Forests and forestry

The Ministry of Environment issued a warning on Wednesday against encroachment on protected natural areas following some instances of intruders clearing forest land for personal gain. It cited examples of encroachment in the Ream, Bokor and Kirirom national parks and the multi-purpose Kbal Chay freshwater ...

While hunting in the Kingdom’s wildlife sanctuaries has abated, the use of traps have become widespread. That, coupled with deforestation, has caused grave concerns among conservationists who fear the extinction of the endangered yellow-cheeked crested gibbons. ...

The Kampong Chhnang provincial department of agriculture, forestry and fishery is working to identify suspects who had mobilised tractors to illegally clear flooded forest in Toek Phos district’s O’krabey Ngob and O’Klong in Chieb communes. ...

Stung Treng provincial police yesterday cracked down on an illegal timber operation that was transporting logs along the Sekong river in Stung Treng city. Provincial police chief Major General Mao Dara said the illegal timber operation was using rafts to float illegally felled trees along ...

The Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) has recorded 2,926 cases of forestry crimes in four provinces since February 2015, a report it released on Thursday said. It was based on data collected with a novel smartphone app. ...

Fourteen villagers arrested for illegal logging in Phnom Kravanh district by the national military police on Friday were released with a warning after they agreed not to repeat the offence, officials said. ...

Hundreds of rosewood trees will be planted in Siem Reap province as a natural tourist site and to preserve the rare trees in Cambodia. The provincial information department said on Wednesday that the government planned to plant 500 rosewood trees on 1,888 hectares in Banteay ...

A hual of rosewood timber was confiscated in Pursat province’s Krakor district yesterday, said a military police officer involved in the crackdown. The bust, resulting in the seizure of hundreds of timber pieces and a car that transported them, was carried out by the Pursat ...

Koh Kong provincial authorities detained and educated four people over the clearing of protected forest lands on Monday before releasing them. Deputy Koh Kong Governor Sok Sothy said yesterday that joint authorities cracked down on the land clearing in Koh Kong district. ...

All species of animals in the Sorng Rukhavoan Wildlife Sanctuary are facing danger no thanks to night hunters, despite concerted efforts to stop the crimes, say activists and environment officials. The 30,254-hectare sanctuary spans across the Sorng Rukhavorn and Rattanak Rokha community forests, as well ...

Indigenous people in northeastern provinces yesterday raised concern over wildlife sanctuaries that could be affected by the government’s plan to set up new provinces carved out from Mondulkiri province’s Koh Nhek district and Ratanakkiri province’s Lumphat district. ...

Vultures in the Kingdom are facing an increasingly high risk of extinction as the birds have shown a 50 per cent decline in numbers since the late 2000s, a joint announcement from environmental organisations said on Saturday, quoting a report. ...

Authorities are facing mounting pressure to safeguard the Samlot Protected Area, where villagers and wealthy land-grabbers continue to trespass to start orchards and claim ownership of the plots. The area, which straddles Battambang and Pailin provinces, is jointly protected by the Ministry of Environment and ...

Provincial environment department director Mon Phalla said officials had inspected the area around the Prek Andong Teuk stream in the district’s Andong Teuk and Thmar Sar communes, which are vulnerable to encroachment. ...

Home to abundant natural resources and biodiversity, the listing of Phnom Kampong Trach, Phnom Chhngouk, Phnom Kbal Romeas and Phnom La’ang as protected cultural and historical sites would be of great benefit to the local communities and environment, said Kampot provincial governor Cheav Tay. ...

The Mondulkiri provincial Environment Department launched a campaign among the Banong, Krueng and Tumpuon ethnic communities to create awareness about the importance of wildlife to the ecology and tourism sector. The communities live close to wildlife sanctuaries. ...

Villagers from the Tumpuon ethnic minority group in Keng San community forest are accusing the local authority and some community members of colluding with timber traders to illegally fell large trees and clear dozens of hectares of forest land in their community. ...

Villagers claim that rampant illegal logging is taking place at the Phnom Namlear Wildlife Sanctuary and local authorities are not doing enough to curb the activity. Every night about 20 to 30 lorries remove luxury timber from the wildlife sanctuary, which is fast depleting its ...

Koh Kong provincial hall on Tuesday revoked ownership of land near the protected Peam Krasoap Wildlife Sanctuary to prevent further land clearing in the area. Its announcement raised fears among local communities of a potential forced eviction. “All illegal land ownership or unregistered land at ...

Some 300 pieces of timber were discovered and two men arrested in separate cases in Pursat and Mondulkiri provinces as they were transporting the logs to Vietnam. National Military Police on Monday found piles of first-grade timber measuring nine cubic metres in Pursat’s Veal Veng ...

A joint task-force consisting of the national police and Pursat province’s Phnom Kravanh district police on Saturday arrested five people found transporting illegally-felled timber in Santre commune. ...

Senior Environment Ministry officials on Saturday agreed to continue to work together and cooperate with local forest rangers in order to maintain order and prevent forestry crimes from occurring in Kirirom national park. ...

The Mondulkiri provincial authority on Wednesday refuted claims that it had turned a blind eye to illegal timber trafficking to neighbouring Vietnam. The denial followed the discovery of over 500 pieces of first-grade timber by the National Military Police in protected areas and local media ...

Rights group Licadho said yesterday that a forestry crime reporting mechanism set in place by Koh Kong provincial Governor Mithona Phouthorng to protect tipsters is ineffective as residents fear repercussion from powerful figures. ...