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I go to national parks to see beautiful nature, endemic species and the last paradises on earth. After being in some, I know that I have to be lucky to see any animals. They are shy and wild – and won’t just jump in front of my camera. Still, I always hope they will. National parks are established to protect nature. But in Vietnam, that goal has not been reached and species are still more a product than something that has to be protected.

Some days ago I went to the Cuc Phoung National Park in Northern Vietnam. It is its oldest Nationalpark and was established in 1962. Walking though the deep rainforest it is said that you can see more than 200 different kinds of trees and several mamals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. And there are also caves of prehistoric humans you can visit. But the park is very quiet. From time to time I heard bird tweeting-but that’s all.

The reason is poaching – a big problem in Cuc Phuong. “Hunters are especially interested in chasing monkeys and turtles. And then they sell them to China,“ Ling, our tourguide, tells us. As the park is located in the middle of four different provinces, which means four different department are responsible, it is difficult to protect the area. To enhance awareness of endangered species and nature, the park has established conservation centers for primates and turtles. Let’s hope they will be successful.

The video was uploaded to youtube by bittusahgal – it has amazing pictures and delivers a very strong message. The film is described as a ‘non-commercial attempt to highlight the fact that world leaders, irresponsible corporates and mindless ‘consumers’ are combining to destroy life on earth.’ All you have to do is watching and think. There’s a lot possible to keep those beautiful pictures. The cut was compiled by the Sanctuary Asia network.

One of our planet’s greatest treasures is its incredible biodiversity: from oceans and jungles to deserts and swamplands, we’re lucky to have such a rich variety of animal and plant species. But environmentalists warn that climate change is rapidly eating away at the world’s biodiversity, especially in coastal regions and rainforests.

One of the answers to that problem has been creating protected habitats. According to a recent report from the Marine Ecology Progress Series, more than 100,000 protected areas – representing about 7 million square miles of land and 1 million square miles of ocean – have been designated in the last five decades.

But despite those conservation efforts, the diversity of species is falling, and fast. That makes one thing clear: creating protected habitats won’t be enough to slow the loss of biodiversity on our planet. Environmentalists say it will take a much bigger effort – and everyone will have to get involved.

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The efficient use of the rare water resources in Madagascar is a huge problem. A water-management program, set up by the WWF is not only serving to protect forests, but also helps locals use their water resources sustainably, and therefore improve their farming opportunities. 35,000 people are living on the Mahafaly Plateau,  one of the driest corners of Madagascar, and climate change poses a serious threat to people’s livelihoods.