With Activists Silenced, China Moves Ahead on Big Dam Project

Yale Environment 360 – The Yangtze River courses from the Himalayan Plateau in Tibet down into southwestern China’s Yunnan province, carving a path through a breathtaking landscape where steep ridges are covered in Yunnan pine. Closer to the river and the road that runs beside it, aspen and birch leaves shimmer in the wind. Clumps of pink rhododendron form natural fences along the terraces Read More…

Urgent call by global experts for our most vulnerable whales,…

World Wildlife Fund – 20th Century whaling nearly wiped out many species of whale worldwide. While some species, such as humpback whales, have bounced back due to strong management measures, a third of the world's cetaceans - whales, dolphins and porpoises - are still threatened with extinction. The critically endangered Vaquita porpoise, only found in the upper Gulf of California, Mexico, Read More…

Germany supplies equipment to monitor Mekong River dam impacts

VN Express – Germany has provided equipment to the Mekong River Commission to monitor the environmental impacts of two mainstream dams on the lower reaches of the Mekong River. The equipment, worth around $600,000, meant to help monitor the impacts of Laos's Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams, was handed over on Tuesday as part of the German government’s support for the MRC’s Joint Read More…

To better protect the world endangered freshwater dolphins

Khmer Times – Cambodia is pushing the conservation of the country’s Mekong River dolphins not only to make it an attractive tourism product, but also to better protect the population of the world endangered mammal. According to Neth Pheaktra, Spokesperson and Secretary of State at the Ministry of Environment, as the freshwater dolphins are increasingly attracting tourists, more Read More…

WWF, fisheries dept announce community co-management for aquatic…

Vientiane Times – World Wide Fund for Nature in Laos (WWF-Laos) in cooperation with the Department of Livestock and Fisheries on Wednesday announced community fishery co-management regulations for Xebanghieng River’s 10 fish reservations of Savannakhet province, focusing on protection of threatened aquatic species. The announcement and official launch of the administration of 10 fish Read More…

As The Tonle Sap Dries Up, Villagers Worry About Dwindling Fish Catch

VOA – Come August, Pursat province’s Kampong Luong commune is usually flooded from the swelling Tonle Sap Lake. The waters fill the village’s dusty paths, with all activity conducted around seven meters above ground level. This year, there are villagers selling groceries and other items on the ground level, the small dirt paths in the village are still dry and dusty. There has Read More…

New Mekong dam ignores threats to UNESCO World Heritage city,…

ASEAN Today – As US-China tensions turn towards the Mekong River and its dams, the area near Laos’ latest hydropower project on the river is already seeing major controversy around existing dam projects. The Lao government is preparing to start construction on the Luang Prabang Dam, a 1,460-megawatt (MW) project that will be the largest on Laos’ portion of the river. Located near the Read More…

Save these adorable things, public demands after deaths of Irrawaddy…

Coconuts – The deaths of a number of Irrawaddy dolphins killed by illicit electro-fishing has led to renewed calls from the public and celebs for their protection. Although electrifying water to stun fish is illegal, no one has been arrested after five dead animals turned up in recent weeks, leading to public outcry over the harm done to the dolphins which inhabit the river from which Read More…

Polluted Mekong Delta river kills fish, contaminates water sources

VN Express – A section of the Cai Lon River in Hau Giang Province has turned black and foul-smelling, killing fish and contaminating local water sources. For the past several days Ly Minh Lam, a resident of Long My Town in the Mekong Delta province, has been unable to use water from the river for his family's straw mushroom garden. He has begun to think of installing pipes to carry water Read More…

Mekong River Water Levels Hits Record Lows for a Second Year

CTN News – The Mekong River Commission has urged China and lower Mekong countries to share more data on hydropower dam operations. Because water flow in the Mekong River has hit record low levels for a second consecutive year. A report by the commission attributes the low water level to two years of reduced rainfall and the operations of 13 Mekong hydropower dams – two in Laos and 11 in Read More…