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 km 2
• 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

Asia and the Pacific