Independent evaluations at multilateral development banks (MDBs) have called for a reform of the system of safeguards that they use to deflect potential damages to communities and the environment associated with the investments they finance. Without such mitigation, roads can harm habitats, dams displace communities and slum rebuilding hurt livelihoods.
Tag: Environment
In Laos’ economic zone, a casino and illicit trade beckon in ‘lawless playground’
Critics say the zone has instead become a mecca of gambling, prostitution and illicit trade, raising questions about the spillover effects of China’s growing economic clout beyond its borders.
Dams, Climate Change Lead to Fish Decline in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap: Fishermen
The fish population in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake has declined significantly from a year ago, fishermen in the country’s Kampong Chhnang province said Friday, citing the construction of dams in the area and climate change, among other factors.
Satellites to show the way forward for Mekong region
Efficient natural resource management, disaster warning and a reduction in the effects of climate change on the Lower Mekong region will be enhanced thanks to the SERVIR – Mekong project.
Thai Industry Pushes into Myanmar
It’s unprecedented: the largest industrial estate and deep sea port complex conceived in Southeast Asia. It’s controversial: trampling pristine shorelines; felling valuable forests and orchards; paving highways through remote mountain passes and uprooting ethnic minorities all along the way.
Fish Shortage Stirs Ethnic Rivalry
Chea Takihiro and Igor Kossov The Vietnamese fishing families are gone. Their boats began disappearing from the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers near Phnom Penh a few months ago, according to Cham fishing families still living in the area. By the weekend none were left, Cham fishermen told Khmer Times. The ethnic […]
Time is Now for ASEAN to Push Toward Environmental Crime Accountability
What really happened in Tianjin is the result of a creeping environmental disaster unfolding across the globe, particularly in Southeast Asia, and it reflects the magnitude of the challenge that the leaders of the 10 ASEAN nations face as they seek to balance both economic growth and natural resource protection.
The Mekong region’s urban future: Why learning from a rural lifestyle could build sustainable cities
Mekong Commons Urbanization in the Mekong Region is transforming societies that were once dependent upon agricultural production, as they become predominantly industrialized and market-based. As this urban expansion unfolds, it is bringing new challenges to urban and rural communities who are changing their lifestyle and livelihoods in order to adapt. Some inhabitants in the Mekong’s emerging […]
Can Tho river signs to reduce speeds, erosion
Can Tho authorities plan to install speed limit signs on the Hau River to prevent barges from travelling too fast, causing serious erosion and damaging property in the city’s An Binh Ward.
Landless villagers in Isan continue to suffer from land reclamation
The people of Thailand’s northeast, or Isan, continue to suffer from the Thai junta’s forest protection policies despite the authorities’ confirmation that there would be no evictions from protected areas for the time being.