https://news.mongabay.com/list/asia/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:37:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/asia/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indigenous-farmers-hard-work-protects-a-philippine-hotspot-but-goes-overlooked/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indigenous-farmers-hard-work-protects-a-philippine-hotspot-but-goes-overlooked/#respond 16 Nov 2023 15:49:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275492 - However, the farmers face many challenges, including low profits, lack of access to markets, and nearby mining operations, and say they wouldn’t want their children to follow in their footsteps.
- Experts say the government should provide more incentives to these farmers who support conservation in a protected area in the form of direct subsidies, transportation and performance-based rewards for providing the ecosystem services that society depends on.
- Mantalingahan, also a candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing, is home to 11 out of the 12 forest formations found in the Philippines and hosts 33 watersheds.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indigenous-farmers-hard-work-protects-a-philippine-hotspot-but-goes-overlooked/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/crime-analysis-sheds-light-on-tiger-poaching-in-malaysia/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/crime-analysis-sheds-light-on-tiger-poaching-in-malaysia/#respond 14 Nov 2023 18:25:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275321 - They reported in a new paper that poaching success by hunters from Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand — the main group of poachers in the country — declined by up to 40% during the study period.
- The conservationists used the EMMIE crime prevention framework (short for effect, mechanisms, moderators, implementation and economic costs) to identify what worked and areas to improve.
- There are fewer than 200 critically endangered Malayan tigers believed to survive in Malaysia, with snaring by poachers among the leading causes of their decline.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/crime-analysis-sheds-light-on-tiger-poaching-in-malaysia/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-madhesh-province-lacks-in-biodiversity-research-conservation/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-madhesh-province-lacks-in-biodiversity-research-conservation/#respond 13 Nov 2023 14:25:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275325 - The region, primarily used for agriculture, experiences human-wildlife conflicts, including incidents like the mistaken killing of a leopard due to misconceptions about wildlife.
- Despite being rich in biodiversity, with various species of birds, mammals and traditional migratory paths of elephants, conservation efforts are hindered by the absence of a dedicated conservation agency and limited research initiatives.
- Experts emphasize the urgency of establishing a comprehensive strategic plan for wildlife conservation in Madhesh, highlighting the need to address habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflicts and unplanned urbanization.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-madhesh-province-lacks-in-biodiversity-research-conservation/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/in-borneo-the-power-of-mama-fight-indonesias-wildfires-with-all-woman-crew/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/in-borneo-the-power-of-mama-fight-indonesias-wildfires-with-all-woman-crew/#respond 10 Nov 2023 16:11:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275277 - Farmers have long used fire in cultivation, and the risks to health and environment have grown significantly as deforestation and drainage have made peatlands particularly susceptible to fire.
- In 2022, women from the Indonesian part of Borneo formed “the Power of Mama,” a unit to fight hazardous wildfires and their causes.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/in-borneo-the-power-of-mama-fight-indonesias-wildfires-with-all-woman-crew/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/on-nepals-day-to-honor-dogs-wild-canines-face-mounting-threats/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/on-nepals-day-to-honor-dogs-wild-canines-face-mounting-threats/#respond 10 Nov 2023 05:36:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275259 - Asiatic wild dogs, or dholes, have seen their populations fragment and decline across Asia, including in Nepal, where there are an estimated 250-750 of the animals.
- More research, conservation action plans, community engagement and transboundary cooperation are needed to ensure the survival of dholes, conservation campaigners say.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/on-nepals-day-to-honor-dogs-wild-canines-face-mounting-threats/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/hunters-habitat-loss-are-key-threats-to-red-serow-populations-in-bangladesh/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/hunters-habitat-loss-are-key-threats-to-red-serow-populations-in-bangladesh/#respond 09 Nov 2023 13:10:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275232 - Recent camera-trap surveys find the existence of red serows in Baroiyadhala National Park in Bangladesh.
- Some 22 cameras captured images of red serows, creating hope for its conservation, but the cameras also captured pictures of roaming armed hunters.
- Experts suggest taking conservation measures in the rocky mountain areas of Mirsharai, Sitakunda and Hazarikhil in Chattogram to revive the population of wild goats.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/hunters-habitat-loss-are-key-threats-to-red-serow-populations-in-bangladesh/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/dam-building-on-mekong-poses-risk-to-regional-industries-report-says/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/dam-building-on-mekong-poses-risk-to-regional-industries-report-says/#respond 08 Nov 2023 16:00:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275173 - Recent decades have seen scores of hydropower dams built on the Mekong River system, including 13 large-scale projects spanning the river’s mainstream channel, with hundreds more either planned or under construction.
- The report looks at how the economic value of hydropower in the Lower Mekong Basin measures up against its high economic trade-offs for five key sectors that underpin regional economies.
