Bangladesh Wildlife authorities are declaring three areas in the Sundarbans mangrove forest as dolphin sanctuaries to protect an endangered species of freshwater dolphins from extinction.

The forestry department took the decision after studies found three areas in the UNESCO-listed Sundarbans mangrove forest, which straddles Bangladesh and India, were home to large populations of Irrawaddy and Ganges river dolphins.

“We have decided to declare river channels at Dhangmari, Chandpai and Dudhmukhi areas in the eastern Sundarbans as dolphin sanctuaries. This will help in promoting eco-tourism as well,” Tapan Kumar Dey, senior wildlife conservation official at the forest department, said.

The dolphins, known as Irrawaddy Dolphins or locally as Sushuk, live in the southern mangrove forest, the main habitat of the endangered mammal.

Began in 2002, around 6,000 river dolphins live in the area stretching from the Irrawaddy River to southern region of Bangladesh. There are only 100 Irrawaddy dolphins in the world living outside this area, near Southeast Asia’s Mekong delta.

According to conservationists, this intricate network of rivers- Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna is currently the only place in the world where both the Ganges River and Irrawaddy dolphins are found. Ganges river dolphins are found largely in the northern regions, and the Irrawaddy dolphins in the south.

The Bangladesh ministry of the environment will shortly issue official notification on the establishment of the sanctuaries and the waterways in these areas will be ‘clearly demarcated’ with signs to prevent local fishermen straying into the restricted areas. Although the animals are not targeted directly by fishermen, they often get entangled in fishing nets and die in dozens every year. They are also threatened by rising salinity and pollution.

What are Irrawaddy Dolphins?

Irrawaddy dolphins are found in the Indo-Pacific, from northeastern Australia in the south, north to the Philippines, and west to northeastern India.

The Irrawaddy dolphin is identified by a bulging forehead, a short beak, and 12-19 teeth on each side of each jaw. The pectoral fin is broadly triangular. There is a small dorsal fin, on the posterior end of the back.

When diving, this dolphin breathes at intervals of 70-150 seconds; the head appears first and then disappears, and then the back emerges, but the tail is rarely seen. Head and body length is 180-275 cm. Irrawaddy dolphins are slaty blue to slaty gray throughout, with the under parts slightly paler.

Irrawaddy Dolphins – Unexploited but vulnerable

Although the Irrawaddy dolphin is not directly exploited, it is exposed to incidental mortality in fisheries, the principal cause of depletion. Habitat degradation due to development of dams, deforestation and mining also continue to undermine the species to a lesser extent.

Conservation of this enigmatic mammal, which lives in both river and marine environments, will depend on devising and implementing sound solutions for replacing harmful fishing practices and halting or mitigating the impacts of habitat loss on Bangladesh ecology.

The unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh can be easily felt. Be it a small village on the rugged coastline or densely populated city like Dhaka, global warming has affected lives of all. Even an illiterate farmer who has never heard the word ‘global warming’ can taste the climate changes very well. For farmers like Jahangir unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh have drastically changed his life and this is the main cause of concern for him. Few years ago water from the village tasted very sweet but now the flavor is salty. This the sign of the brackish water from the Bay of Bengal is encroaching and surging up fresh river water of Bangladesh as well as percolating deep inside the soil and underground water supply on which these villagers depend for daily supply of their drinking water. The salt making its way to the paddy fields belonging to villagers like Jahangir is destroying their only source of income.

Bangladesh, with 140 million population and low lying coastal geography, is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world which is at maximum risk of climate change which is one of the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh. Climate change is attributed to this region for one main reason- the region comprises of 230 rivers which swells during the rainy season, combined with river water from the melting glaciers from the Himalaya in north and an encroaching Bay of Bengal in south which makes the region prone to severe flooding. The main unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh which can be seen are increasing sea level, temperature and evaporation, scarce of fresh drinking water, higher intensity of flooding and other such disaster.

Top Left- Rise in water level in the villages surrounding Sunderbans ; Top Right- Sunderbans Mangroves under water; Bottom Center- A map showing water percolating inside the villages.

Unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh is causing ecological imbalances

The situation has worsened in the last few years due to unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh, which have affected food output of Bangladesh and in turn the lives of poor farmers like Jahangir whose only source of income is harvesting rice. The rising soil salinity has affected the quality of rice grown in the affected rice paddies. The rice is of poor quality which does not sell much. To boost the declining income, farmers are now turning towards home based shrimp farming. Shrimp farming is in turn hampering the balance of the ecosystem which is adding to the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh.

The unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh is not only restricted to the paddy fields. It has adversely affected the lives of the flora and fauna of the gigantic Sundarbans thus affecting ecotourism to a large extend. Declining mangroves in the Sundarbans are mainly affecting lives of tigers. A projected sea-level rise of 11 inches (28 centimeters) above 2000 levels along coastal Bangladesh by 2070 may cause the remaining tiger habitat in the Sundarbans to decline by 96 percent.

Steps taken to fight against the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh

Many NGOs like BRAC and Yunus centre are working intensely to fight against the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh. These NGOs are not only educating and reforming the people of Bangladesh but also they are doing their best to save lives of people.

United Nations has also extended their hand to help Bangladesh fight against the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh. UN has provided $200,000 to Bangladesh for implementing strict measures to overcome the unconventional effect of global warming on Bangladesh.

Various works towards saving the environment have already started in many parts of Bangladesh. In certain areas, mangroves and some other flora species are being planted along the coastline that could help reduce the erosion and provide a protection against storms and cyclones. But the scale of such activities in progress is not enough when compared to the scale of the existing problem.

To sum up, unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh can lead to excessive rainfall, massive floods, great cyclones and arid droughts. Proper developmental measures and sustainable strategies to conserve the environment will definitely protect the earth and will particularly save low lying coastal nations like Bangladesh from the unconventional effects and catastrophe caused by global warming.

Bangladesh has geared up its environment conservation steps to save the world’s poorest countries from the adverse effects of global warming. Now it is turning towards green economy policies to save the degrading ecosystem.

What is green economy?

It can be explained as the economic development based on sustainable development which generates growth and improvement in human’s lives while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Green economy in Bangladesh promotes three bottom lines – sustaining economic, environment and social well-being.

Gramin Shakti

Gramin Shakti is a nonprofit organization pioneering solar systems for homes in Bangladesh. It is linked with micro credit lender Gramin Bank. Gramin Shakti provided small loan scheme to the villagers to buy solar home system. The Solar Home Systems (SHS) cost around $135 and villagers can pay back amount in installments. Gramin Shakti aims to reach the targets of million SHS by 2015. Thus Gramin Shakti is in the forefront of pushing green economy in Bangladesh.

Solar Home System boosting Green Economy

Green Economy in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh about 70% of the population does not have access to electricity. Bringing electricity to the rural poor is one of the most important contributions that a green economy can make to developing economies thus making way for Ecotourism in Bangladesh.

Recently World Bank has approved US $172 million credit to Bangladesh to support the ongoing installation of additional 630,000 Solar Home Systems in the rural area where grid electricity is not economically feasible or hard to reach.

Earlier in 2009 December, World bank has provided financing of $130 million through which more than 300,000 solar home based systems have been installed. The solar component is manufactured by Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (RERED) and it is implemented by the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a government- owned financial institution

“It’s the fastest expansion of solar energy anywhere in the world,” said Haq, who heads the state-run IDCOL, which provides financing for clean energy projects.

“We crossed the one million thresholds in more than 18 months ahead of schedule and we have set a new target to cross 2.5 million by 2014,” he said.

Some 60 percent of Bangladesh’s 150 million people have no access to mains electricity, with many relying on costly kerosene lamps for lighting, something which is sure to change with the application of green economy in Bangladesh.

Solar Home Systems has changed the face of remote and rural areas of Bangladesh by providing cheap, reliable electricity. It has helped in replacing kerosene – fired lanterns and reduced deforestation to a large extend. Another offshoot of the green economy is the local jobs and income opportunities which have been created. Going forward green economy ideas are going to be the way forward for Bangladesh ecology and economy.

