Story | 14 Jul, 2017
Thai Buddhist council announces ban on ceremonial bird trade.
Recently the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or TSPCA, an IUCN member, met with the National Office of Buddhism to discuss the notion of banning the captive bird trade stemming from ceremonial customs, which was then presented to the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand, the…
Story | 11 Jul, 2017
Marriott Resorts and IUCN develop Reef Education Center in Phuket
Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Merlin Beach is unique among hotels in Phuket in that it has its own house reef, teeming with diverse fish and coral life. The coral reef can be explored by snorkeling or diving from the beach at high tide, or wading around the tide pools when the tide is low.…
Press release | 11 Jul, 2017
Training event strengthens communications capacities of conservation actors across Asia
40 conservation practitioners from 13 countries across Asia took part in a capacity-building workshop on strategic communications in Bangkok, Thailand from 5-7 July. The workshop was organised by IUCN, in collaboration with Mangroves for the Future (MFF) and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership…
Story | 03 Jul, 2017
South Asia Vulture Recovery Programme’s sixth Regional Steering Committee meeting held
Sixth Regional Steering Committee meeting of the South Asia Vulture Recovery Programme was held at Kathmandu, Nepal on 28 June 2017. Representatives from governments, NGOs and research institutions from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan gathered to discuss the progress that has been made…
Story | 30 Jun, 2017
Advancing Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction into Sustainable Development
Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Community (EPIC), funded by the German government’s BMU’s International Climate Initiative (ICI), aims to document the role of – and improve – ecosystem management for disaster risk reduction (DRR). This concept is also referred to as Ecosystem-based…
Story | 26 Jun, 2017
New tools to assess vulnerability of wetlands in the Mekong
From June 19 to 21, IUCN staff, partners, and local officials from the Xe Champhone and Beung Kiat Ngong Ramsar sites in Lao PDR gathered in Champhone District for a training on the use of a new series of tools to assess the vulnerability of the areas’ wetlands. The…
Story | 23 Jun, 2017
TROSA: New trans-boundary water governance initiative aims to enhance regional cooperation
Over the last decade, IUCN has been working with governments, civil societies and academics in Asia on trans-boundary hydro-diplomacy through its initiatives in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) and Mekong river basins. Based on IUCN’s experiences and its long-term experience in the Mekong…
Blog | 19 Jun, 2017
Blog: Mainstreaming Meloxicam, a vulture-friendly drug
The primary reason for the recent massive decline in vulture population is the use of harmful non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used as veterinary painkillers. Two of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh have joined in the effort to conserve vultures in the country by…
Story | 15 Jun, 2017
More effective waste management through engaged communities
To most, it’s just a giant landfill – holding approximately 60,000 tonnes of waste. But to some of the locals of Trat province, the Had Ploy Dang dumping ground, which is located in the Mairood Sub-district is known as the ‘golden mountain’. Why? Because, according to Mr Surasak Intaraprasert,…
Story | 30 May, 2017
Tanguar Haor: A wetland in the hands of the people
After almost a century of exclusive ownership by wealthy elites, Tanguar Haor is finally back in the hands of the people who rely on it. A 10-year initiative of the government of Bangladesh, supported by IUCN and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has recently drawn to a close.…