Protected areas
Community forest
Embassy ducks forestry dispute
The South Korean Embassy on May 9 declined to get involved in a dispute between a group of residents and a company which wants to clear forest near their homes. Activists from Prey Lang Community Network went to the embassy at Koh Pich to deliver a petition ...
Court questions officials over sale of Jolie-Pitt land
An environmental ranger and a village chief were questioned yesterday by the Pailin Provincial Court for allegedly colluding to grab, clear and sell land in a protected area supported by the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, according to officials. The questioning followed a complaint filed by the ...
Bt2m aid for ‘mushroom pickers’
The Justice Fund will provide Bt2 million to help a couple apply for bail after the Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced them to five years in prison for illegal logging in Dong Ranang national forest seven years ago, if their lawyer files a petition for ...
Forest reform proposal merits our full attention
Alarmed by the steep decline in Thailand’s forest cover, reformers have drafted proposals for remedial action. A few weeks ago, the National Reform Steering Assembly’s natural resources sub-panel completed a 250-page proposal, which has been submitted to the NRSA for endorsement. The document notes that ...
Ministries urged to do more to protect forests
Forest activists and community representatives have urged the government to post markers at protected natural areas to prevent encroachment of loggers and the clearing of forest. The proposal was made at a forum on protecting and conserving natural resources on February 6 attended by the Environment Minister, ...
Nan village changes farming practices to avoid burn-off woes
Ban Nam Chang village in Nan province has become a pioneer in tackling the seasonal haze problem in the North by changing its farming practices. With summer set to begin soon, farmers will soon be setting their fields on fire to clear land for the ...
The Philippines declares more than 100,000 acres as critical habitat
In November last year, the Philippines declared its largest critical habitat yet. Located in the long, narrow Philippine island of Palawan, the new Cleopatra’s Needle Critical Habitat is spread across 41,350 hectares (more than 100,000 acres). The second largest critical habitat, Carmen Critical Habitat for ...
Govt prepares Unesco defence of Khao Yai world heritage status
The expansion of highways and new irrigation projects were the primary concerns raised concerning the world heritage status of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, with a report on the issue to be handed to the World Heritage Centre on February 1. Thailand’s National Committee ...
Private capital investments in conservation have taken off since 2013
Over the past decade, banks, fund managers, and others funneled more than $8 billion into investments aimed at delivering measurable environmental benefits as much as financial returns, according to a new report prepared by the NGO Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace initiative. The findings of the ...
Farewell to Vo Quy, Vietnam's hero of the environment
Vietnam’s Professor Vo Quy has passed away in Hanoi at age 87. The well-known and well-loved zoologist had a storied career that spanned decades and, even in his 80s, he was still working and busy, as passionate as ever. I met Professor Vo Quy in Hanoi ...