Story | 03 Jul, 2018
Myanmar holds dialogue on UN Watercourses Convention cooperation opportunities
IUCN, together with the Myanmar National Water Resources Committee (NWRC), held a dialogue on ‘The UN Watercourses Convention: A window of opportunity for cooperation,’ in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on 11 April 2018. The dialogue aimed to provide a better understanding of the UN Watercourses…
Story | 22 Jun, 2018
Beloved no more: New study sheds light on human-elephant conflict in Thailand
A new study conducted by the Thai foundation Bring the Elephant Home (BTEH) shows that certain types of deterrence measures could reduce human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Thailand, and save lives on both sides. The study’s findings suggest that people’s interest in conserving elephants is more or…
Story | 12 Jun, 2018
Common pool: Equitable water governance brings prosperity to Sabkhali
The Sundarbans, a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, are considered one of the natural wonders of the world. Lying adjacent is Sabkhali, a largely agricultural village, highly vulnerable to climate change and tidal surges, salt water intrusion, and waterlogging. The area is…
Story | 04 Jun, 2018
Where the heart is: Myanmar’s village conservation committees give people reason to stay
For those who live along the coast of the Pyinbugyi Islands at the mouth of Southeastern Myanmar’s Tevoy River, fishing has always been a way of life. Unfortunately, of late, commercial offshore fishing has meant that many locals aren’t able to fill their nets as they used to. Rice farming,…
Story | 04 Jun, 2018
Workshop uses Ramsar Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (R-METT) to assess site in Lao PDR
From April 24 to April 27 IUCN Lao PDR facilitated a workshop in Beung Kiat Ngong (BKN) wetlands in Pathoumphone District, Champasak Province. The aim of the workshop was to implement the Ramsar Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (R-METT), which assesses the…
Story | 16 May, 2018
Less is more: Climate-smart agricultural techniques maximise income and land productivity
In Badadiya village in Odisha, India, agriculture generates little income – yet many households are forced to rely on it for lack of viable alternatives. Most of the land in the area is being converted to prawn farms, and the damage to the environment and to social equity that comes with prawn…
Story | 14 May, 2018
Koh Rong National Marine Park: A first for Cambodia
On 8 February 2018, the Cambodian government announced the establishment of the Koh Rong National Marine Park (NMP) – a first for the country. The park covers over 52,000ha – an area two thirds the size of Bangkok – along the coast of Preah Sihanouk and Koh Kong, and is critical to safeguarding…
Story | 10 May, 2018
IUU fishing in Cu Lao Cham MPA: how to deal with it?
In April 2017, an IUCN team spent a week on Cu Lao Cham (CLC) in central Vietnam assisting negotiations between the management board and local fishing communities to expand the strictly protected zone of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) from less…
Story | 10 May, 2018
The Xe Kong 1 dam: why it matters for Vietnam
The Xe Kong, which rises in Thua Thien Hue before flowing into Lao PDR and then into Cambodia, is the last unobstructed major tributary of the Mekong and is of irreplaceable value for regional food security and the productivity of the Mekong Delta. …
Story | 08 May, 2018
IUCN and MFF stand with Pakistan Navy in massive mangrove restoration campaign
On 3 May, the Pakistan Navy, in collaboration with Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Pakistan, launched the Mangroves Plantation Campaign for 2018 in Shah Bandar, a town in Sindh Province’s Sujawal District.