In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
Beast Threat Many animals, under threat from humans, have gone locally extinct. A recent report of the Wildlife Conservation Society (wcs) states that Asia's wildlife is in trouble due to indiscriminate hunting and illegal trade in animal parts. Tigers across Indo-China have disappeared. They were hunted down as trophy and …
Safe Shrimps Antibiotics are good in medicines but not in shrimps. The government insists "there is no trace of the antibiotic nitrofuran in its shrimp exports to the European Union (eu).' This announcement came after the eu decided to test shrimp from Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand for illegal chemicals. The …
us government scientists recently changed their stand on the link established in an earlier report between cancer and Agent Orange, used to defoliate jungles during the Vietnam. The revised Institute of Medicine report says there is not enough evidence to prove whether children of Vietnam war veterans have a higher …
it could be termed as heart rending. According to a recent report, more than 28 million children under age five suffer from the debilitating effects of malnutrition in developing countries. At least 10 million die due to
Vietnam had 2,000 wild elephants three decades ago. But now, only 100 of them survive. Although a plan to save one of these last remaining wild herds of elephants was initiated recently, it began on a tragic note with the death of two elephants. A team of experts on a …
banning logging is an important tool for halting the degradation of forests, but it seldom corrects the underlying causes of deforestation. This intriguing fact was recently stated in a report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (fao). Moreover, the report claims that ban on logging harms forests and local communities …
the state appraisal committee in Vietnam has approved a controversial routing plan for the new Ho Chi Highway which cuts through the country's oldest national park, Cuc Phuong, housing many rare and endangered plant and animal species. The approved plan has been submitted to the Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, …
A collision between a cargo ship and an oil tanker has caused a major diesel oilspill in the Vung Tau Sea, about 120 kilometres southeast of Ho Chi Minh city. According to the Vung Tau port authorities, the Liberian-registered ship hit the Vietnamese tanker while trying to approach its anchorage …
Drinking water in some parts of northern Vietnam is contaminated with arsenic levels 50 times higher than the set standards, according to a recent study. Due to this, more than 11 million people are facing heath hazards, claims Michael Berg, research team's leader of the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental …
China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are the most polluted countries in Asia, while Singapore, Malaysia and Japan are the cleanest, indicates a recent survey. The Hong-Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Limited (PERC) conducted the survey. In the survey, emigrants living in 12 Asian countries and territories rated …
The dioxin levels in the blood samples taken from residents of Vietnam's Bien Hoa city are 135 times higher than the levels found in the blood of residents of the capital Hanoi. This was revealed in a recent study carried out by Arnold Schecter of the University of Texas Southwestern …
Conservationists and environmentalists are worried that the construction of Vietnam's second major north-south highway could have a devastating environmental impact. Although acknowledging the economic importance of the highway, Frank Momberg of the Fauna and Flora International, however, said that Vietnamese authorities should re-route some sections in order to avoid some …
If fresh rains hit central coastal Vietnam again it will spell doom for the region, say meteorologist . This area is already struggling to recover from last November's devastating floods that killed around 730 people ( Down To Earth , Vol 8, No 13). Meteorologist in Hanoi said weather patterns …
TORRENTIAL rains and floods ravaged the central coast of Vietnam in the first week of November, causing a heavy loss to life and property. According to government officials, these were the worst-ever floods to hit the coast during the past 40 years. According to a report, about 441 people have …
The country's forest cover has shrunk by a third in the last 15 years due to illegal logging, slash-and-burn farming methods and felling of trees to make way for plantation crops, according to forest officials. A study by Vietnam Forestry Scientific Institute (vfsi) reveals that natural forest now covers 28 …
Vietnam has repeated its rejection of China's fishing ban in the South China Sea, saying it violates Vietnam's sovereignty. "Action by any country in Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (the Spratly and Paracells islands) as well as its exclusive economic zones and continental shelf without the consent of the Vietnamese …
About 110,000 litres (24,200 gallons) of diesel oil was spilled after two tankers collided near southern Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, an official from the city's environment department said. The accident took place 500 metres from the Nha Be Petroleum Storage Depot. "About 110,000 litres of diesel spilled into …
IT is pay back time now. During the Vietnam War, the US sprayed Agent Orange - a chemical mix of herbicides rich in dioxins, that are hormone disrupters - in Vietnam during the 10-year war. Vietnamese government officials say that Agent Orange has deformed around 50,000 children and has claimed …