Tea plantation in Bangladesh produces and exports a large quantity of high quality tea. Tea plantations are also the major eco tourism attractions bringing in a secondary revenue stream. Most of the 163 tea estates in Bangladesh are located in the North-eastern region. Sylhet, Srimangal Moulvibazar, Habigonj, Chittagong, Panchagarh are the main tea growing areas in Bangladesh.

Tea Plantation in Bangladesh – the Heart

The tea industry in Bangladesh annually produces about 55 -60 million kg of tea. It ranks 9th in the list of 30 tea producing countries of the world. Half of the tea produced is consumed at home and rest is exported to various countries likes USA, UK, Russia, Pakistan, Kuwait, Japan, Greece, India, France, Germany and many more. Bangladesh earns 2,000 million taka (Bangladesh Currency) every year from tea export, contributing about 0.8% of the total Bangladesh GDP. Bangladesh’s tea industry constitutes about 3.3 % of the country’s total employment by employing 0.15 million people directly in the tea industry and many more people are employed indirectly in other sectors related to tea.

Sylhet & Srimangal – the two major Tea plantation estates of Bangladesh 

Tea is the heart of Sylhet division. Situated in the north eastern part of Bangladesh, it produces over 40 million kg of tea annually from more than 150 tea estates spread over 40,000 hectares. Sylhet is known for its scenic beauty which is a prime attraction for the tourists. With annual rainfall of 5000mm, the climate in this area is mild and cool and is best suited for tea plantation. Known as “the land of two leaves and a bud”, its terraced tea gardens, eye-catching orange groves and pineapple plantations, tropical jungles and exotic flora and fauna attracts thousands of tourists, providing additional revenue as part of being the eco-tourism destination.

Srimangal is known as the tea capital of Bangladesh. Situated about 80 km from Sylhet, Srimangal is the actual center of tea plantation in Bangladesh. The Tea Research Institute is situated in Srimangal which is open to visitor all throughout the year. Lush green mountains covered with rich tea-plantations, tropical forests, waterfalls streaming down from the hills and lakes cutting through the greenery- all add to the attractions of this area.

Story of workers in Bangladesh’s Tea Plantations

The workers at the tea plantations are one of the most exploited workers with working hours ranging from morning till late night, the wagers received being only $0.47 a day. Such miserable pay severely affects the daily lives of the tea workers. If compared with wages of the Indian tea workers, the wages of Bangladeshi tea plantation workers is much lower. Nearly 300,000 workers are employed on the tea estates of which over 75% are women. Employers prefer to engage women for plucking tea leaves since they do a better job and are paid less than the men.

The tea worker communities are one of the most vulnerable people of Bangladesh. They deserve special attention of the State. But unfortunately they continue to remain socially excluded, low-paid, illiterate, deprived and disconnected. These conditions allow the profiteers from the tea industry to continue exploiting them. Deprived and exploited, the majority of the workers of tea plantation in Bangladesh live an inhuman life.

The negative of shrimp farming on Bangladesh Ecology is severe and a threat which needs to be checked. Shrimp farming has developed into a major industry in last few years and with that, serious concerns have been raised regarding its negative impact on the Bangladesh Ecology. Shrimp farming has been one of the major contributors to the GDP of Bangladesh since the 1980s. To meet the growing demand of shrimp all over the world, thousands of acres along the coastal region have been brought under shrimp farming. The easy availability of natural resources and the favorable environment of the coastal region have made it an optimum choice for shrimp farming.

Bangladesh’s ecological system has further deteriorated in the recent past years. Apart from using the mangrove swamps in the coastal regions, agricultural lands and cattle grazing fields has been also captured leaving a strong negative impact of these shrimp farm of Bangladesh’s Ecology. This has resulted in the significant drop of crop production in the region along with a shocking 21% decrease in the number of livestock. Haphazard and unplanned capturing of lands for shrimp cultivation has left a lasting negative impact on the Bangladesh ecology particularly in the districts like Cox’s Bazaar, Bagehot, Chittagong, Pirojpur, Khulan etc.

