Mekong

Some text about Mekong dams and maybe a photo. Some text about Mekong dams and maybe a photo. Some text about Mekong dams and maybe a photo. Some text about Mekong dams and maybe a photo. Some text about Mekong dams and maybe a photo. Some text about Mekong dams and maybe a photo.

• Barely making it: A conversation with ‘Eight Bears’ author Gloria Dickie

  Journalist Gloria Dickie has been traveling the world documenting the status of every bear species, many of which she says face a “tough future.” Her chronicles of these charismatic ursine individuals can be read in her new book, Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future. Notable conservation success stories, such as that of the giant […]

• New online map tracks threats to uncontacted Indigenous peoples in Brazil’s Amazon

  RIO DE JANEIRO — Monitoring the threats that uncontacted traditional peoples face in the Brazilian Amazon is set to become easier for Indigenous rights activists and agencies, thanks to a new software tool developed by three Indigenous organizations and made available online in September. Mopi is an online interactive map that gathers a mix of […]

• Infrastructure in the Pan Amazon: Public-private partnerships

  The concessionaire system in Peru is managed by the Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Infraestructura de Transporte de Uso Público (OSITRAN), which oversees investments in transportation infrastructure, while the electrical system is administered by the Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Energia y Minería (OSINERGMIN). Both of these regulatory agencies supervise joint ventures that […]

• From rat-ridden to reserve, Redonda is an island restoration role model

  Seven years ago, Redonda, a volcanic island in the Caribbean Sea, resembled the moon’s surface: a dusty, debris-covered, barren terrain. The island, which is part of Antigua and Barbuda, had once been mined for guano, seabird excrement used for fertilizer. However, mining operations on Redonda ceased around the start of World War I, and when […]

• From Orinoco to Amazon, Indigenous Warao struggle in search of refuge

  Long before the European conquest of the Americas, the Warao Indigenous people, originally from the Orinoco Delta in what is today northeastern Venezuela, lived off nature, supporting themselves by fishing and farming. In recent years, however, they have suffered, like all Venezuelans, the direct impacts of the economic crisis caused by oil price uncertainty and […]

• Experts slam massive ‘discount’ in fines for Indonesian palm oil billionaire

  JAKARTA — Experts have slammed a court ruling that significantly slashes the fines imposed on Indonesian palm oil billionaire Surya Darmadi, even as it increased his jail sentence, in the biggest corruption case in the country’s history. The Supreme Court, Indonesia’s highest court of appeals, ruled in a Sept. 14 decision to uphold Surya’s earlier conviction […]

• Climate change detectable in daily rainfall patterns, deep-learning model finds

  Scientists have long known that global warming is upending not just seasonal climate trends, but also minute weather patterns on a daily basis. However, establishing a strong link hasn’t always been easy, which means most research has focused on climate change’s impact on long-term trends, such as annual precipitation or monthly temperature increases. The past […]

• First otter sighting in Nepal’s Chitwan park in two decades raises questions

  KATHMANDU — On the afternoon of Sept. 10, wildlife photographer Milan Tamang was passing by a stretch of the Rapti River in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park when he noticed something move behind the tall white grass that had bloomed in the wake of the monsoon. Taking a closer look, he saw a mongoose-like animal. He […]

• Video: Rice as a peace offering in India’s human-elephant conflict capital

  The state of Assam in northeastern India has one of the highest incidences of human-elephant conflict in the country, with more than 70 people and 80 elephants dying every year in these encounters. The shrinking natural habitat of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) has long led to conflict over food and space between them and humans. […]

• Infrastructure in the Pan Amazon – Finance: What is new and what is not

  In spite of the ongoing build-out of infrastructure in Latin America, investment remains well below what most economists think the region needs to spur economic growth and reduce poverty. This includes assets not only within the Pan Amazon, but more importantly, in regions with larger populations and greater economic activity. A brief visit to any […]

• PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ harming wildlife the world over: Study

  While PFAS impacts on human health are well known, scientists are also finding severe impacts on wildlife, including hawksbill turtles, American alligators, Arctic kittiwakes, hooded seals, striped bass, bottlenose dolphins and other species.

• Peruvian Amazon: Wounds remain after 50 years of oil spills on Achuar land

  The Achuar Indigenous people in the Peruvian community of José Olaya grew tired of seeing oil traveling through their creeks as they awaited the arrival of authorities. This is why they decided to clean up the crude oil spills in their territory by themselves. Our team of journalists arrived in their community after traveling along […]

• Indigenous community fighting a mine in Palawan wins a milestone legal verdict

  PALAWAN, Philippines — In a move celebrated as a victory by an Indigenous community that since 2005 has been fighting plans to mine nickel in a protected area, the Philippine Supreme Court issued a verdict mandating the company and government agencies involved in the project to address Indigenous concerns about forest destruction. On August 16, […]

• As fires threaten Indonesian forests, actions like agroforestry promotion are needed (commentary)

  With an area covering 125.76 million hectares, Indonesia’s forests, which are home to 17% of the global wildlife population, constitute the world’s third largest rainforest ecosystem and hold the key to global climate sustainability. Unfortunately, the extent of Indonesia’s forested areas has been declining sharply each year. Since 2000, Indonesia has lost 18.4% of its […]

• Delay of Indonesia’s energy transition plan a chance to get public input

  JAKARTA — Observers are calling for greater public participation and transparency in a $20 billion effort by Indonesia to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, following the government’s failure to publish the plan for the phased transition in time. Under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), signed in 2022, the G7 group […]

• 10 years after land grab, local Nigerian farmers continue fight against palm oil producer

  One morning in 2013, Ojobe William watched as the blade of a bulldozer destroyed his farm in southeastern Nigeria. Soldiers armed with whips and rifles looked on, alert. Residents of Ehom say transnational palm oil producer Wilmar carried out a violent land grab when it took control of the derelict Ibiae plantation, depriving the communities […]

• How Canada’s growing presence in Latin America is hurting the environment

  MEXICO CITY — Canada has become a major force in Latin America. It’s spent the last 30 years beefing up its portfolio with investments in mining, oil and natural gas. It’s established free trade agreements and foreign investment protections with dozens of countries, and is in the process of negotiating more. As a result, the […]

• Seventy-plus nations sign historic high seas treaty, paving way for ratification

  Seventy-six countries and the European Union have now signed the high seas treaty, signaling interest in ratifying the agreement designed to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. The signing of the treaty is a significant step in a global effort to protect the high seas, areas of the ocean beyond national borders, which have historically […]

• Deforestation for palm oil continues in Indonesia’s ‘orangutan capital’

  JAKARTA — Despite various commitments from global brands and the government to protect Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, home to some of the rarest species on Earth, development of new palm oil plantations and drainage of carbon-rich peatlands continue in the ecosystem, a new investigation finds. At the same time, deforestation in Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve, a […]

• First Nation and scientists partner to revive climate-saving eelgrass

  MALIKO’MIJK, Canada — Decades ago, the sea around Maliko’mijk Island was an expansive green carpet of eelgrass, the meadows so thick that members of the Pictou Landing First Nation had to cut channels through them for their boats to pass. But on a drizzly September day, as boats carrying scientists and elders pull up to […]