REGIONAL SLIDES

Asia and the Pacific

• Ok Tedi Mine, Papua New Guinea
• Weipa Bauxite, Australia
• Huang He Delta, China
• Isahaya Bay, Japan
• Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• Thon Buri, Thailand
• Dead Sea, Jordan
• Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
• Lake Balkhash, Kazakhstan
• Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Turkmenistan
• Three Gorges Dam, China
 Asia and the Pacific

• Lake Hamoun, Iran

• Mesopotamia, Iraq
• DMZ, Korea
• Oudomxay, Laos
• Papua, Indonesia
• Sundarban, India/Bangladesh
• Shatt al-Arab, Iraq/Iran
• Al Isawiyah, Saudi Arabia
• Wyperfeld National Park, Australia
• Paektu San, North Korea
 Asia and the Pacific
• Asia is home to 60% of the world’s population, with only 36% of
the world’s freshwater resources; majority of the global population
without access to improved sanitation lives in this region

• Asia has reversed the rate of forest loss from loss of 1.3 million
hectares per year in the 1990s, to a net gain of more than 600 000
hectares per year between 2000 and 2005, yet the region has the
lowest amount per capita (0.2 hectares) of forest in the world

• Agriculture is the mainstay of Asian economies; it

constitutes a high portion of land usage in warm and humid
areas of Asia; majority of Asia's poor people depend directly
or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods
UNESCO 2005; FAO 2005; CGIAR 2005
Environmental Impact of Copper Mine
Ok Tedi Mine, Papua New Guinea

These images show

environmental impact of
the mine

• 1990: Both the mine and

township of Tabubil, are
clearly visible

• 2004: Raised river

beds, forest damage and
decline in biodiversity are
some impacts
 Lowering of landscape in
Weipa bauxite mine, Australia

These images show

environmental impact of
the mine

• 1973: Under current

mining practices,
vegetation is cleared and
the topsoil is removed

• 2002: Image show larger

extent of cleared area
 Dramatic changes in
Huang He Delta, China

The delta changed

dramatically between 1979
and 2000

• 1979: Huang He’s yellow

color is the result of huge
load of sediments

• 2000: The image clearly

shows the change in Delta
Changes in Huang He Delta, China

• From 1989 to 1995 the

Yellow River delta grew in
area

• From 1995 to 2000 the

Yellow River delta shrank
in area
Land reclamation changes along
Isahaya Bay, Japan

• 1993: Turning tidal lands

into farmlands

• 2001: The straight line of

sea wall is visible

• 2003: The area has

been fully reclaimed from
the sea
Flooding in the Mekong River:
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

These images show the

extent of flooding and
extensive ditches and
canals used for irrigation

• 2000: Taken during the

period of flooding

• 2001: Taken after the

flood waters had receded
Replacement of mangroves by aquaculture
in Thon Buri, Thailand

• 1973-1978: Area is
engulfed in a conflict
between needs of
people versus the
welfare of the coastal
areas

• 2002: Shows
extensive aquaculture
ponds (blue patches
inland)
Dramatic changes in the Dead sea,
Jordan over 30 years

• 1973: The Sea

level is dropping at
the rate of 1m/year

• 2002: Notice the

expansion of salt works,
and near-complete
closing off of the
southern part by dry
land
Death of the world’s fourth largest inland
sea: Aral Sea, Kazakhstan

• 1973: The surface of

the sea once measured
66 100 km2

• 1987: 60% of the

volume had been lost

• 1999-2004: The sea is

now quarter of the size it
was 50 years ago
 Alarming drop in
Lake Balkhash’s water level, Kazakhstan

Images show
alarming drop in
lake’s water levels

• 1975-1979:
Excessive use and
waste of lake water
are causes of the
drop

• 2001: Smaller
neighbouring lakes
appear to be
drying up
Changes in Kara-Bogaz-Gol – a lagoon of
the Caspian sea, Turkmenistan

Caspian Sea is the

largest inland body of
water in the world

• 1988: KBG is the

large shallow lagoon of
the Caspian sea

• 2000: Caspian Sea

levels are higher than
1978 levels and water
flows freely into salty
waters of KBG
Changes due to construction of Three
Gorges Dam, China

• 1987: Nature of the river

and surrounding landscape
before the dam

• 2004: The enormous dam

is clearly visible
Changes in water levels on
Lake Hamoun, Iran

• 1976: The amount of

water in the lake is
relatively high

• 1999-2001: The lake

dried up and disappeared
 Demise of an Ecosystem –
Mesopotamia Marshlands, Iraq

• 1973-2000: Most of
the wetlands
disappeared

Upstream damming as well

as drainage activities in the
marshlands themselves
have significantly reduced
the quantity of water
entering the marshes
Revival of Mesopotamia Marshlands, Iraq

• 2000: Water returns

to the Mesopotamian
Marshlands

• 2004: Greening of
some of the
Marshlands in recent
years
Forest burning in Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
Korea

Images
reveal
significant
burn scars
in the DMZ
Deforestation in Ouxomxay, Laos

• 1975: Image
shows continuous
forest cover

• 2000: Forest cover

dotted with cleared
patches
Changes in world’s second largest palm oil
producing area: Papua, Indonesia

• 1990: a new human

presence, earth colored
roads provide access to
the forest

• 2000: rectilinear patterns

cover 10,000 ha

• 2002: Cleared area

nearly doubles since 2000
Sundarban: Changes in largest mangrove
forest of the world, India/Bangladesh

Forest degradation has

been occurring in many
parts of Sundarbans

Shrimp farming is
a major threat to
mangrove forests
Changes in the largest date palm forest
in the world: Shatt al-Arab, Iraq/Iran

• 1975-2002: Shows
destruction of the
largest date palm
forest in the world,
bordering Iraq and
Iran

• By 2002, more
than 80 per cent of
palms were wiped
out due to war, salt
and pests
Greening of a desert – Al’ Isawiyah
Saudi Arabia
Greening of a desert

• 1986 -A desert
landscape

• 1991 -Irrigation
begins…

• 2000 -And transforms

the desert

• 2004 –Irrigation
intensity increases
Changes in the native scrubland:
Wyperfeld National Park, Australia

• 1973: Vegetation in the

Wyperfeld National Park
is mostly rich green in
the image

• 2000: The dark green

areas are now mottled
with light patches, areas
where the ground is bare
after a burn

• 2004: Significant
additional burned areas
Agriculture expansion around Paektu San
North Korea

• 1977: Shows result of

intensive land
development on the
North Korean side of
the border

• 1999: Shows
expanding agricultural
activities on and around
Paektu San, especially
after the construction of
the dam