“This concept should not be adopted. The ones who would benefit are big traders not small ones, and certainly not endangered wildlife,” shot Surapol Duangkhae, former secretary general of Wildlife Fund Thailand.
Last week Traffic, a wildlife trade monitor, and World Wildlife Fund International issued a report called “Trading Nature: the contribution of wildlife trade management to sustainable livelihoods and the Millennium development goals”.
It said a managed trade on wildlife and wildlife products can offer opportunities to poor people and communities.
The report recommended governments explore “semi-intensive production methods”, experiment with management regimes, develop “pro-poor” approaches to standards and certification schemes, and consider co-ordinated approaches to different components of wildlife trade. Read the rest of this entry »
The web developer has designed the virtual map from thousands of panoramic street-level photographs, allowing anyone with a ‘Net connection to travel the streets of the resort. You can adjust the angle, turning left and right and moving back and forwards. The virtual map will help first-time visitors learn their way around Pattaya as well as giving them the chance to check out hotels, bars and shopping destinations.Boutique Thai hotels join WorldHotels Indigo Pearl Phuket and Villa Lawana in Koh Samui are the latest members of WorldHotels, the Europe-based group specialising in boutique hotels. Indigo Pearl celebrates Phuket’s tin mining heritage with a subtle theme that runs through the finest details, from the names of the restaurants and bars to the staff uniforms. Villa Lawana, on Koh Samui’s Chaweng beach, has a stylish contemporary design with a Sino-Thai accent, recalling the history and culture of the region. Read the rest of this entry »