- The report provides recommendations for governments, investors and businesses to understand the true cost of hydropower and mitigate the inevitable risks they face over the decades to come.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/dam-building-on-mekong-poses-risk-to-regional-industries-report-says/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/#respond 08 Nov 2023 07:50:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275142 - The donor rhino, known as Pahu, is a Bornean specimen of the Sumatran rhino, and her egg would greatly expand the genetic pool of a species believed to number as few as 40.
- Since 2012, three Sumatran rhinos have been born under Indonesia’s captive-breeding program, but all are closely related: a single captive male is the father to two of them and grandfather to the third.
- Conservationists say they hope to eventually fertilize Pahu’s eggs with sperm from captive Sumatran males, with one of the Sumatran females then serving as a surrogate to hopefully bring a baby to term.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-grow-to-repurpose-land-squandered-in-cambodias-concession-policy/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-grow-to-repurpose-land-squandered-in-cambodias-concession-policy/#respond 08 Nov 2023 02:34:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275134 - With even the government seeming to acknowledge the ineffectiveness of ELCs as an economic driver, calls are growing to return the land to dispossessed communities or repurpose them in other ways.
- One expert says the role of local communities will be central to the success of any reformation of the ELC system and will need to be carefully considered to avoid the pitfalls of the old system.
- Another proposes giving land currently owned by nonperforming ELCs to agricultural cooperatives managed by communities, placing more negotiating power in the hands of farmers rather than concessionaires.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-grow-to-repurpose-land-squandered-in-cambodias-concession-policy/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/java-farmers-displaced-by-dam-remain-treading-water-after-decades/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/java-farmers-displaced-by-dam-remain-treading-water-after-decades/#respond 08 Nov 2023 02:02:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275114 - Many families were paid the equivalent of just 50 U.S. cents per square meter of land at the time, or 4.5 cents per square foot, as land acquisition accelerated in the 1980s.
- Indonesia’s second-largest dam is about to commence operation as a 110-megawatt hydroelectric plant, in addition to providing irrigation water for around 1 million farmers.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/java-farmers-displaced-by-dam-remain-treading-water-after-decades/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-water-hyacinth-helps-exotic-fish-invade-harming-native-species-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-water-hyacinth-helps-exotic-fish-invade-harming-native-species-study/#respond 07 Nov 2023 14:25:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275100 - A study suggests that water hyacinth, an invasive plant species, could be helping exotic fish species in Pokhara’s lakes to invade the lakes and reduce the diversity and abundance of native fish species.
- The researchers suggest that urgent conservation action is needed to control the spread of both water hyacinth and exotic fish species, and to protect the native fish species and the ecosystem of the lakes.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-water-hyacinth-helps-exotic-fish-invade-harming-native-species-study/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/burn-now-pay-later-fines-trickle-in-from-indonesias-crackdown-on-forest-fires/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/burn-now-pay-later-fines-trickle-in-from-indonesias-crackdown-on-forest-fires/#respond 07 Nov 2023 09:59:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275074 - The case against PT Kallista Alam (KA) was supposed to set an example for how the government is cracking down on companies that allow burning in their concessions, but has instead highlighted the difficulty of collecting on the fines.
- KA has paid just $3.6 million of its total fine, and despite a 2021 regulation barring fine payments in installments, the company has been allowed to stagger its payments over time.
- The company is one of 22 sued by the government since 2013 for fires; 14 of these have been found liable and ordered to pay a combined 5.6 trillion rupiah ($353 million), but only one has paid in full.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/burn-now-pay-later-fines-trickle-in-from-indonesias-crackdown-on-forest-fires/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-clouded-leopard-research-needs-more-attention-qa-with-yadav-ghimirey/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-clouded-leopard-research-needs-more-attention-qa-with-yadav-ghimirey/#respond 06 Nov 2023 07:34:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274994 - He argues that clouded leopards are important for Nepal’s biodiversity and ecosystem balance and that they deserve more attention and funding from local and global conservation agencies.
- He outlines his need to assess the distribution, diet, behavior and habitat connectivity of clouded leopards in Nepal and to work on their conservation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/nepals-clouded-leopard-research-needs-more-attention-qa-with-yadav-ghimirey/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indonesian-activist-gita-syahrani-wins-3m-award-for-work-on-sustainable-growth/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indonesian-activist-gita-syahrani-wins-3m-award-for-work-on-sustainable-growth/#respond 03 Nov 2023 12:21:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274981 - Gita has for many years focused on supporting district governments protect peatlands and forests while developing policies for sustainable economic growth.
- Gita said she is keen to explore and include approaches that are more mindful and spiritual in encouraging more people to be active in protecting, rehabilitating and recovering the balance between people and the environment.
