Earth

How environmental change is shaping Southeast Asia.

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 10, 2020 • 8 min read

Malaysian ecotourism When Covid-19 resets ecotourism

By Sl Wong/Macaranga • Sep 10, 2020
The loss of international tourists due to Covid-19 has shackled the ecotourism industry, but is it also bad for conservation? This is the first of a two-parter in the Taking Stock series looking at the impact of the global pandemic on ecotourism in Malaysia's Sabah state

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 10, 2020 • 8 min read

Malaysian ecotourism Sustainable islands in the sun

By Sl Wong/Macaranga • Sep 10, 2020
With the pandemic grinding tourism to a halt, many see this as an opportunity to manage Sabah’s beautiful islands so that tourists, nature and livelihoods co-exist. This is the second of a two-parter in the Taking Stock series looking at the impact of the global pandemic on ecotourism in Malaysia's Sabah state

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 04, 2020 • 3 min read

Disasters Raging tanker fire sparks fears of a new Indian Ocean disaster

By Amal Jayasinghe/AFP • Sep 04, 2020
A Panamanian-registered oil tanker burned out of control for a second day off Sri Lanka, an accident that has killed at least 18 Filipino and five Greek crew members, raising fears of a major new oil spill in the Indian Ocean

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 29, 2020 • 3 min read

Land rights Philippines deadliest country in Asia for land defenders

By Agence France-Presse • Jul 29, 2020
NGO Global Witness has released a report showing the Philippines to be the deadliest country in Asia for land and environmental rights activists, with the archipelago seeing a marked rise in deaths under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte

Earth • Jul 28, 2020 • 6 min read
Wildlife trade

Ban or bluster: What does Vietnam’s directive mean for the wildlife trade?

A new directive further tightening restrictions on Vietnam's wildlife trade was met with much fanfare last week. But from vague wording to lax enforcement, some conservationists have their doubts about how much impact it will have
By Ashley Lampard • Jul 28, 2020

Earth • Jul 13, 2020 • 5 min read
Wildlife trade

Shut your traps: Snares empty forests in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

Following the release of a report late last week highlighting the devastating impact of snares on wildlife across Southeast Asia, the World Wildlife Fund has called on governments in the region to up their efforts to catch and punish perpetrators
By Ashley Lampard • Jul 13, 2020

Earth • Jul 03, 2020 • 7 min read
Wildlife trade

Pangolin trade continues unabated as pandemic lessons go unheeded

With the wildlife trade strongly linked to the Covid-19 outbreak, conservationists had hoped that one long-term positive effect may be a reduction in the illegal pangolin trade. Not so, it seems, as traffickers and consumers fail to heed the lessons of the pandemic
By Adolfo Perez-Gascon • Jul 03, 2020

Earth • Jul 01, 2020 • 6 min read
Analysis

Peatland, Southeast Asia’s wasted weapon to fight climate change

While Southeast Asia remains vulnerable to the effects of climate change, resource management remains poor in the region. Nowhere is this more evident than with peatlands, the region's biggest weapon against climate change, exploited and damaged in the name of profit
By Helena Taruli and Muchtazar • Jul 01, 2020

Earth • Jun 30, 2020 • 7 min read
Wildlife trade

Why are there roving gibbons and hornbills in Phnom Penh?

Today, you'd be lucky to spot a gibbon in the Cambodian jungle, but in the capital, a trip to Toul Tumpoung should do the trick. These primates, along with a flock of hornbills, are often seen walking the power lines of this Phnom Penh suburb, for a rather peculiar reason
By Andrew Haffner • Jun 30, 2020

Earth • Jun 26, 2020 • 10 min read
Land rights

David vs Goliath: Indonesian communities push back against palm oil firm

In Sumatra, communities have reported for years the encroachment upon their land by multi-national agribusiness group Wilmar to develop palm oil plantations. But Nagari Institute director Zulkifli is helping those at the Indonesian grassroots push back
By Zachary Frye • Jun 26, 2020

Earth • Jun 23, 2020 • 6 min read
Recycling

Singapore’s green thinkers discuss the pandemic, sustainability and recycling

As Singapore eases its circuit breaker measures and life returns to some semblance of normality, green thinkers explain how the Covid-19 pandemic has, and will continue to, impact attitudes towards sustainability and recycling in the City-State – for both good and bad
By Amanda Oon • Jun 23, 2020