Close Encounters: new species discoveries in the Greater Mekong
New species discovered in the Greater Mekong at risk of extinction due to climate change.
Greater Mekong Climate Change Adaptation agreement: a world’s first in the making…
Asia’s first climate change adaptation agreement was the focus of a recent meeting held in Bangkok, convened on July 22 by WWF Greater Mekong Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia.
The underwater world with Songpol Tippayawong
Is the story of the lifetime work of this determined man, an ex-researcher of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and currently the Head of the Marine and Coastal Resources Unit, WWF Thailand. Pet Mania is very interested in his work and was fortunate to interview him this past August about his work, which stresses on participatory management that focuses on sustainable management of marine and coastal resources.
WWF working towards “Fish for Tomorrow”
World Wetlands Day in the Greater Mekong
The Mekong River, its tributaries and other associated wetlands, provide some of the most productive fisheries in the world, producing 2% of the world’s annual total catch of marine and freshwater fish. 80% of the Mekong’s human population get the majority of their protein from fish.
Police getting tough in protection of Khao Yai
While many leading expatriate conservationists based in Thailand have expressed concern over the recent awarding of UNESCO Natural World Heritage Status to the Khao Yai Forest Complex, and the Head of the Thai World Heritage Committee has suggested that if the Government goes ahead with plans for two dams in the complex it should immediately be put on the list of “World Heritage Sites in Danger” it is clear that in a country such as Thailand, the World Heritage designation can leverage significant supportive action from a wide variety of government and non-government actors.
People and elephants - which way to go?
“In the past, the park service and villagers could not work together .” Uncle Add or Sing Suepsutta, a grey-haired, pineapple farmer expresses sadness about his experiences on his 30 rai farm and his encounters with the Kuiburi wild elephants. “ I have lost my crops due to elephants coming down to feed, hundreds of thousands of pineapples each night for the past ten years. It's stressful, but if we hurt the elephants, it is our loss; we may forfeit the property our livelihood depends on; a much bigger loss than having the elephants feed on the crops.”
Some Lateral Thinking on the Draft Community Forestry Bill
The Thai Constitution (1997) represents an invigorating framework of extraordinary quality for environmentalists, which provides the nation with a unique advantage over all other countries in Asia. Of note, Article 46 and Article 56 of the Constitution respectively empower traditional communities and communities to participate in the management, maintenance, preservation and exploitation of natural resources, while Article 79 encourages public participation in the preservation and exploitation of natural resources.
Tsunami tragedy: WWF on-the-ground accounts
It has been several weeks since the Sumatran earthquake and the subsequent tsunami wreaked havoc on the Asian region, killing more than 200,000, injuring scores of people, and displacing millions from their homes. But, the memories are still fresh. The following are on-the-ground reactions from WWF staff directly affected by the tragedy and who are now focussing on humanitarian relief efforts and reconstruction issues.
Challenges of freshwater protected areas
This article outlines some of the challenges facing conservation of freshwater ecosystems and future directions for freshwater protected area establishment and management.
Surviving murky waters
It is the end of the monsoon season in Southeast Asia. The rains are less frequent now and the waters of the Bang Pakong River are unusually calm. This makes looking for the elusive Irrawaddy dolphin all the easier.
