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Archive for the ‘Conservation’ Category

Javan Rhino Extinct in Vietnam

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

[caption id="attachment_2129" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Javan Rhino caught on trap camera in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. Photo: WWF"][/caption]WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) have confirmed the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam. Genetic analysis of 22 dung samples collected by a Cat Tien National Park ...

Vietnam: Sun Bear Rescued from Hotel Captivity

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Hotel surrenders “back yard” bear - Safe rescue for “Sonny” On Tuesday 6 September, Animals Asia Vietnam Director, Tuan, External Affairs Officer, Dr The and Bear Worker Tuan from the Vietnam Moon Bear Rescue Centre travelled to the central highlands of Vietnam to rescue a lone sun bear. This young male ...

Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre Opens To Protect Cantor’s Giant Soft-Shell Turtle

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

[caption id="attachment_1932" align="aligncenter" width="670" caption="An 18kg Cantor's Soft Shell Turtle ready for release into the Mekong River in Kratie Province, Cambodia"][/caption]Kratie, Cambodia — One hundred miles northeast of the capital city of Phnom Pehn, scientists from Conservation International (CI) have partnered with local Buddhist monks from the 100 Pillar Pagoda ...

New ‘Demon’ Bat Species Found In Vietnam

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Three new bat species, one resembling the Lord of the Underworld, have been discovered in the tropical forests of southern Indochina. The tiny ‘demon,’ named Beelzebub’s tube-nosed bat, has been seen only in Vietnam. Full story by Daniette Venton here.

Beyond Angkor: BBC report on Cambodia’s other ancient sites

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

This short report from the BBC's Fast:Track programme highlights how much more there is to see on the archaeological front in Cambodia than just Angkor Wat. The country is simply riddled with ancient monuments and at most of them you will not find other tourists clambering over the broken stones, ...

Support the Shark Sanctuary in Moalboal, Philippines

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Support the Shark Sanctuary in Moalboal, the first in the Visayan area of the Philippines. Sign the petition to the local government of Moalboal by clicking the link below. The target is to get 5000 people to sign this petition to save the sharks of Moalboal, Cebu - an environmental ...

Malaysian Dive Spots to reopen

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Nine dive spots in Malaysia that were closed in June last year are expected to be re-opened soon. The dive spots were closed after coral reefs in the vicinity were bleached. The exact reason for the bleaching is not known but speculation is that the change in sea temperature and ...

Rare Sumatran tigers filmed in threatened forest

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

WWF camera traps have captured a record number of images of critically endangered Sumatran tigers recently - 12 tigers in just two months in central Sumatra. The great footage includes two mothers with cubs and three young tiger siblings playfully chasing a leaf. But the forest they’re in is under ...

Reef Check in the Philippines, July 2011

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Dr Gregor Hodgson, founder of the Reef Check Foundation will be escorting a 10 night safari in the Southern Visayas, aboard the SY Philippine Siren. Dr Hodgson spent many years in the Philippines and was the first to campaign for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. Many MPAs now exist ...

Endangered crocs rescued in Cambodia

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Wldlife conservation experts are working to rescue a colony of endangered Siamese crocodiles in Koh Kong province, western Cambodia, as the natural habitat is increasingly threatened by the development of the nearby Stung Atay hydro-dam. Full story at the Phnom Penh Post

Moves to Expand Protected Forest in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Adding to yesterday's great news that the Titanium mine, planned for Chi Phat, has been shelved, the Cambodian government is now drafting a sub-decree to increase the size of Koh Kong Province's Protected Forest. Someone up there must have started fretting about his karma and the afterlife!

Chi Phat saved from destructive Titanium mine

Monday, April 11th, 2011

A late minute intervention by Prime minister, Hun Sen, has saved a thriving community-based tourism project in Cambodia's Koh Kong Province from a planned, highly destructive, Titanium mine. The mine project, by the United Khmer Group, was rumoured to have been just a cover to gain access to the ...

In Cambodia, Koh Kong Emerges as Eco-Tourism Destination

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

This New York Times story highlights some interesting eco-tourism developments in Cambodia. See some of my pics from Chi Phat here on the Symbiosis Facebook page

Koh Kong Titanium Mine to go ahead

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

The Cambodian Government yesterday approved a land concession in the heart of dense forest in Koh Kong Province for a titanium mine that environmentalists say will devastate dozens of endangered species and clear thousands of hectares of trees in Cambodia's Cardamom mountains. I visited Chi Phat, the area that will be ...

Sea Turtle extinction: not global warming

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Could this be the real reason that Sea Turtles are being driven to extinction? These pictures are taken in Costa Rica of sea turtle egg "harvesting" by locals for sale in the local markets for food.