Forests and forestry

Voek Pisei, O’Khla Khmum village chief in Samrong district’s O’Smach commune, told The Post on Thursday that early last month, one villager identified as Roeun Sela was detained by Thai border guards for smuggling luxury wood from Thailand. ...

Membes of Battambang province’s forest community and relevant authorities on Tuesday claimed that over 100ha of forest land in Samlot Protected Area have been illegally cleared by wealthy citizens and armed forces in order to place it under their ownership. Samlot community representative Yat Neang, ...

Minister of Environment Say Sam Al said on Monday that his ministry is working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to identify whether transported timber is from legal or illegal sources. Cambodian Youth Party (CYP) president Pich Sros, who is also a member ...

The Mondulkiri agriculture department yesterday denied claims by an environmental activist that it allowed two private firms to transport timber to Vietnam. Activist Heng Sros, 24, from the Cambodian Human Rights Task Force, yesterday said that the private companies received permission to transport high quality ...

Mondulkiri provincial environment department director Keo Sopheak has said that DNA testing will soon reveal the identities of poachers who exchanged gunfire with environmental rangers, injuring one, at Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary last Wednesday. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries yesterday stated that last year it cracked down on more than 1,000 cases. In a report, the ministry said that there were a total of 1,093 cases last year, noting that 582 resulted in fines and 511 were ...

The government has assigned designated management zones in Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province to make the protected forest more manageable in the wake of a forest ranger being shot. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday signed a sub-decree designating 372,971 hectares of the forest into ...

General Sao Sokha, the deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and commander of the National Military Police, on Monday, ordered relevant authorities to put more effort into combating natural resource-related crimes. According to Fresh News, Sokha, who also chairs the National Committee ...

A Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) member in Thmea commune, in Preah Vihear province’s Chey Sen district, on Sunday claimed that authorities are unable to stamp out forest crime in the nature reserve, instances of which have been occurring for months. ...

Mondulkiri provincial authorities are hunting poachers who shot at environmental rangers with an AK-47 assault rifle at the Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary, injuring one. Provincial environment department director Keo Sopheak said the incident happened​ at around 3:30am on Tuesday when six rangers equipped with two AK-47s ...

The Cambodian Red Cross has donated a car, two scooters and cash to activist Ben Devis and the Tabos community as an incentive for participating in the protection of the natural resources in Preah Vihear province’s Phnom Thnout-Phnom Pok Wildlife Sanctuary.​ ...

The Pursat provincial Military Police, in cooperation with provincial environmental officers, on Saturday confiscated a total of 150 Reach Kol timber logs, which had been hidden near the Cardamom Mountains in Rovieng village in Phnom Kravanh district’s Samrong commune. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday called on soldiers to stop colluding with illegal timber traders and work with law enforcement officers to protect natural resources. Hun Sen made the remarks as he presided over the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of ...

Some 100ha of flooded forest land in Battambang province’s Sangke district has been illegally logged and cleared in recent months, local community groups and the Fisheries Administration said on Wednesday. The flooded forest land, situated the province’s Area 2 and Area 3, has been classified ...

The Ministry of Environment on Tuesday urged relevant public and private sector stakeholders to jointly preserve the Kingdom’s marine biodiversity for the sake of sustainable development. The appeal came as the ministry announced the establishment of the Koh Rong Marine National Park in Preah Sihanouk ...

A total of 30 logs harvested from high-quality wood were seized by Mondulkiri provincial Military Police and National Military Police on Saturday and Sunday. Provincial Military Police investigation department head Phok Chanthy told The Post on Monday that the logs were found in Pech Chreada ...

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 ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday responded to environmental activists who accused the government of inaction over deforestation in Cambodia, saying they themselves used luxury wood to build and decorate their own homes. Speaking at the opening ceremony of Phnom Penh’s third ring road, the ...

Activist groups from four provinces jointly published a report showing that 41 per cent of new tree stumps at the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary that was recorded over the last two years were the result of illegal logging. The 7th Prey Lang Monitoring Report by ...

The government has decided to set up a protected area of more than 100 hectares in Ratanakkiri province to protect the environment, biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources. A sub-decree, dated December 25 and published by the Environment Ministry yesterday, said the government decided ...

A forestry administration spokesman on Thursday said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had recently created a new permanent secretariat to prevent all types of forestry crimes, with a particular focus on illegal rosewood trading. ...

The Prey Lang Community Network yesterday claimed that its patrols have found that illegal logging is still rampant in Kratie, Kampong Thom, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provinces and urged the relevant ministries and authorities to strengthen enforcement. ...

A prominent forest activist based in Kampong Speu province is set to launch a field investigation into alleged illegal logging at the Phnom Oral and Phnom Kravanh wildlife sanctuaries despite “threats of arrest” by rangers and military officers in the area. ...

Four men were granted bail by Pursat provincial court on Saturday after they were caught illegally transporting 11 timber logs in Phnom Kravanh district on Thursday. Provincial Department of Agriculture director Lay Visith on Sunday said provincial forestry administration officials sent the four to court ...