Udon Thani to Incorporate Urban Adaptation Planning Tool into City Planning Process

In Udon Thani, one of the fastest urbanizing cities in Thailand, multi-agency working group City Team conducted a hands-on exercise with the provincial governor’s office to apply a Shared Vision Planning tool to the city’s 2016 fiscal urban and economic development planning process.USAID’s Mekong-Building Climate Resilient Asian Cities project with technical support from the U.S.…

USAID Continues Support of Sustainable Management of Mangrove Ecosystems

The USAID Low Emissions Asian Development (USAID LEAD) program and the U.S. Forest Service completed three weeks of field training in Cambodia’s mangroves for 33 Cambodian participants. Participants learned data collection skills and engaged in a hands-on application of USAID LEAD’s Field Protocol for Measuring Carbon Stocks in Mangrove Forests. The participants collected 812 data…

USAID Launches Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge

On World Wildlife Day, USAID announced the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, a new initiative that encourages using modern tools to help stop wildlife trafficking.The challenge invites individuals and organizations from around the world to submit innovative science and technology solutions that can be applied to combat the illegal trafficking of marine and terrestrial wildlife, which…

USAID Mekong ARCC to Improve Water Security and Management for Women of Khammouane Villages

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project is working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Lao PDR and local authorities to improve water storage and distribution for villages in Khammouane Province, Lao PDR.Water engineers in villages in Done Keo and other target villages…

USAID Grants Support Lower Mekong Civil Society Organizations to Improve Forest Equity

This month, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program (USAID GREEN Mekong) released a second round of awards under its Challenge Fund to civil society organizations from the Lower Mekong region. The grants provide winners with the opportunity to advance the promotion of equitable and inclusive forest…

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…