Isabel Esterman

A year-long Mongabay investigation shows that one of Cambodia's most notorious logging companies likely illegally exported rare tree species to Vietnam and China for years.

Several Cambodian journalists contributed to this report, but have requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the story. STUNG TRENG, Cambodia — Rare timber species likely logged from Cambodia’s embattled protected forests have been exported to Vietnam and China for years by Angkor Plywood, one of the country’s most notorious logging companies, Mongabay can reveal. Over a year-long investigation, Mongabay has acquired documents and testimonies, as well as photo and video evidence, that show Angkor Plywood has been illegally logging timber from Cambodian protected areas and violating various laws by exporting sawn logs internationally. The company has done this for years with impunity, in part due to the connections of the company’s management. Angkor Plywood was established by its chairman, Chea Pov, a man who has worked his way up Cambodia’s timber business, in 2011 with Taiwanese national Lu Chu Chang. The latter previously headed the Cambodian Timber Industry Association and developed a reputation in the early 2000s for illegally felling protected resin trees belonging to Indigenous communities. Together, Pov and Chang have built a timber empire focusing on the beleaguered Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, a nearly 490,000-hectare (1.2-million-acre) lowland rainforest in northern Cambodia. Its flat topography and proximity to numerous transit arteries, coupled with the sanctuary’s rich mineral deposits and formerly lush forests, have made it a lucrative target for loggers and miners. Mongabay has previously uncovered logging routes and timber trails that lead back to Think Biotech, another company chaired by Chang that owns a 34,000-hectare (84,000-acre)…This article was originally published on Mongabay

BANGKOK, Thailand — Standing on a coastal boardwalk overlooking the upper Gulf of Thailand, Wisut Leksomboon points to two mature mangrove trees whose branches intertwine like lovers’ limbs. “We found that by planting two seedlings close together, they can offer each other support as they grow. These trees are about 30 years old,” Wisut tells Mongabay during a visit to the Mangrove Nature School in Bang Kaew, a village roughly two hours’ drive south of Bangkok in Samut Songkhram province. As a founder of the eco-school and a local leader, Wisut has worked for more than three decades to preserve a 6.4-hectare (15.8-acre) patch of mangrove forest next to his village. Mudskippers and iridescent fiddler crabs flit between the tangled roots of the pair of 7.5-meter (25-foot) mangrove trees as the tide laps relentlessly beneath the raised walkway — a reminder that this section of coastline is rapidly eroding. Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) estimates that some parts of the Gulf of Thailand lose up to 5 m (16 ft) of land to sea level rise per year. The erosion is a pressing issue in Bang Kaew, where 80% of residents rely on inshore fishing, salt panning, and aquaculture — livelihoods jeopardized by coastal land loss. Concerned about their future, Wisut and local activists initiated a mangrove conservation project in 2008 that culminated in the construction of 5 kilometers (3 miles) of bamboo fencing along the coastline to ease the impact of waves and trap mud, creating…This article was originally published on Mongabay

LABAN NYARIT, Indonesia — Ipu Angit’s close relationship with the forest here in the interior of Borneo is evident as he identifies the plants and trees he uses to meet his daily needs, venturing deeper in despite the hot, humid weather and his advanced age. One moment he deftly fashions a makeshift umbrella out of palm leaves. The next he points out some young rattan stems, which he often prepares to eat by boiling to reduce the bitterness and then either cooking them with turmeric or eating them raw. Lately, however, Ipu has been clouded by anxiety: the rainforest he calls home appears set to be demolished for wood pellet production by a coal company seeking to pivot to “green” energy. “If this forest disappeared, where would we find these things?” Ipu asks. “This is what keeps the Punan people alive.” Spear in hand, Ipu Angit traverses the forest near his home, which falls within a biomass plantation concession held by PT Malinau Hijau Lestari. Image by Nanang Sujana for Mongabay. Ipu’s home village of Laban Nyarit in Malinau district, North Kalimantan. Image by Nanang Sujana for Mongabay. Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most-populous country and a top greenhouse gas emitter, with nearly half its energy coming from coal. As the nation strives to make good on its pledges to cut fossil fuels, President Joko Widodo has promoted biomass energy, derived from burning plant and animal products, as a sustainable alternative. His administration, whose term came to an end on Oct.…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Cambodian companies producing engineered hardwood flooring for the U.S. market are getting their timber from a company described as a cartel that's been repeatedly accused of illegally logging inside protected areas.

With an internationally backed project to protect core forest in Malaysia’s Sarawak state now quashed at the request of the state’s forest department, both NGOs and Sarawak forestry officials cite difficulties working together on what was pitched as a collaborative project. The project, one of two operated in the region by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), aimed to protect 283,500 hectares (about 700,500 acres) of land in the Upper Baram Forest Area, an area encompassing 79,000 hectares (about 195,000 acres) of primary forest as well as more than 20 villages of four different Indigenous ethnicities. Its $1.3 million budget would have been primarily supported by the Malaysian government, with the remaining $556,885 coming from the government of Japan, the Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), a Swiss NGO, and the government of the Swiss canton of Basel. The Sarawak government told the ITTO that it would “endeavour to seek alternative funding to complete the implementation of this project,” said ITTO executive director Sheam Satkuru. There’s still one active ITTO project in the Upper Baram Forest Area supporting forest management training and landscape restoration, but that project, valued at $479,500, is scheduled to end in November, Satkuru said. Rainforest in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. A new timber concession A key point of contention between the government and NGOs is the existence of an active timber concession within the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA). Sarawak officials say planning for the ITTO project always accounted for the existence of this…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Chinese authorities are considering changes to wildlife trade regulations that govern the live trade in 18 parrot and reptile species, several of which are gravely threatened by poaching and illegal trade. The proposals involve the implementation of a “special marking system” of ID tags on bird leg rings or microchips inserted in reptiles to enable authorities to better regulate and trace the country’s extensive wildlife breeding industry. However, the plans have drawn criticism from conservation groups, who say that without proper oversight, the marking system could result in a sudden spike in demand for the affected species and the emergence of an unregulated pet trade, ultimately undermining hard-won conservation gains both within and beyond the country’s borders. Previously, China’s “special marking system” was only applied to high-risk animal products, such as pangolin scales, used in traditional medicine. But moves began toward a marking system for live animals in May 2022. All 18 species in the proposals are protected under the Wildlife Protection Law, China’s main piece of legislation covering wildlife conservation and trade. However, these rules have long attracted controversy because they endorse so-called “utilisation” of wildlife as well as its protection. The marking system species include the endangered African gray parrot (Psittacus erithacus) and critically endangered radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata), both of which are included in Appendix I of CITES, the global convention regulating the wildlife trade, due to their severe vulnerability to trafficking. The African gray parrot has largely disappeared from its natural range across Central and West…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Bonobos, human's closest relatives, are classified as an endangered species. Groundbreaking research suggests their vulnerability might be even more severe than previously thought.

New research from Borneo suggests we could improve the efficacy of protected areas by better selecting where to locate them.

Gibbons are famed for their graceful agility high in the forest canopy. Swinging effortlessly from branch to branch, their bodies spilling through the trees, the small apes seem to defy the basic laws of gravity. But it turns out their beauty in motion doesn’t stop there: They also perform captivating dances, according to the findings […]