WEEKLY NEWS DIGEST
Curating news, commentary and resources on development, its environmental and social impacts, and the context affecting the Mekong Region
MEKONG DEVELOPMENT
Mekong River levels see strong pulse due to heavy rain, dam releases
Recorded water levels in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) saw significant increases during the last seven days as a result of heavy rainfall and sudden water releases from dams, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat says. But river levels across all monitoring stations remain lower than their alarm or danger points.
CAMBODIA
Vultures return to sanctuary after five-year absence
WWF-Cambodia’s biodiversity research and monitoring manager Milou Groenenberg said the birds had disappeared from the area due to poisoning.
LAOS
Can China’s Belt and Road open up landlocked Laos?
It is estimated the railway will cut the cost of transport by 40% compared to travel by road, albeit at a total project cost of US $5.9 billion.
Myanmar
There’s still room to save Asia’s hoolock gibbons, study says, but only just
Researchers, whose study was published July 16 in Global Ecology and Conservation, came up with estimates for the area of hoolock gibbon habitat that disappeared between 2000 and 2018, and the area remaining today, across the four countries of Myanmar, India, Bangladesh and China where the apes occur.
Thailand
Kaeng Krachan added to world heritage list despite human rights protests
Before the Unesco decision came on Monday, the “Save Bang Kloi” network went to the Natural Resources and the Environment Ministry in Bangkok. It held the “World Heritage, Blood Heritage” activity and read a statement against the listing, citing at least two deaths of its campaigners. They subsequently threw red paint on the nameplate of the ministry.
Vietnam
Winds of Change: Vietnam’s Transition from fossil fuels to renewables in Vietnam
For now, Vietnam’s East Sea and the Mekong Delta may offer just the right mix of power from wind and solar to brighten the nation’s future.