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 | 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
New plant survey finds unique flora in karst hills of southeast Cambodia
In June, a team led by American botanist Andrew McDonald set out into the karst hills of southeast Cambodia to survey the rare and endemic plants that grow in this unique environment. The team has already identified at least one plant species previously unknown to science belonging to the…
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 | 10 Jul, 2016
Flooded forest fires: a major threat to the Tonle Sap
The Tonle Sap is described by Cambodians as the heart of their culture and national economy. Globally, it is known as the heart of Cambodia’s freshwater fisheries, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most productive wetland areas in the world. The flooded forests and…
Story | 08 Jul, 2016
Drought and illegal fishing in Balot: addressing new challenges
In late June, IUCN met the Balot community protected area (CPA) committee (located in the Boeung Chhmar Ramsar site) to discuss progress with the EU-funded IUCN/FACT project to strengthen community fisheries in three sites in the Tonle Sap. The meeting raised two new challenges: extreme weather…
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…
Story | 07 Jul, 2016
CEPF launches new call for proposals in the Indo-Burma hotspot
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has launched a call for proposals for small grant projects in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam and parts of Southern China. A separate call for proposals for large grant projects in Myanmar has also been issued…
Story | 07 Jul, 2016
IUCN Asia shares insights at capacity building workshop in Thailand
IUCN Asia participated in a five-day capacity building workshop from June 27 to July 1 organised by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The event is part of a series of workshops being organised through…
Story | 05 Jul, 2016
Tourism and sustainable financing of community fisheries in Kampong Phluk
In early June, IUCN and FACT organized a regular monthly meeting with the community fisheries (CFi) committee and commune council in Kampong Phluk, 25 km from Siem Reap, one of three sites where the EU-funded project to strengthen management of fish conservation areas (FCAs) is intervening in…