logging – Tom Vater

A forest saved? – Cambodia’s Phnom Tamao Protected Forest escapes logging but faces an uncertain future, in Eco-Business

August 31, 2022August 31, 2022tom

A protected nature reserve was spared complete destruction when Cambodia’s prime minister stepped in after a public outcry. Replanting has begun to restore the forest – but with saplings that could be for a timber plantation. On 1 August, 2022, excavators began tearing down parts of the Phnom Tamao Protected Forest, an area of 2,300 hectares […]

Singapore startup seeks to preserve Papua New Guinea biodiversity – in Nikkei Asia

March 6, 2021June 13, 2021tomLeave a Comment

My latest story in Nikkei Asia is about Ecoshare, a company that uses a lease scheme to support local people and promote conservation in the face of rampant logging and destruction of biodiversity in one of the planet’s last great natural repositories. A Singapore-based startup is working with people in Papua New Guinea to help […]

Going ‘wild’ in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains in The Nikkei Asian Review

November 3, 2019November 14, 2019tomLeave a Comment

“Camera traps have been smashed and stolen. We have caught hunting dogs. A logging gang started to build a road through the national park so our team watched them for three days, then stormed the camp and arrested 20 people. The following day, everyone was freed, but at least the road was not built.” Laure […]