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…
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 | 04 Jul, 2016
Blog - A shared Mekong: towards better cooperation
The boom in hydropower development in the Mekong basin could affect food security – something IUCN is working to counter by facilitating dialogue in the region, writes Raphaël Glémet, Senior Water and Wetlands Programme Officer at IUCN Asia in his recent blog article. An excerpt from…