USAID Combats Climate Change Through Clean Water

USAID’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project and partner International Union Conservation of Nature Thailand are supporting the Hae Ko village in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province to reduce water-borne diseases and improve water security by installing a village-wide water filtration system.Nearly 300 Lisu hill tribe people have built resilience…

Fin Free Thailand Make Progress to Ban Sale and Consumption of Shark Fin in Thailand

A partner of the USAID-supported Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking program, Fin Free Thailand, has made progress towards their goal of reducing demand and ending the consumption of shark fin and shark products in Thailand.On February 7, Fin Free Thailand conducted a shark conservation awareness event on the resort island of Koh Chang.…

USAID Conducts Mangrove Carbon Assessment Training in Cambodia

From February 8 to 25, USAID’s Low Emissions Asian Development program and U.S. Forest Service are conducting a mangrove carbon assessment with a select group of trainees in Koh Kong and Sihanoukville Provinces, Cambodia.The training, which is part of ongoing efforts to help stakeholders in Cambodia implement a protocol for measuring and monitoring carbon stocks…

Cool Pig Pads Help Prepare Northern Thailand Communities for Climate Change Impacts

Farmers in northern Thailand’s Hae Ko village are implementing a new pig housing system as a climate smart adaptation measure against anticipated increases in temperature from climate change. In this hill tribe community, raising pigs is integral to their food security and income, but higher temperatures can impact the productivity and health of their local…

Crop Diversification Bolsters Climate Change Resilience for Chiang Rai Hill Tribes

To help Lower Mekong Basin farmers adapt to climate change, USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) is partnering with International Union Conservation of Nature Thailand (IUCN Thailand) to identify and implement adaptation strategies in the under-resourced communities of Thailand.Community members in Hae Ko, in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province, are…

Art Competition Encourages Vietnamese Youth to Speak Out About Wildlife Trafficking

Under the USAID-supported Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (USAID ARREST) Program, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) received thousands of entries for its national artwork competition designed to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products. As of February 2, more than 3,900 entries have been submitted.ENV has worked closely with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training,…

USAID Introduces Innovative Teaching Method for Climate Change Curriculum

Participants from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam gathered in Bangkok from February 2 to 6 to test a role play training activity focused on the Low Emission Land Use Planning module of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forest (USAID LEAF) climate change curriculum.Participants placed themselves in roles from communities…

Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong

The Friends of the Lower Mekong, a donor coordination group, came together with the countries of the Lower Mekong to discuss the connection between water resources, energy needs and food security.U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon and Ambassador David Thorne were representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),…

Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting in Bangkok

Water, energy and food security challenges, as well as women’s empowerment and the promotion of gender equality, are among major issues raised for discussion at the Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Regional Working Group Meeting.The meeting took place at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bangkok on 29 – 30 January 2015, and it was…

Vietnam Steps up Wildlife Protection Training at Airports

Seventy-three Vietnamese airport officials took part in a new global training program in Hanoi this week to help stop illegal wildlife trafficking through airports.The Wildlife Friendly Skies workshop, organized in partnership with the Biodiversity Conservation Agency of Vietnam’s Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Northern Airport Authority of Vietnam,…

USAID and the U.S. Forest Service Train Fire and Land Managers on Fire Emissions Estimation Techniques

USAID LEAF, the Thailand Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific brought together fire and land managers in Chiang Mai from January 27 to 29 for a training on simple and practical methods for estimating…

USAID Trains Gender Champions in Strategic Planning and Negotiation Skills

More than 30 gender specialists representing government and civil society groups from around the region gathered in Siem Reap, Cambodia from January 26 to 31 to learn strategic planning for safeguards in climate change and REDD+.The workshop was the third in a series of trainings under the USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF)…