Commercial shrimp farming began in the early 1970s in the southern and south eastern coastal belt in Bangladesh when less than 20,000 hectare brackish water was under shrimp farming. In today’s scenario more than 200,000 hectares have already been brought under shrimp farming which is now disturbing the Bangladesh ecology to a threatening extent. The conversion of coastal wetlands to shrimp farms has decreased the natural breeding grounds for aquatic life. Being a profitable enterprise, Shrimp farming is soon rising to be the biggest threat to Bangladesh’s Ecology as more and more farmers are opting for Shrimp farms. In few districts of Bangladesh such as Bagehot and Pirojpur, farmers are converting their paddy fields in to shrimp farm ponds. All this has resulted in the increase of the salinity levels of the soil.

Negative impact of Shrimp Farming on Bangladesh Ecology is caused by the method used for shrimp farming

There are three methods of Shrimp Farming namely: extensive farming, semi- intensive farming and intensive farming.

• Extensive Farming Method

This is the traditional method of shrimp farming where shrimps are naturally seeded in the pond with the tidal inflow or pumping. This method of shrimp farming causes less pollution however, it has a negative effect on the ecological system. Although extensive farming does not use processed foods, harmful chemicals and antibiotic, it consumes large areas as farmlands and gives relatively smaller returns.

• Intensive and semi intensive methods give relatively large returns but it is also responsible for disturbing the Bangladesh ecology to a great extend as many chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides and processed foods are being used for shrimp farming.

Negative Impact of Shrimp Farming on Bangladesh Ecology – Destruction of Mangroves 

Mangroves are the backbone of Bangladesh and are considered a treasure. They also play a critical role in the Bangladesh ecology as well as in Eco-tourism. But now it is considered as one of the most threatened habitat in the world. More than half of the mangroves have been destroyed for shrimp farming and other purposes. Mangrove swamps are inhabited by migratory birds, turtles, dolphins etc. Loss of the mangroves has led to a drop in the fauna population as their dwelling places are lost. Apart from being the home to variety of wildlife species, mangroves also act as a buffer to large waves. Following the large scale destruction of mangrove swamps, the impact of cyclones on Bangladesh ecology has been devastating.

With abundant flora and fauna, Sundarban ecotourism has emerged as one of the most desired ecotourism destinations in Bangladesh. Sundarban is the world’s largest estuarine mangrove forest and the home to the majestic Bengal Tiger and the Sundari trees from which it derived it name- Sundarban. The rich variations of wildlife and maze of canals and small streams that make Sundarban ecotourism the most beautiful ecotourism spot of the world.

The Sundarban is spread over a vast area of 10,000 square km, of which 2/3rd area is in Bangladesh and rest is in India. It is the world’s biggest delta formed from the sediment deposited by the three great rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Megha.  It consists of three wildlife sanctuaries (Sundarban East, West and South) which help in promoting ecotourism in Bangladesh. Situated at the heart of two countries- West Bengal and Bangladesh, Sundarban is also the UNESCO’s World heritage since 1997. This very fact makes it prime property for Sundarban ecotourism.

Why Sundarban Ecotourism?

Spread over an area of 2585 sq km Sundarban is considered as the biggest tiger reserve in Asia. The Sundarban Royal Tigers are famous for its ferocious nature as there have many incidence of man eating in the history. It is assumed that the salty water that the tigers drink makes them aggressive. Yet the Royal Tiger attract a huge tourist flow each year to its home netting huge revenue through Sundarban Ecotourism for the government of Bangladesh.

1. The elephant are enjoying the beauty of Sundarban ecotourism. 2. Deer which is commonly seen in the Sundarban 3. The famous mangroves of Sundarban. 4. The Royal Bengal Tiger 5. The rarest bird species which is found only in Sundarban Ecotourism.

Another prime reason for the flourishing Sundarban ecotourism scenario is the ecological diversity of the Sundarban which supports a large variety of flora and fauna. It is home to many endangered and threatened species such as the Bengal Tiger and Fishing Cat. Within the forest habitat there are about 50 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, around 60 species of reptiles, about 8-10 species of amphibians apart from freshwater sharks and dolphins inhabiting the waters and about 400 species of fishes.

