Illegal fishing practices along the Mekong River in Cambodia were the main reason behind the unusually high number of Irrawaddy dolphin deaths in the area.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Fishermen’s friends: Irrawaddy dolphins under threat in Myanmar
A social business runs 1-3 day trips from Mandalay into the heart of rural Myanmar – profits ploughed back into seven cooperative fishing communities the company works with, and towards protecting the dolphins.
Environment Ministry prepares to ban single-use plastic products
“Once the sub-decree is complete, factories can stop producing single-use plastic products, and people will also turn to use products made out of natural plants.”
Myanmar risks losing forests to oil palm, but there’s time to pivot
Many of these concession areas are in proposed national parks. The concessions were allocated without taking into consideration the environmental or social impacts.
Major new project to use nature-based solutions to help Laos adapt to climate change
The US$10 million project is expected to benefit 10 per cent of Laos’ population. The project is using nature-based solutions in four cities to build resilience towards ever-increasing floods caused by climate change.
Chinese port and SEZ stoking fear in Rakhine state
“Without land, we’re simply other people’s slaves – If the money from Rakhine State were actually spent in Rakhine, it would develop overnight.”
Govt to launch second stage of electrification plan
Deputy Electricity and Energy Minister U Tun Naing said the second phase will supply electricity to villages up to three miles away from the main power line.
Vietnam leading ASEAN’s solar PV market
From only 134 megawatts (MW) in 2018, Vietnam’s cumulative installed solar PV capacity will hit 5.5 gigawatts (GW) this year – or 44 percent of Southeast Asia’s total capacity – according to a new report.
I Bought an Elephant to Find Out How to Save Them
At a time of unprecedented mass extinctions, no animal epitomizes the global biodiversity free fall more than the Asian elephant. An interpreted investigator goes deep into their trafficking in Laos, intent on saving the 400 still left.