Environment and natural resources

Sangthong district authorities in Vientiane are assessing the extent of forest destroyed by fire in the Phou Phanang (Phanang Mountain) National Protected Area last week.District authorities said the official data on losses and further measures to protect forests are still being assessed.A representative of authorities ...

What’s been up with (and in) the air we breathe? Smoggy haze and deteriorating air quality has seen folks in Laos’ capital and beyond reaching for face masks, air filters and measuring equipment.What they have found has been enlightening and disturbing. Air quality over much ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Wildfires in Laos and neighbouring countries are causing dangerous levels of air pollution in many regions of Laos, especially in the capital.Director General of the Pollution Control Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mrs Sisouphanh Luanglath, told Vientiane ...

(KPL) Almost four years ago, UNDP had a project in Xayaboury province of northern Lao PDR to help farmers in their struggles to cope with climate change.  This February, we returned to one of the villages to see how they have managed with changing weather conditions ...

An unhealthy haze of smog has descended upon the capital city of Vientiane and air pollution has been noted in several other provinces around Laos.Concerned local and international residents have been monitoring the situation, posting online their own amateur updates on the local levels of atmospheric ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – A new guideline has been issued to regulate the establishment and operation of zoos, wildlife farms, and the trade of some wild animals and plants.Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr Lien Thikeo recently issued the guidance as indicated in Decision No. 0188 ...

Industries that produce pollution may have to pay more taxes now that the government has embraced the National Green Growth Strategy.Under the strategy, which Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith endorsed on January 30, the Ministry of Finance will impose taxes to discourage industries from producing pollution ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos and Cambodia have agreed on cooperative actions on the key priorities of a joint project on cross-border water resource development and management.Representatives of the two nations discussed plans recently at a Regional Steering Committee meeting, which identified eco-tourism and fisheries ...

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, United Nations Environment Climate Change Adaptation Unit and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are collaborating to support the improved effectiveness and impact of climate change adaptation in Laos.Government officials and stakeholders gathered in Vientiane yesterday to attend a ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Forest Research Centre under the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) will produce 100,000 saplings this year as part of government efforts to restore forest cover to 70 per cent of the country by 2020.Director of the facility, Mr ...