What to See?

Sundarban is also famous for its mangroves. It is the world largest mangrove ecosystem of the world. Sundarban got its name from one of the most commonly found trees known as Sundari. This vast mangrove ecosystem provides the safe habitat to all the animals in this forest. It also gives support as a habitat to a variety of reptiles, amphibians and birds. Some of the more commonly found trees include Passur, Garjan, Genwa, Dhundal, Goran, Kankra, etc.

The best time to for engaging in Sundarban ecotourism is to visit the Sundarban National Park from October to March. The best way to venture into Sundarban is to travel by boats. Small launches and dinghy are easily available that will take you deep into the water channels and creeks. Some of the most famous Sundarban ecotourism spots are Katka, Hiron Point (known commonly as Nilkamal), Dublar Char, Sajnekhali Watch Tower and Tiger Point (Kachi Khali). Katka is the best stop to see tigers and bird watching. Hiron Point is a resting place and also great for spotting tigers and other wildlife. Dublar Char is an Island best suitable for fishing. Sajnekhali Watch Tower houses a museum, a Bonobibi Temple and a crocodile park within its premises. Tiger Point or Kachi Khali is another best place to see tiger.

Sundarban Ecotourism Endangered

The biggest threat to this world’s most beautiful ecotourism destination is the growing human populations that depend on the forest’s ecosystem for timber, fishing, honey and shrimp farming. All these human activities are causing the ecosystem to degrade. Moreover growth of industries on the bank of Hugli carries a huge load of pollutants to this mangrove ecosystem further endangering the very basis for Sundarban ecotourism.

The Buriganga River, one of the dirtiest rivers in the world, has served as the central artery to economic life in Dhaka for centuries. The river provides access to Bangladesh’s myriad waterways for launches and country boats, promoting small and medium scale enterprises. In addition to the commercial benefits derived from the river, the Buriganga has offered Dhaka City a constant water supply, groundwater recharge, recreation and fisheries, as well as support for agricultural, sanitation and industrial purposes.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, with a population of almost 10 million, is built on the banks of the Buriganga. Since most of the waste is not collected by the city, it ends up in the river water, where a good many factories also discharge their chemical waste. Result: the water is so polluted that no fish can survive there. Once a catalyst for trade and a source of growth, the Buriganga River has been degraded by industrial and residential developments along its banks and in its catchments. Despite the other common utilities, Buriganga River is important to maintain the groundwater level in Dhaka.

1.Toxic Discharge from chemical factory getting added to Buriganga through this canal. 2. Daily activities of people around Buriganga adds to the pollution level. 3. A boy swims in the polluted waters in the Buriganga river. 4. A boy collects rubbish on the river Buriganga. 5. Manual dyers are mostly responsible for river pollution as they rampantly throw leftover chemicals into the water.

Sharif Jamal is going to steer the Waterkeeper Alliance in Bangladesh initially as the Buriganga Riverkeepr. The Buriganga Riverkeeper will patrol the river Buriganga on behalf of the citizens of Bangladesh to save this life-line of Dhaka from encroachment and pollution. This ground-breaking initiative aims to organize and engage stakeholders across the social and political spectra to build public awareness and drive community action to reverse the degradation of the vital Buriganga River.

At the beginning of January2010, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) began to clean a 3km stretch of the river. It estimates that 300,000 cubic metres of rubbish need to be removed from the water. Five bulldozers were put at work to get rid of the three-meter layer of plastic bags and food remains which lines the bottom of the river, while over a hundred people clean the rubbish-strewn banks by hand. The cost of this programme, financed by the environment ministry, comes to over 2.5 million euros.

It is now a dying river and the situation will get worse if some immediate actions are not taken urgently to reverse the trend.

According to the news sources different efforts are taken by different means to save tiger- Bengal tiger. The government of Bangladesh set up a force to save tiger; the critically endangered Royal Bengal Tiger and also other animals. Also the Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has backed a new wildlife protection initiative set up by Bangladesh to save endangered Royal Bengal Tigers from rustlers and poachers.

