When life gives you bats, collect guano.

POST-EVENT repo rt

Farmers in the backwaters of Cambodia have lived by this rule for as long as they can remember. Take Hoerm Oerun in the bucolic southeast, for example. Every day, the grandmother of four squats in her orchard in Kandal province between a pagoda and patchwork of paddies that gives capital Phnom Penh its daily rice.

Oerun’s trees bear no fruit. They have been barren for more than three decades. Instead, she sweeps at bat droppings: pungent nutbrown pellets that collect in murky rings below her trees and act as a valuable natural fertiliser. “Most people here are farmers,” Oerun says, “and most of them use the guano.” With a wink, she pats the swollen sack at her feet.

Oerun has forged a lucrative and symbiotic relationship with the diminutive creatures whose guano feeds her family, not to mention local crops. Bat farmers like her can make USD22 a month in guano sales per roost – and with some harvesting from over 20 roosts, this can add up to over USD5,000 a year. With more than 30 trees to her name, Oerun can collect 12 kilograms of the precious waste per day. The substance has even been dubbed “black gold” by conservation biologist Neil Furey, who specialises in researching Southeast Asian bats.

Cambodia is home to hundreds of bat farms, according to Furey, who calculates that 1,000 farm bats eat between nine and 26 kilograms of insects per night – including many plant pests – which equates to almost 9,500 kilograms of insects per year, reducing the need for pesticide sprays. A University of Michigan study detected almost a third less mosquito eggs where bats were present, meaning their insect diet could effectively reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever.

“The overall economic value of bats’ voracious insect appetites extends far beyond simple guano fertiliser sales,” says Merlin Tuttle, founder of Bat Conservation International, an organisation working to protect the world’s bats.

In 2013, over half of all bat farmers surveyed by a Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) researcher reported that guano sales are their main source of income. “I started with my husband, one or two years after the Khmer Rouge revolution ended,” Oerun recalls, referring to the infamous genocide that ended in 1979. “We used to grow rice, but now we only sell guano. When I used chemicals on our rice, the soil was dry, but when I apply guano,

landscape director of the Cambodian office of environmental organisation Conservation International. This encroachment, into one of the last unfragmented rainforests in Southeast Asia, threatens its abundant biodiversity, including clouded leopards, Asiatic black bears, Asian elephants and the critically endangered Siamese crocodile.

As a result, together with regional bat researcher Furey, Conservation International plans to introduce the Khmer Daeum to bat farming and the use of guano to improve soil fertility and reduce overall deforestation.

But why stop at Cambodia? Tuttle reasons that bat farms could work throughout the region, as the practice offers potential for promoting bat conservation and improving locals’ livelihoods. Asia’s “black gold rush” might only be just beginning. ag

The annual ASEAN Tourism Forum, this year themed “ASEAN – Sustainable Connectivity, Boundless Prosperity”, took place last month at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre. The forum organises high-level government and private sector business meetings between heavyweights across the ASEAN nations, including the ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting. It is reported to generate millions of dollars in transactions, as ASEAN becomes the fastestgrowing tourism region in the world. Member nations take turns to host the ATF, with Thailand this year showcasing the “Rose of the North”, Chiang Mai.

Apart from government representatives, travel industry buyers can also attend the forum, but they must first meet rigorous criteria, such as many years of experience, a good track record and a close working relationship with travel suppliers. In 2017, most Two years after King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, passed away, Thailand has been commemorating the king’s efforts to improve the lives of citizens through his Royal Projects. Most notable are those in irrigation and seasonal flood management, as numerous Thai cities are situated on low-lying plains near rivers, and therefore flood-prone.

Initiated in 2003 and completed two years later, the Khlong Lat Pho Floodgate Project, the king’s final endeavour, aimed to reduce flooding in Bangkok. With help from the Navy and Royal Irrigation Department, engineers widened and deepened the Lat Pho Canal, allowing the water to drain from the Chao Phraya River into the Thai gulf 30 times faster. The project wasn’t easy for the engineers, who had to work around the tide’s effect on the canal, causing the water level to rise significantly twice a day.

