoi An will create challenges for Hoi An in its path for sustainable development. In March 2008, after getting the nod from the Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee, Gami Hoi An JSC started ...
Dispute: sea sediment or industrial dumping?
The Bình Thuận administration has sought to allay concerns over the proposed dumping of 1.5 cubic metres of “materials” into the ocean, saying these are “natural sea sediment”, not industrial waste. However, officials have also acknowledged that the concerns are valid and the Ministry of ...