As far as the force is concerned, it will be of 300-members and may set up mostly around the Sundarbans mangrove forests since it is one of the last refuges of the tigers. This resolution has came quite a few months after they apprehended skins of 3 tigers and a large quantity of bones, the biggest heave of illegal tiger parts in decades. Whereas the actor has launched the organisation called ‘Save Tigers Now’ to save tiger.

The Sundarbans forests are stretched between India & Bangladesh; and around 400 tigers live in the area as current figure. Poaching is not considered as the chief threat to the tiger population in Bangladesh, till date. But this year started with the arrest of poachers with tiger skins and bones has raised doubts that an organized group od poachers was operating in the forests.

Minister of Environment and Forests Hasan Mahmud reported that the setting up the force to save tiger and wildlife was long overdue. According to him, the forest department staff in Bangladesh needs to be more trained, sophisticated and equipped. To set up the new Wildlife Crime Control unit, most of the capital will come from the World Bank loan of $36m (£21.8m).

Whereas DiCaprio himself is on a mission to raise $20m for the ‘Save Tigers Now’ organization, that aims to save tiger population and to double it by 2022.

We should also contribute a bit in this cause by tweeting, discussing and creating awareness to save tiger.

Well as far as Bangladesh ecotourism is concerned very few people may be aware of its natural wealth, its flourished flora and fauna. Bangladesh ecotourism is very wide because of the fact that it is the country of huge, mostly unknown and untouched natural splendor and reserves.

Natural reserves of Bangladesh are just unique and mesmerizing. This natural world of Bangladesh ecotourism is cool, calm and collected of hills and vales, rivers, forests, lakes, sea and beaches & the evergreen landscape of Bangladesh is situated in the northeastern side of the South Asia sub-continent.

Bangladesh topography is chiefly flat. The plain is criss-crossed by the world’s 3 forceful river systems namely the Padma (which is actually the Ganges), the Meghna and the Jamuna and their innumerable tributaries. The eastern and the northeastern part of Bangladesh join India while its southeastern part is adjoining Myanmar which is primarily hilly with dense forest.

This area encompasses Chittagong and the three Hilly Districts of Rangamati, Khagrachori & Bandarban with an average elevation of 610 m running parallel to each other in the north-south direction. Also the hill slopes are generally surrounded by thick forest. Whereas along the coast of the Bay of Bengal in south and southeast of the country, lies the Sundarbans. Sundarbans are vital part of Bangladesh ecotourism and famous as a swampy tropical mangrove forest which is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Above mentioned areas are all ideal for the expansion of Bangladesh ecotourism. Bangladeshi climate comprises annual rainfall ranges from 160 to 400 cm, hot – humid summer and cool – dry winter. And the best period to enjoy Bangladesh ecotourism is November to March, when the temperature ranges between 13.3 and 26.5 Celsius

As a vacation, Bangladesh ecotourism or natural tourism is truly hard to beat. Being a small country in South Asia Bangladesh is actually covered in 144,470 square kilometers only, but there is absolutely a lot to see, enjoy and do here.

Eco-tourism can bring more tourists and improve the quality of life in rural areas, but it should be planned to avoid disrupting local cultures and the environment, according to Antonio D. Kalaw, Jr., Chairman of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

Kalaw urged planners tourism 17 Asian countries participating in a course of Trainor, “to involve local stakeholders in the formulation of development strategies for eco-tourism and create ecotourism products. “The tourism or eco-tourism in particular, can help strengthen the local economic development through a strategic partnership that includes local stakeholders, private businesses and organizations of civil society,” said Kalaw.

DAP president spoke before the 24 participants in an intensive two-week course design and management of eco-tourism, promoted by the Asian Productivity (APO). Kalaw said that sustainable development of tourism offers an alternative approach to diversify the economic base of local communities be given the right infrastructure and supportive environment.

“However, these are becoming constantly threatened by many factors including the increasing demand of a growing population, pollution, resource degradation and sustainable resource management, among others, we must address,” he said.

A course of two weeks is the DAP, the International School of Tourism and sustainable tourism. Colombo Plan Secretariat of the co-sponsors. The course will run until 24 June at the latest ISST main campus in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.