ASIAN Geographic

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an urgent

Shark fishing has been banned in Myanmar for more than two decades, but there is very little enforcement, while there are no regulations in place to manage ray fishing. Sharks and rays, often endangered, are also commonly taken as bycatch. Many of th

When a nominally civilian government was installed in Myanmar in 2011, and the ensuing years saw the country gradually opening up, there was cause for optimism. The Southeast Asian nation was hailed as the “last frontier” by foreign business leaders

We are told that the furthest reaches from civilisation are untouched and pristine. That days are spent under blue skies and swaying palm trees. That gentle waves lap the shore hypnotically. That birds sing to the rising sun and owls whoop to the ris

The very first Hope Spot with no connection to the ocean, the reserve is also the first in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on Earth and a precious, yet fragile place for approximately 400 endemic species. More than 2,000 kilometres

When elephants enter her farm, Roengrom “Rom” Amsamarng runs away and spreads the news of elephant presence to neighbouring farms. To Rom, a Thai farmer, elephants threaten her safety and economic livelihood. In the village of Ruam Thai, where Rom li

The photo competition for United Nations World Oceans Day celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023. Over the last decade, through categories such as “Clean Our Ocean”, “Human Interaction: Making a Difference” and “No Time to Waste”, photographers have

A little further south of Prachuap Khiri Khan, off the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand in the Chumphon Archipelago, is Koh Tao, a 21-square-kilometre island known for worldclass scuba diving and snorkelling, picture-perfect white sandy beaches,

Trapped in the North Pacific Ocean midway between the USA and Japan is one of the most extreme examples of marine pollution on Earth. A 2018 scientific report in the journal Nature estimated its size at 1.6 million square kilometres, about twice as b

Standing a metre tall, with a wingspan of well over two metres, the Philippine eagle – the iconic apex predator that serves as the archipelagic country’s national bird – is the largest eagle on the planet in terms of length and wing surface area. Whi

Southeast Asia – which includes the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Timor-Leste – is an important regi

It was the movie aggrieved crew members nicknamed “Flaws”, such were the difficulties with the shoot, from bad weather and seasickness to waterlogged cameras. Famously, its producers initially thought the film’s star – a great white shark – could be

The Philippine eagle has brown and white-coloured plumage; a shaggy crest; A LARGE, PROMINENT, HIGH-ARCHED, BLUISH-GREY BEAK; AND BLUE-GREY EYES. It weighs between 4–8KG and has an AVERAGE LENGTH OF 95CM for males and 105CM FOR FEMALES, making it the

(Glaucostegus granulatus) Found in the waters of Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia, these rays inhabit reefs and estuaries, as well as open seas (Squatina legnota) A rare shark known from just a few specimens in southern Indon

What we do know is that while they are predominantly solitary creatures, they will gather in key locations at certain times of the year. They seem to do this primarily to feed on locally occurring phenomena, such as the “Afuera” spawning of little tu

When Kristine Tompkins and her late husband Douglas Tompkins left successful careers in international business for the extraordinary wilderness of southern Chile, they began a trailblazing conservation journey that has protected nearly six million he

The Galápagos Whale Shark Project is a collaborative project focusing on whale sharks in the Galápagos archipelago. The project was founded by scientist, explorer, and photographer Jonathan Green and Dr Alex Hearn, a researcher and biology professor