Forests and forestry
Forest cover
Gov’t, USAID criticized for inaction over severe forest loss at Prey Lang sanctuary
The University of Copenhagen’s open letter used data from the University of Maryland’s Global Forest Change dataset and other data points to show that 7,510 hectares of forestland were lost at the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in 2019, the worst loss since 2016 when the ...
Ministry refutes NGO’s claim about cleared protected forest
The Environment Ministry yesterday refuted a claim by Wildlife Alliance that more than 200 hectares of mangrove forest had been cleared inside protected areas in Koh Kong province’s Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary. ...
Khuon Narim
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50720988/ministry-refutes-ngos-claim-about-cleared-protected-forest/
Massive forest clearing found in Koh Kong province
The Wildlife Alliance yesterday discovered over 200 hectares of mangrove forests within Koh Kong province’s Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary were illegally cleared. ...
Khuon Narim
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50720606/massive-forest-clearing-found-in-koh-kong-province/
Stung Treng court charges, releases officer
Major-general Chan Sam Ath was found guilty of violating the Forestry Law by the Stung Treng Provincial Court on Wednesday, but he will not be imprisoned because of poor health due to abdominal surgery. ...
Voun Dara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/stung-treng-court-charges-releases-officer
‘Logging rampant despite pandemic’
Forest activists claimed they had observed more cases of deforestation in the Prey Lang area than before the Covid-19 outbreak. They alleged that three companies had sent workers to log and transport timber with no crackdown by the relevant authorities. ...
Khorn Savi
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/logging-rampant-despite-pandemic
Ministry slams deforestation report
The Ministry of Environment on Tuesday slammed a report by a local organisation which claimed the Prey Lang forest has lost 40,000ha in the last 18 years. Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra called the report by the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) “politically motivated” ...
Khorn Savi
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ministry-slams-deforestation-report
Cambodian forest shrinks to only 47pct in last 40 over years
Cambodia’s forest cover was over 73 per cent in 1975 but it has shrunk to only about 47 per cent last year. In its Human Development Report Cambodia 2019, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said deforestation was mainly caused by rising wood demand for ...
New Straits Times Staff
https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2019/11/542639/cambodian-forest-shrinks-only-47pct-last-40-over-years
Officials demolish 49 illegal huts in Siem Reap
After the authorities on Friday and Saturday dismantled 49 of some 1,000 huts which had been built illegally on forest land in Siem Reap’s Phnom Kulen National Park, Banteay Srei district governor Khim Finan said on Sunday that a hunt was on for a group ...
Voun Dara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officials-demolish-49-illegal-huts-siem-reap
Deforestation warming Cambodia, activists say
As the impacts of climate change become more apparent worldwide, members of the public are connecting more weather events to the phenomenon. In March and April, for example, extreme heat baked mainland Southeast Asia. On April 20, Vietnam set an all-time observed record high temperature, 43 ...
Michael Tatarski
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/06/article/deforestation-warming-cambodia-activists-say/
Cambodia’s sanctuaries under threat
Cambodia’s Beng Per Wildlife Sanctuary is symbolic of the country’s poor forestry management. Around 2,000 square kilometres (sq km) – around three times the size of Singapore – is lost to illegal logging in Cambodia every year where wildlife sanctuaries – despite their name – ...
Jason Thomas
https://theaseanpost.com/article/cambodias-sanctuaries-under-threat
Preah Sihanouk land dispute agreement nullified ‘to prevent irregular issues’
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has reversed its previous order to allocate land to 48 families in Preah Sihanouk province’s Koki village – the scene of violent clashes between protesters and security forces – in order to follow procedure in trying to resolve ...
Long Kimmarita
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/preah-sihanouk-land-dispute-agreement-nullified-prevent-irregular-issues
Provincial authorities stop degraded forest clearance
The Kampong Chhnang provincial authority and forestry officials on Thursday stopped a group of people from clearing degraded forest where the government plans to replant trees and turn into a protected area in Samaki Meanchey district’s Kraing Lvea commune. Four tractors were seized as evidence ...