With water now passing through 600 metres of canal rather than 18 kilometres of

Chiang Mai Hosts ASEAN Tourism Forum 2018 Remembering a Good King’s Canal

SOUTH KOREA

In 2011, the South Korean county of Pyeongchang finally won its bid for the Winter Olympics after two failed attempts to host the last two events in 2010 and 2014, where it lost to Canada and Russia respectively.

This will be the country’s first time hosting the Winter Games, and some 30 years since it last hosted the Olympics – in the 1988 Seoul Summer Games.

The counties of Pyeongchang and Jeongseon, as well as the coastal city of Gangneung, will play host to more than 100 medal events – a historic record – across 13 venues. The country has reportedly spent over USD10 billion preparing for the Games, which take place from February 9 to 25. Investment in the Games includes a trial 5G mobile platform, translation robots, and a virtual-reality theatre (for those unwilling to brave the cold), not to mention the mascots, a cute white tiger called Soohorang and an adorable Asiatic black bear named Bandabi.

Russia is banned from competing this year after their systemic use of performanceenhancing drugs was exposed, but Russian athletes with no previous drug violations are allowed to participate under the Olympic flag.

2018 is the first time Nigeria is participating in the Winter Games – with the first African women athletes – and also the first time that North Korea is participating, after years of nuclear tensions with its southern neighbour. above The mascots Soohorang and Bandabi at an official event

left

The mountainous city of Pyeongchang, host to the the 2018 Winter Olympics

above right A coral reef in Indonesia

South Korea to Host 2018 Winter Olympics for First Time

Six months ago, we were neck deep in the ASIAN Geographic Hot Soup Challenge 2017, pitting our knowledge of Asia against other secondary school contestants for a shot at being crowned champion. Late October saw us triumphantly bundled up for a flight to Bangkok as part of the victor’s winnings: a specially organised educational adventure into the Land of a Thousand Smiles.

At the airport, we were received by TAT Singapore Office representative Nicholas and our guide, Ms Khun Cha. They swept us into a coach and straight to the doorstep of the Sampran Riverside Hotel, where staff waited with welcomingly chilled honey-lime drinks.

After a lunch of sumptuous Thai delights, we traipsed next door to the Thai Cultural Centre to sculpt clay elephants and watch a traditional Thai wedding reenacted, complete with instrumental accompaniment and an intricate dance with bamboo poles. The skill and dexterity on display were stunning. Yet secretly, we worried for the performers, who were in death’s jaws if anything went wrong!

After the performance, we paddled a canoe down the river to Sookjai Farm, which produces 25 percent of the ingredients used in the hotel’s meals. For this initiative, Sampran Riverside was awarded the International Federation of Agricultural Movements certification for providing pesticide-free food for visitors and boosting farmers’ incomes.

Strolling through the vegetable beds, paddy fields and crop rows, our guides pointed out galangal ginger, lemongrass, and other medicinal plants. For a snack, we got to sample the produce grown straight beneath our feet via a selection of fruit desserts and herbal teas.

The following morning found us photographing the picturesque floating market of Damnoen Saduak, where we browsed the boats filled with local produce and handicrafts.

“This visit was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed the various activities, including bamboo dancing, clay crafting, Muay Thai, and feeding elephants. The two floating markets we visited were truly charming – colourful scenes and yummy, authentic food. The visit to the historic sites like the Summer Palace and Ayutthaya also left me with a deeper appreciation of Thai history and the important role of religion in the people’s lives. Our hotels were luxurious and each meal was carefully selected by our highly knowledgeable and delightful guide. My sincere thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand for their generous sponsorship and the care they put into this trip to ensure we had an authentic, fascinating, and unforgettable experience.” “Starting from the wonderful service of Thai Airways to the beautiful ruins of the ancient city of Ayutthaya, our trip to Bangkok has been nothing but adventurous, enlightening and an intellectual feast for a history teacher. Despite many trips to Bangkok with friends, this time I was able to experience a different side of the city. This would not have been possible without our knowledgeable and experienced guide, Ms Cha, and the thoughtful way the trip was planned for us. Although it has been a long time since then, this visit to Bangkok has rekindled my interest in reading up on Thailand’s history. The four days passed by very quickly, and no doubt with my new knowledge of Thailand, I am sure to be back soon!”