From 14-16 March 2023, the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership, which aims to promote the stability, peace, prosperity, and sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region, hosted the Mekong Research Symposium in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The event brought together researchers, civil society organisations (CSOs), donors, and international non-governmental organisations to share research, tools, and strategies to better understand the current state of the Mekong and discuss opportunities to increase the availability and accessibility of data for use by local communities, CSOs and decision-makers.

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The post Democratising data for more inclusive governance to strengthen conservation in the Mekong Basin first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Wildlife authorities in some Asian countries are seeing an increase in seizures of tigers and tiger parts despite efforts by conservationists to protect the endangered animal, according to a report by wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC.

Tiger numbers globally have been decimated by poaching, trade, and habitat destruction in the past century, though more recent conservation efforts in some countries have stabilised overall population numbers.

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The post Tiger seizures up in parts of Asia despite conservation efforts – report first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Earlier this year, Vietnam’s prime minister called for a ban of the wildlife trade in the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several months later, the government released a directive on the wildlife trade.

Hailed as a ban in some media coverage, the move fell short of that, as the directive did not introduce any new laws or regulations; instead it called on a number of ministries and government agencies to work on improving enforcement of existing rules and handing down stricter punishments for violations.

This misunderstanding is not surprising, as Vietnam’s system of government is not common. The country’s socialist system means the relationship between the central government and provinces is different than in many other countries. The system can also be opaque.

Legislation related to conservation is no different, and it is worth taking a look at these laws and how they are enforced given Vietnam’s status as a biodiversity hotspot and also a major transit point for wildlife trafficking routes.

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The post Vietnam conservation regulations improving, but much work remains first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The post How eco-tourism saved this stunning Cambodian valley and is key to attracting visitors back after Covid-19 first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

A feature article by Alexander Zaitchick that critically examines the importance of why indigenous people, not environmentalists, are the key to protecting the world’s most precious ecosystems. Read more…

The post How conservation became colonialism first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

ON THE second day of the 22nd Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 22) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on July 3, 2018 in Montreal, Canada, the ASEAN Member States (AMS), through Myanmar, joined other Parties in recognising the importance of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in sustaining protected areas, particularly in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Target 11.

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The post ASEAN intensifies conservation of protected areas first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Authorities and residents of Champassak province, especially those living in Hang Sadam and Hang Khon villages, Khong district, recently agreed to extend the conservation zone of the Mekong Dolphin, making it seven times larger. The move has been taken in a bid to conserve the population of critically endangered Mekong River Dolphins (also known as Irrawaddy Dolphins). 

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The post Champassak extends dolphin conservation zone first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said on Tuesday it had changed the status of the Irrawaddy dolphin and finless porpoise, both living in Asian waters, to “endangered” from “vulnerable”, meaning they are closer to extinction.

[…]”In the Mekong River, for example, the majority of Irrawaddy dolphin deaths in recent years have been caused by entanglement in gill nets. These nets hang like curtains of deaths across the river,” he said.

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The post Asian dolphins a step closer to extinction: group first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was developed in large part from the observations and collections of plants, animals and fossils that he made in the Galapagos islands and other stops during his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. However, Darwin was an amateur naturalist unable to identify many of the species he recorded while on the islands. He sought the help of expert taxonomists in England, who were able to identify the organisms he collected and shipped to them. …

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The post App combines computer vision and crowdsourcing to explore Earth’s biodiversity, one photo at a time first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The Department of Groundwater Resources and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has conduct a study on the development of groundwater resources for the conservation of ecosystem and wildlife. The study project is being piloted at four national parks with 20 ponds to increase water resources in the ecosystem and reduce conflicts and the effects communities have on its surrounding wildlife.

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The post Groundwater Resources Dept and National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Dept to study groundwater resources for ecosystem and wildlife conservation first appeared on Open Development Mekong.