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 | 21 May, 2017
Banning vs. legalise and regulate in forest management
Two years ago, on a field survey in Bac Kan Province in Viet Nam, we heard about a farmer who needed 30 stamps to get a permit to harvest a single Styrax tonkinensis tree that was growing on his land. Even though the tree was on land that was designated as plantation forest and the farmer had a…
Story | 19 May, 2017
Milestone: CEPF awards $1 million in small grants
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has reached another milestone in Indo-Burma: over US $1 million in small grants have been disbursed to conservation projects within the region.
Story | 04 May, 2017
Working together to build MPAs for long-term marine resources management
Our oceans, coasts and wetlands are crucial for our survival. Mangrove forests, for example, sequester massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and protect coastal communities from cyclone storm surges, while coastal wetlands and coral reefs provide breeding and nesting grounds for…
Press release | 03 Apr, 2017
Enhancing regional cooperation to protect and restore Indo-Burma wetlands
The importance of regional cooperation took centre stage at the first Steering Committee meeting and inception workshop for the Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative (IBRRI), held on 29 and 30 March in Bangkok, Thailand.
Story | 02 Feb, 2017
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day on February 2, IUCN is announcing the launch of a regional project to enhance the resilience of wetlands in Lower Mekong countries. Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation,…
Story | 25 Jan, 2017
IUCN, under the framework of Mangroves for the Future (MFF) and in collaboration with Quang Nam Provincial People’s Committee and Da Nang City People’s Committee, organised a high level round-table discussion on "Integrated watershed and coastal management in Vu Gia – Thu Bon River Basin and…
Story | 08 Nov, 2016
Video: Gender inclusion in water governance
Gender integration in water governance policies received a boost in the Lower Mekong Region through a recent workshop co-organised by Oxfam and IUCN.
Story | 13 Oct, 2016
Video: Key stakeholders’ perspectives on International Water Law in the Mekong
International rivers, such as the Mekong, are crucial arteries carrying the lifeblood of freshwater that sustains human existence and ecosystems around the world. It is estimated that there are 276 transboundary river basins (TRB) and 200 transboundary aquifers around the world but 60…
Story | 12 Oct, 2016
Intensive rice production is the predominant cause for the loss of biodiversity and resilience to climate change in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Today, less than 5% of the natural wetlands of the Delta remain. In order to intensively grow rice in the upper-delta deep flood zone, traditional low…