Environment and natural resources

The floodwaters of the Mekong River have begun to recede across the country, but concerns remain over damage caused in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. The Mekong River Committee (MRC) plans to hold an open forum this month on the development of hydropower dams along ...

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. ...

Ministry of Environment senior officials yesterday urged people, especially students, to invent substances to replace those which harm the ozone layer. The call was made during a workshop on “The Implementation of Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in Cambodia” held at ...

The Pailin provincial court on Saturday put four men in pre-trial detention on charges of “illegal mountain excavation” after they were arrested for carving out a mountain in late August. Provincial forestry administration deputy director Min Ravuth identified the suspects as Da Lin, 41; Khe ...

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. ...

Kampong Cham provincial authority halted the sale of wild animals on National Road 6 in Batheay district, which is notorious for the illegal trade. Provincial deputy governor Keo Nearith said on Wednesday, police seized three species of wild animals and arrested a trader. ...

Four natural lakes totalling 300 hectares in Kandal province’s Sa’ang district have been designated state properties while more are set to have the same status. The designation followed illegal encroachment by individuals who intended to claim the lakes as their own, said Kandal provincial governor ...

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. ...

As International Vulture Awareness Day approaches, conservationists have called for a boycott of bushmeat and a halt to using poison to hunt wildlife. Ny Naiky, BirdLife International Cambodia Programme coordinator who has been tasked with vulture conservation, said yesterday that red-head, white-romped and slender-billed vultures ...

Concerns have been raised over the clearing of mangrove forests along Bak Khlong beach in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district as land prices in the area increase. Bak Khlong commune chief Eav Kosorl told The Post on Monday that land titles existed for areas ...

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. ...

Fisheries administration officials and local authorities on Saturday cracked down on banned types of fishing along Chomrouk lake in Kampong Cham province and seized fishing nets, wooden poles and various types of fish, the provincial police said. ...

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. ...

Authorities in Tboung Khmum province’s O’raing Ov district on Wednesday seized several kilometres of small-hole fishing nets, bamboo poles and more than one tonne of small fish during a crackdown on illegal fishing on Kapit lake, according to officials.​ ...

With the government pushing the sustainable development goals (SDG) agenda forward, fishermen and farmers urged authorities to address the various ecological and environmental challenges they face during an event this week in Siem Reap. ...

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. ...