Environment and natural resources
Laos weather bureau official dispels Mekong flood concerns
There is no need for immediate public alarm about potential flooding of the Mekong River despite widespread reports of floods in neighbouring countries, especially China, a sector official has confirmed on Monday. The official from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Meteorology and Hydrology Department, ...
Tiger, pangolin farming in Myanmar risks ‘boosting China demand’, conservationists warn
Conservationists have warned a sudden change in Myanmar’s law allowing the commercial farming of tigers, pangolins and other endangered species risks further fuelling demand in China for rare wildlife products. The Southeast Asian nation is already a hub for the illegal trafficking of wildlife, a trade ...
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
NGO formed to protect natural resources and raise awareness
The Ministry of Interior announced the creation of the Lover Environment and Society Association in a July 9 announcement. The president of the new association, Chum Huot, said he wanted to raise awareness of human rights and protect Cambodia’s environment. The association, which is an NGO dedicated ...
Long Kimmarita
Illegal industrial park intrudes on southern Vietnam forest land
Inspectors have identified 41 factories built on 72 ha of land allocated for forest cultivation in Dong Nai Province ten years ago. The factories all belong to Phuoc Tan Industrial Park (IP) in Bien Hoa Town of Dong Nai that borders Ho Chi Minh City. The violation ...
Phuoc Tuan
Thailand accepts World Bank’s climate change grant
In addition to several projects and agreements approved in the Cabinet meeting yesterday, the government has agreed to accept a 5 million dollar U.S. grant from the World Bank to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbon gas (HFC), which is one of the greenhouse gases affecting the ...
National News Bureau of Thailand
Big cat discovery in Kamphaeng Phet’s national park
In a Facebook post on Thursday (July 9), Kamphaeng Phet’s Khlong Lan National Park reported that camera traps set up in the park to track the population of tigers managed to capture the sighting of a black panther and leopard instead. “The appearance of the panther and ...
River dams in China helped alleviate drought along Lancang-Mekong, research finds
China was one of the countries that suffered the most from a severe drought along the Lancang-Mekong River in 2019, hydrology researchers found, in contrast with allegations by some foreign researchers which blamed China for the drought in countries on lower reaches of the river. As ...
Hu Yuwei
Gov’t Statistics Show Mekong Water Levels Are Precariously Low
Government data released on July 17 showed water levels in the Mekong River are lower than at this time last year, on account of poor rainfall along the mainstream in Cambodia, with others pointing to hydropower dams in China and Laos. The Ministry of Water Resources ...
Sun Narin
Ministry makes Savannakhet forest national conservation area for Eld’s deer
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Monday named the Eld’s deer conservation forest in Savannakhet province as a national conservation area for the endangered species. The announcement was made at the Ecosystem Conservation Centre in Xonbouly district of Savannakhet to mark the National Day for ...
Praying for Rain by the Mekong as Monsoon Season Begins
As the monsoon gets underway across Indochina, farmers and fishermen are praying for rain after a lengthy drought — aggravated by climate change and dam construction. This year the Mekong River has seen its lowest levels since record keeping began 60 years ago. According to the Mekong River Commission, ...