Story | 29 Jul, 2016
ARLINGTON, VIRIGNIA, USA—The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is celebrating its 15th anniversary by recognising 15 conservationists as “Hotspot Heroes.”
Story | 22 Jul, 2016
Asia Protected Areas Partnership gathers pace as Steering Committee meets in Bangkok
“APAP has made tremendous progress. It has greatly expanded its membership, and is now becoming truly regional in scope; it has a clearer identity and a much higher profile; and most importantly, it has started to fulfil its vision of being a platform for sharing best practices in…
Story | 19 Jul, 2016
Viet Nam: Ha Long-Cat Ba Alliance third leadership committee meeting
On July 6, IUCN organised the semi-annual Leadership Committee meeting of the USAID-funded Ha Long-Cat Ba Alliance (HLCBA) at the Vinpearl Ha Long Resort on Reu Island in Ha Long Bay. The 66 participants included senior officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Ministry of…
Story | 14 Jul, 2016
Rising illegal wildlife trade threatens natural World Heritage sites, warns IUCN
The rise in demand for products derived from animals and plants, such as elephant tusks or precious wood, is causing an increase in illegal logging and poaching in natural World Heritage sites. The World Heritage Committee, which holds its annual meeting this week in Istanbul, today discussed…
Story | 14 Jul, 2016
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and IUCN Thailand are inviting representatives from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to participate in a training course on “Project development, proposal writing and effective project implementation for biodiversity conservation in Thailand”.
Story | 13 Jul, 2016
Forest conservation in Quang Tri: what can be done?
In Quang Tri province, Viet Nam, not far from the Lao border, one side of the valley is a nature reserve, and on the other a 130-hectare community-managed forest. The community forest looks in reasonably good condition, with no clearing and not much bamboo re-growth. When asked, the village…
Story | 13 Jul, 2016
A collective voice: helping farmers become communicators
The expression “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” or the equivalent in Vietnamese “Con khóc mẹ mới cho bú” (the mother breast-feeds the baby only when it cries) reflect the belief that to get attention you have to raise your voice. Farmers in Vietnam often say they lack sufficient capital,…
Story | 12 Jul, 2016
DNA surveys offer hope to Viet Nam's Critically Endangered turtles
Advanced environmental DNA techniques are being used extensively in Viet Nam as researchers continue in their efforts to track down selected species of Critically Endangered reptiles. The methods have been successful in detecting the rare cave salamander (Proteus anguinus) in Montenegro, a…
Story | 12 Jul, 2016
Tackling Ha Long Bay’s polystyrene plague
From a distance, the scattered beaches of Vietnam’s iconic Ha Long Bay appear pristine. But as you get closer you realize that the picturesque World Heritage Site is engaged in a battle to prevent itself from drowning in trash.
Story | 07 Jul, 2016
Thai communities share lessons about agricultural and water management practices
Keeping the balance between development and conservation can be a challenge in highly urbanised areas such as Bangkok and nearby provinces. In June, IUCN organised a study visit for community members from Bang Kachao, an area just South of Bangkok, Thailand, to build their capacity on…