Khorn Savi
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/provincial-authorities-stop-degraded-forest-clearance
Government rips into WWF report
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry Administration spokesman Keo Omaliss hit back on Thursday at a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report that claims the Greater Mekong will lose 30 percent of its forests by 2030 without drastic action. ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/government-rips-wwf-report
Corruption fueling deforestation in Cambodia
Cambodia’s forests are being felled at a shocking rate, as poachers and corrupt officials profit from the black market trade in rare wood species, which is being exported to Vietnam — and beyond. Loggers are illegally felling rare and valuable trees to sell in China and Europe, ...
Kris Janssens
http://www.dw.com/en/corruption-fueling-deforestation-in-cambodia/a-42674051
Ministry asks Japan to help map out forests
The Ministry of Environment is asking Japan for help mapping Cambodia’s forests using satellite imagery, one week after it vehemently refuted a report of such imagery showing accelerating forest loss in the Kingdom. ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ministry-asks-japan-help-map-out-forests
Ministry disputes forests data
The Ministry of Environment released a statement late Tuesday night vehemently refuting University of Maryland data that showed a 30 percent spike in forest cover loss in 2016 over the year before, pointing instead to its own data showing only minimal deforestation over the same ...
Phak Seangly and Ananth Baliga
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ministry-disputes-forests-data
NUS study: Cambodia deforestation increases child health issues
A team of researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found that the loss of dense forest in Cambodia is associated with higher risk of diarrhea, acute respiratory infection, and fever in children. ...
Kongleaphy Keam
https://aecnewstoday.com/2017/nus-study-cambodia-deforestation-increases-child-health-issues/#axzz4rClWtpl4
Ministry disputes illegal logging report
The Ministry of Environment has disputed an environmental NGO report that large-scale illegal logging continues unabated, with large quantities of timber being transported to Vietnam. ...
May Titthara
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5078976/ministry-disputes-illegal-logging-report/
Tanker filled with timber
A petrol tanker truck was found with more than 2,000 pieces of luxury rosewood stashed inside its tank when it was intercepted by authorities in Phnom Penh last week, National Military Police spokesman Eng Hy said yesterday. ...
Soth Koemsoeun and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/tanker-filled-timber
Illegal timber loads seized
The Cambodia Royal Gendarmerie and Kratie provincial military police yesterday concluded a crackdown on a known timber smuggling route in Sambour district, confiscating nearly 100 pieces of wood equivalent to about 40 cubic metres. ...
Mom Sophon
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/40130/illegal-timber-loads-seized/
How Cambodia’s record deforestation is driving crippling drought
Massive deforestation is playing a crucial role in the droughts that have devastated Cambodia. But despite an official ban on timber exports, forests continue to be cut down at a record rate.The Cambodian government awarded between 30 and 40 logging concessions to private companies during ...
Euan Black
http://sea-globe.com/deforestation-drought-cambodia/
MFI loans used for illegal logging
A conservation NGO official yesterday said he planned to ask microfinance lenders to better scrutinise their loans after a spate of cases over the last month showed that such loans had been used by illegal loggers to purchase chainsaws and tractors for transporting timber. ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/mfi-loans-used-illegal-logging
M’kiri logging allegations
About 1,000 hectares of protected forest in Mondulkiri province have been logged under the noses of environment officials, rights group Adhoc and community leaders said yesterday. ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/mkiri-logging-allegations
Prey Lang still threatened
Alleged illegal logging and timber exports continue to happen in the Prey Lang forest, while drug trafficking in the area is also on the rise, according to the latest Prey Lang Com-munity Network (PLCN) report yesterday. The fifth monitoring report on the forest’s status from April ...
Pech Sotheary
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/33233/prey-lang-still-threatened/