- Gita is the second Indonesian awardee of Climate Breakthrough grants, following environmentalist Arief Rabik in 2019; her fellow awardee this year is Jane Fleming Kleeb of the U.S., a prominent activist against the Keystone XL pipeline.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indonesian-activist-gita-syahrani-wins-3m-award-for-work-on-sustainable-growth/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/independent-project-steps-in-as-government-slow-to-map-indonesian-ancestral-lands/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/independent-project-steps-in-as-government-slow-to-map-indonesian-ancestral-lands/#respond 03 Nov 2023 03:34:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274980 - But the government’s efforts in recognizing these customary lands is lagging behind, with only 3.73 million hectares (9.21 million acres) formally recognized; that’s just 14% of what the BRWA has mapped.
- And this formal recognition is still largely limited to local governments, with the central government having only issued land certificates for customary lands in two provinces, 12 hectares (29 acres) of land certified in West Sumatra and 699.7 hectares (1,728 acres) in Papua.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/independent-project-steps-in-as-government-slow-to-map-indonesian-ancestral-lands/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-fire-season-worsens-indonesian-activists-report-four-companies-for-burning/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-fire-season-worsens-indonesian-activists-report-four-companies-for-burning/#respond 01 Nov 2023 15:03:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274914 JAKARTA — Activists have reported four companies — two industrial forest firms and two palm oil firms — to the local police over fires in their concessions in Central Kalimantan as Indonesia is grappling with its worst fire episode since 2019. According to satellite image analysis done Sept. 2-10, the activists found a total of […]]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-fire-season-worsens-indonesian-activists-report-four-companies-for-burning/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/video-a-sanctuary-for-elephants-and-forests-in-cambodia/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/video-a-sanctuary-for-elephants-and-forests-in-cambodia/#respond 31 Oct 2023 15:14:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274880 - But tourists stopped coming when the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began and the world ceased traveling in 2020, leaving the project searching for ways to continue its work with the elephants and the nearby communities.
- Leaders of the project said it has provided jobs, education and health care support, and protection for a key area of mature forest along the edge of Keo Seima, Cambodia’s most biodiverse wildlife sanctuary.
- One possible avenue for funding may be the nearby REDD+ forest conservation project in Keo Seima, based on the protection of the forest from threats like illegal logging and hunting that the presence of the elephants and their mahouts has provided.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/video-a-sanctuary-for-elephants-and-forests-in-cambodia/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/conservationists-look-to-defy-gloomy-outlook-for-borneos-sun-bears/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/conservationists-look-to-defy-gloomy-outlook-for-borneos-sun-bears/#respond 31 Oct 2023 13:08:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274826 - A bear rehabilitation program in Malaysian Borneo cares for 44 sun bears rescued from captivity and the pet trade and has been releasing bears back into the wild since 2015. But with threats in the wild continuing unabated, success has been mixed.
- A recent study indicates that as few as half of the released bears are still alive, demonstrating that rehabilitation alone will never be enough to tackle the enormous threats and conservation issues facing the bears in the wild.
- Preventing bears from being poached from the wild in the first place should be the top priority, experts say, calling for a holistic approach centered on livelihood support for local communities through ecotourism to encourage lifestyles that don’t involve setting snares that can kill bears.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/conservationists-look-to-defy-gloomy-outlook-for-borneos-sun-bears/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/how-wild-elephants-solve-puzzles-may-help-humans-resolve-wildlife-conflicts/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/how-wild-elephants-solve-puzzles-may-help-humans-resolve-wildlife-conflicts/#respond 31 Oct 2023 10:58:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274517 - They observed that Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand could figure out how to work doors that opened in three different ways: push, pull, and slide.
- Five out of 44 animals succeeded in opening all three doors, eight opened two doors, and another 11 opened one door.
- The study captured “individual variation in the problem-solving ability of wild elephants,” Lisa P. Barrett, an expert in animal cognition, told Mongabay. “If we know something about ‘problem individuals’ who are learning and spreading problematic behaviors, such as crop raiding, we may be able to design targeted intervention efforts that mitigate human-elephant conflict.”
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/how-wild-elephants-solve-puzzles-may-help-humans-resolve-wildlife-conflicts/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/key-indonesian-fish-populations-depleted-new-assessments-needed-study-shows/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/key-indonesian-fish-populations-depleted-new-assessments-needed-study-shows/#respond 31 Oct 2023 08:06:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274751 - The authors have called for a reevaluation of the method used to assess fish stocks to address the overexploitation of these populations.
- The Indonesian deep-slope demersal fisheries have helped position Indonesia to be the world’s second-largest exporter of snapper species.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/key-indonesian-fish-populations-depleted-new-assessments-needed-study-shows/feed/ 0