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Finding Harmony Between Humans and Elephants
….How one non-profit organisation is encouraging alternative crops to reduce human–elephant conflict in Thailand.
Text Sarah Eichstadt
When elephants enter her farm, Roengrom “Rom” Amsamarng runs...
Travel and Adventure
Science
The Lungs of the Earth
The oceans are crucial to regulating climate and act as “the lungs of the Earth”, with algae and cyanobacteria in seawater providing up to 80 percent of the atmospheric oxygen which we rely on to breathe. The oceans also house over 230,000 marine species, with estimates that there are between one and 10 million species still undiscovered. Alongside their own intrinsic value, many of these marine species provide important goods and services. Collectively, ocean-related services and business are estimated to contribute over USD500 billion to the world’s economy.
Culture
Ghost Nets of the Ocean
Huge fishing vessels pipe through the Torres Strait every day, casting their nets and reeling in the bounty. But yet more net drifts along the coast, forgotten but for the animals that become ensnared in it, and the islanders whose paradise wanes with the ocean's suffering. Rising to the call, these ambassadors have woven their message of conservation into stunning works of art.
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The Way of the Gods
Shinto is ‘the way of the gods’ and, just as it is for many mortals, sumo wrestling is a favourite pasttime. For nearly 2,000 years, sumo wrestlers have performed their martial art, first in intimate shrines, and then in stadiums before thousands of spectators. At least as early as the 3rd century AD, the wrestlers would perform complex rituals to purify both their body and their spirit, and then fight for the entertainment of the gods during the matsuri (religious festivals). It was a sacred act of ritual, not a sport.
Soft and Savage
Owls - the fluffy but fierce residents of Malaysia's forests - are victims of the illegal wildlife trade.
Text: Rachel Genevieve Chia
Malaysia-based Mauritian photographer Shamma Esoof speaks to Asian Geographic about her photo series on on the nocturnal bird, which seeks to raise awareness against buying owls as pets. For her images, Shamma...
Flowing Through Our Hearts: The International Day of Action for Rivers
According to International Rivers, the International Day of Action for Rivers is a day dedicated to solidarity – when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that our rivers matter.
Great poets all over the world have written about rivers, and why not? On their...
Above Sea Level
Long before the sun peeks over the horizon, artisanal fishermen across Malaysia’s Johor Strait gather at their respective jetties and beaches. These days, fish are harder to find and their coastal lands are slowly disappearing into the sea. The future is bleak for the indigenous fisherman.
Current Affairs
Observing The New Uzbekistan
Central Asia's most populous nation Uzbekistan was voted for their leader. Around 20 million Uzbeks are eligible for an election on 9 July at...
Palm Progress
Can palm oil plantations and endangered rainforests really coexist? One conservationist says yes.
Text and images credit: Nathan Sen
The island of Borneo, divided among Malaysia,...
Above the Water: Sea Science
Text by Benjamin P.Horton
340 MILLION people are at risk of flooding from sea-level rise by 2050.
We know that rising sea levels affect every coastal...
The Gold Trap: How COVID-19 is pushing Filipino children into hazardous work
By Marielle Lucenio
The Philippines had been making slow progress in its long fight against child labour, but the pandemic reversed the gains that had...
A culture of silence blunts the impact of a new Vietnamese law against sexual...
By Trang Vu
Vietnam’s new labor law requires employers to put in place mechanisms to prevent and penalize sexual harassment in the workplace. But Vietnamese...
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The Road to Independence: Burma (1945 – 1962)
From the 1962 Democracy Protests, through the 1974 U Thant Crisis, the 1988 Uprising, and the 2007 Saffron Revolution, to the 2021 Spring Revolution, Myanmar has fought against the whims of its military leaders and suffered at the hands of the army. To make sense of the tumultuous events of the past six decades, we must understand the complex politics and power struggles that have dominated this country once known as Burma.