Environment and natural resources
Laos builds more dams, scientists worry about Mekong’s ecosystem
Instead of requesting additional data used in the building of Pak Lay hydroelectric dam in Laos, Dr Le Anh Tuan, a Mekong River expert and deputy head of the Institute for Climate Change Research at Can Tho University, believes that it would be better to ...
The Mekong: troubled waters in autocratic lands
For the Mekong countries, including Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, 2018 was a big year both domestically and regionally. Key developments from last year will inevitably continue to shape the politics of the region in 2019. In terms of domestic affairs, the most worrying ...
Thailand, Laos launch forest fire prevention campaign
Thailand and Laos have launched an annual campaign to prevent and address forest fire between both countries. The Governor of Chiang Rai, Prachon Prachsakul, welcomed a delegation of 30 people from Laos during the launch at Phu Chi Fa Forest Park in the northern province of ...
Hungarian model for water management adopted for Mekong River
Deputy Prime Minister Chatchai Sarikulya revealed he has visited Hungary and discussed the water management cooperation with the Hungarian government which has agreed to develop five joint projects, including international river management on Danube and Mekong river basins, the management of sediments in rivers, flooding, ...
A new method to help track the Mekong’s rare wildlife
Scientists are rapidly developing new DNA-methods to identify what kind of life is present in rivers, lakes and the ocean. Advocates of the method claim that it has the potential to revolutionise the way environmental monitoring is done. Keep reading ...
Huge Land Loss Predicted for Vietnam's Mekong Delta
Nearly the entire Mekong Delta in Vietnam — an area that helps feed about 200 million people — will sink underwater by the year 2100 at current rates, a new study predicts. The delta, which is home to almost 18 million people and produces half ...
Review: Last Days of the Mighty Mekong
The Mekong is the world’s 12th-longest river, second only to the Amazon in terms of biodiversity importance, and the world’s most productive inland fishery. It is also a transboundary river – rising from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, in China, before tumbling down through ...
Students to visit Japan as part of initiative to protect environment
Six Ministry of Environment officials, along with government representatives and young people from Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, will conduct a nine-day Japan visit from Monday as part of the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youth – Jenesys – project, under the ...
Dozens of companies launch US$1 billion bid to end plastic pollution in Asia but environmentalists dismiss it as ‘greenwashing’ stunt
The “Alliance to End Plastic Waste” (AEPW) consortium of more than 30 companies launched last month, dedicating a combined total of US$1 billion over the next five years – aiming for US$1.5 billion if more conglomerates join – to develop better plastic recycling practices and ...
Mekong Delta prepares for dry season, seeks to keep out saltwater
Authorities in the Mekong Delta are bracing for the dry season and the resultant saltwater intrusion from the sea in rivers. They have taken a number of measures including dredging of canals, building temporary dams to keep out saltwater and storing water in reservoirs. Keep reading ...