Environmental policy demands new technologies and significant resources. How Russia is helping its Asian partners in this challenging work.
Legacy of war: protecting people and lands
Traces of Agent Orange, a toxin and essentially a chemical weapon which was sprayed from planes by the Americans during the Vietnam War, are still abundant in Vietnam and can even be found in neighboring countries. The most toxic decay product of this chemical are dioxins, which have poisoned soil and water areas for many decades. In Vietnam alone, several generations, totaling some millions of people, continue to suffer from severe health problems due to exposure to these toxins. There have been repeated attempts to hold the Americans accountable, not only by the Vietnamese, but also by many US citizens, including ex-servicemen who had been exposed to these toxic chemicals during their time of fighting in Vietnam.
The Soviet Union started to help Vietnam in solving the problem of environmental pollution back in the 1980s. The joint Russian-Vietnamese Scientific and Technological Tropical Center, originally established in 1987 on the basis of an agreement between the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s State Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, has been functioning for more than 36 years. This organization not only implements ecosystem research, environmental management and biodiversity conservation programs in Vietnam, but is also involved in the detection, monitoring, analysis, evaluation and neutralization of dioxin-containing defoliants. The center conducts unique research in biology, medicine, and materials science and remains one of the symbols of the friendship between Russia and Vietnam.
Russia and Vietnam have also established ties between the two countries’ scientific communities and there are regular contacts and exchanges of views between their environmental protection agencies
Mine clearance as a humanitarian action
If Vietnam has suffered more from chemical contamination than any other country in South East Asia, its neighbor Laos is known for the huge amount of unexploded ordnance left on its territory after the Vietnam War. In 2017, Russia, together with Laos, chaired a working group on mine clearance at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus. For Laos, the problem of clearing surviving US artillery shells, cluster bombs and anti-personnel mines is central to security issues.
In 2018, Russia launched bilateral interaction with Laos and started its own work on mine removal in the country. A work front for sappers from the Russian Armed Forces’ International Mine Action Center was defined in three provinces: Bolikhamxay, Sengkuang and Khammouane. The Russian servicemen took charge of searching for, locating and assessing the condition of the munitions, while the Armed Forces of Laos took charge of detonating them on site or at firing ranges. Even at the height of the pandemic, the collaboration did not pause for long. For example, from December 2020 to March 2021 alone, more than 1,000 explosive objects were found and neutralized in a relatively small area of some 3 hectares. In the vicinity of the Plain of Jars, a UNESCO World Heritage site near the city of Phonsavan, the Russian military removed more than 450 US cluster bombs and artillery shells.
In total, since the beginning of the operation more than 160 hectares of Laotian territory have been cleared.
Despite the hot climate, the high concentration of munitions and munition components, the dense tropical vegetation and the large number of insects and snakes, the tasks are being accomplished and the cleared land, after assessment by the Laotian National Committee for the Control of Unexploded Ordnance, can be put back into use, including for safe agriculture—something that is very much needed by people in Laos—and for the construction of social facilities. In parallel with the mine clearance operations, the training of Laos counterparts is underway. Over the course of six Russian humanitarian missions, 120 Laotian deminers have been trained and prepared, and have joined the field. A branch of the Russian Armed Forces’ International Mine Action Centers has been opened in the country. Russia is also transferring to Laos the necessary engineering equipment, search equipment, and protective outfits for sappers.
Biodiversity as a priority
Another area of Russia’s cooperation countries in South-East Asia is the preservation of biodiversity and protection of endangered animal species. In connection with this work, Russia’s hosting of the so-called Tiger Forum—the II International Forum on Tiger Conservation—held in 2022 should be noted. Representatives of a number of Southeast Asian countries—Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia—participated in the Forum. The participants from these countries, which make up part of this rare predator’s natural habitat, reported on their experience in Tiger conservation protection over the past 12 years, and exchanged ideas and plans for the future. Unfortunately, not all have been successful, due to the spread of poaching. For example, tigers have been completely exterminated in Laos and Cambodia. There are only about 30 animals left in Vietnam, about 140 in Thailand, and only 36 in Myanmar.
The Forum not only helped to draw the attention of the international community to the problem of tiger conservation, but also familiarized representatives of other countries with Russia’s experience in protecting this animal and its habitat. Russia has managed to protect tigers from extinction and in recent years has achieved an increase in their numbers. As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in his welcoming address to the Forum participants, domestic tiger protection programs have been implemented in accordance with his instructions, and as a result the number of tigers in the Russian Far East has increased from no more than 390 animals 12 years ago to about 750 today. Russia’s experience can be used by its partners in their environmental policies. The Forum participants also adopted Vladivostok Declaration on Tiger Conservation which reflected their commitments to improve national programs for the protection of this endangered species.
Environmental Education—among the projects of the ASEAN-Russian Federation Dialogue Partnership Fund
Russia and the Southeast Asian countries work together under the multilateral Russia-ASEAN Dialogue Partnership. And at this level, too, there is a focus on environmental issues. A significant environmental education project is being implemented through the Russia-ASEAN Dialogue Partnership Fund. The educational program developed by the Fund will be used both for students majoring in biological and agricultural sciences at universities in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and other ASEAN countries, and for professionals who wish to expand their knowledge. As part of Russia’s contribution, teachers from the Faculty of Soil Science at Lomonosov Moscow State University played a leading role in preparing the course.
Both Russia and the ASEAN countries have expressed interest in developing dialog partnerships in such areas as environmentally friendly technologies for the extraction of coal, oil and gas, the development of infrastructure for the widespread use of natural gas as a more environmentally friendly fuel, the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies, the protection of coastal and marine environments, and adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its consequences.
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The prospects for cooperation between Russia and the countries of Southeast Asia on environmental activities are very broad. Russia is ready to offer its partners experience in the conservation of endangered animal and plant species, modern technologies for soil remediation, the processing of solid municipal, construction, medical, industrial and agricultural waste, the use of recycled materials, air purification, and large-scale organic farming.
Among the most recent plans and endeavors we can mention the negotiations between the Russian Environmental Operator and Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam on joint projects in the sphere of waste recycling and obtaining raw materials for use in construction and landscaping. Researchers from Tomsk State University have launched a project with specialists from Indonesia on safe technology for the recycling of palm oil waste.
One key characteristic of all such joint initiatives is great high social significance. The projects have a pronounced humanitarian character, as they will contribute not only to the diversification of international relations, but also to the solution of specific environmental problems that have an impact on people’s daily lives. Interaction in this area needs to be expanded further. There is great public demand for this, and the sharing of experiences and effective practices needs to become more widespread, so that together the countries involved can respond to the challenges of the times.
Ksenia Muratshina, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
