New Directions in Environmental Governance

Check out the new blog on the 11th ASEAN Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum and Exposition written by NDEG Master student Yavanna Puts:
http://ndeg.apps01.yorku.ca/2016/08/12/11th-asian-fisheries-aquaculture-forum-asian-food-security-world/

11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum - “Asian Food Security for the World” - New Directions in Environmental Governance Posted on behalf of Yavanna Puts – Master’s student, Wageningen University Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/aseanfisheriesexpo2016/photos_stream Last week was the 11th Asian fisheries and aquaculture forum in Bangkok, Thailand. For my thesis research I decided to go there and find interesting…

A new panopticon? The UMD Global Land Analysis and Discovery team are using algorithms to create a weekly update of new logging activities in specific areas of the world. University of Maryland professor Matthew Hansen says that governments will now have documented evidence when protected areas are violated.

New satellite programme aims to cut down illegal logging in real time Experts say tropical forests nearly the size of India are set to be destroyed by 2050 if current trends continue

Thai Seafood is now put on notice as Obama steps in enforce an 86-year-old ban on importing goods made by children or slaves under new provisions of the law.

Obama bans US imports of slave-produced goods President Barack Obama signed a bill Wednesday that includes a provision banning U.S. imports of fish caught by slaves in Southeast Asia, gold mined by children in Africa and garments sewn by abused women in Bangladesh,…

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) shared a case-study in Borneo, Malaysia which determined that shifting cultivation, Swidden agriculture, or "slash and burn" is not destructive, but can actually contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem services if managed well. This raises questions as to why government policies in Southeast Asia continue to target shifting cultivation as a main source of land degradation.

“Slash and burn” works, given time and space If managed well, swidden farming in Borneo can provide vital ecosystem services and protect biodiversity, study says

Over two weeks ago, Yavanna Puts and other NDEG members went to the Seafood Summit held in Malta. Key issues were seafood's sustainability, forced labor practices, traceability, and a growth in seafood diets worldwide. Read more about this conference in our latest blog.

Seafood Summit in Malta – New Directions in Environmental Governance In the past week some of our NDEG members travelled all the way to the beautiful island state of Malta, known for its azure waters, historical legacy and seafood.…

A recent article by The Economist sheds light on the uncertain future of the Mekong River due to the proliferation of dams. With a particular ideology that favors economic liberalism underpinning The Economist, an alternative development plan is not discussed. Development is implicitly framed as inevitable, and so is remembering what the Mekong River used to be.

Requiem for a river The Mekong: can one of the world’s great waterways survive its development

It's easy to blame multinational corporations for the loss of rainforest in Indonesia, but according to Nathanael Johnson, the real reason could be its transition toward a democratic capitalist system.

Why are we still losing so much rainforest in Indonesia? A hypothesis Who's to blame for last year's devastating fires in Indonesia -- big corporations? Small farmers? Or an endangered feudal system?

The US-based grocery store, Hy-Vee, announced that all of its fresh and private label frozen seafood now comes responsible sources rated Yellow or Green by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Consumers can now look for Hy-Vee's "Responsible Choice" label in stores.

Hy-Vee Hy-Vee Achieves Sustainable Seafood Goal; 100 Percent of Grocery Store’s Fresh and Private Label Frozen Seafood Now Comes from Responsible Sources.

According to Asian Development Bank - ADB, deforestation and land use contributes to SE Asia's quick rise in CO2 emissions from 1990-2010. Who will be targeted for deforestation? Who will be required to alter their land usage? These are necessary questions to ask.

INFOGRAPHIC: From 1990 to 2010, carbon dioxide emissions in Southeast Asia have grown more rapidly than in any other region in the world, making larger economic losses from climate change more likely.

Researchers from Global Forest Watch and Transparent World recently mapped tree plantations in Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Indonesia, Liberia, Malaysia and Peru. They found that in these countries, more than 90 percent of tree cover loss is occurring within natural forests. Forests are central to biodiversity, climate and water management over plantations.

Forest Loss Pushes Far Beyond Plantation Boundaries in South America, Africa By Rachael Petersen, Liz Goldman, Mikaela Weisse and Dmitry Aksenov Orangutans at Camp Leakey, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.