enforcement

Environmental protection efforts will be expanded to the skies following the decision to launch the Aerial Jungle Monitoring Programme early next year, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said.

The Cabinet had agreed during its meeting last week to provide RM2mil to fund the programme, which is aimed at improving enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, said Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.

The aerial patrols would keep tabs on development projects that are carried out in the jungle.

The maximum compound for those flouting the Environment Protection Environment Enactment 2002 has been increased.

The State Assembly passed the Environment Protection (Amendment) Enactment 2012 on Wednesday that, among others, upped compounds by up to 50 per cent from the present maximum compounds for offences stated in the enactment.

Tabling the Bill, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the compound for example those found starting works without the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report had been raised to RM50,000 from RM20,000 presently.

The government may fine the Philippine's biggest miner Philex Mining Corp at least 1 billion pesos ($24 million) for leaks out of its now shut Padcal gold and copper mine, the environment minister said on Tuesday.

Water and sediment from the mine are flowing to a river supplying water to a major power plant on the main Luzon island and the company, the country's top gold and copper miner, is struggling to contain the leaks which began last month, said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje.

 As part of the preparatory process for the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (dubbed Rio+20) to be held in Rio de Janeiro in mid-2012, over 600 organizations have made submissions for inclusion in the "compilation document" which will be used to draft the final "outcome document".  The second intersessional being held in New York, during December 2011, will review the compilation document and agree on the outline of the draft outcome document.

 According to the UN, more than 20 provinces in Thailand&n

 Over the past month or so I have attended a number of meetings or conferences where the forthcoming World Conference on Sustainable Development (dubbed Rio+20) in June 2012 has been a high priority item on the agenda.  To some, it is an opportunity to reflect on the various successes and failures since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972 (hence Stockholm+40)—and yes there are still some people actively engaged who remember this event.  To others, it

During the 9th International Conference of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) held in Whistler, British Columbia on June 20-24, 2011, AECEN members from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam as well as the AECEN Secretariat shared best practices and outcomes of twinning partnerships.