Annus horribilis for Cambodian rights
PHNOM PENH – On April 26, a prominent Cambodian anti-logging campaigner was shot and killed by military police in the Cardamom Mountains in the country’s southwest. Chut Wutty, the director of the Natural Resources Protection Group, was reportedly escorting two local journalists through a densely-forested part of Koh Kong province when his car was stopped...
Siberian tigers under threat as ‘timber mafia’ devastate Russian forests
Criminal gangs are increasingly smuggling Russian timber into China for manufacture into baby cribs, picture frames and toilet seats sold in the west. Those trying to thwart them face violence and corruption. Sebastian Strangio reports from Vladivostok.
Russia’s Far East forest mafia
With Chinese demand for hardwood rising, large swathes of forests are being illegally logged. Corruption and fear are hampering a crackdown.
Patrols combat illegal fishing
Community fishing patrols in the waters around Koh Rung Sangleum island have taken a bite out of a once-rampant trade in coral and other resources. By Sebastian Strangio & May Titthara.
The Dhaka solution
While the rest of the world debates climate change, Bangladesh has started living the reality of a warmer, more volatile world.
Bangladesh — Eco Symbol?
Often derided as a basket case, Bangladesh might just have a thing or two to show the world about tackling climate change.
Sand exports go on unabated
A RECENT boom in sand exports from Cambodia to Singapore, fuelled by a “complete lack” of transparency and government regulation, could severely damage the country’s riverine and coastal ecosystems, according to a report released on Monday by international anticorruption watchdog Global Witness. The 40-page report, titled Shifting Sands, argues that exports to Singapore, where the...
Officials destroy safrole oil stills
ANTI-DRUG officials say they are one step closer to eradicating illicit drug precursor production in the Cardamom Mountains following a recent patrol that led to the destruction of 18 illegal factories in the region. The grueling 10-day foot patrol, carried out by conservation groups in close cooperation with forest rangers from the armed services and...
Sand mining spikes in Koh Kong estuaries
Large-scale sand dredging operations in Koh Kong estuaries ignoring long-term effects, say environmentalists. By Sebastian Strangio & Vong Sokheng.
Lao dams muddying the waters
Environmentalists say regional forums have proven themselves inadequate to address the cross-border impacts of a slew of hydropower dam projects planned for southern Laos. Sebastian Strangio and Sam Rith report.
CAMBODIA: Freshwater fish resources under increasing pressure
PHNOM PENH – Each year, between July and October, Cambodia’s Tonle Sap river, swollen by monsoon rain and excess flow from the nearby Mekong River, reverses its course. As water pours back into Cambodia’s Great Lake, swelling its size by over four times, the flood-plain is transformed into a vast breeding ground for over 250...
