Environment and natural resources

A Kampong Thom landowner was stopped by provincial officials from clearing a piece of land used as a “spirit forest” by local villagers. ...

China is ready to consolidate political trust with the five countries along the Lancang-Mekong River, and further cooperate with them in areas of water resources, drought and flood prevention, industrial capacity, agriculture, and human resources, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday. Li made the remarks ...

A little-known Chinese company is investing $200 million in a massive timber plantation in Stung Treng that the government has equated to “replanting the forest”, despite concerns among environmental protection groups that existing forest will be destroyed in favour of non-native commercial species. ...

Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called on five nations living on the Lancang-Mekong River to consolidate political will and deepen economic ties to promote regional peace and sustainable development. China is willing to work with others to strengthen the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) as China benefits ...

Koh Kong provincial authorities on Monday ordered 40 families living in Botum Sakor district to vacate their land and homes after it was determined they were illegally occupying a national park.​ On Friday, authorities went to inspect Botum Sakor National Park and found 40 families ...

A Virgin Atlantic representative yesterday said that the British airline is no longer purchasing carbon credits from an area of Oddar Meanchey province set aside for a UN REDD+ program after a report describing widespread problems. ...

A REDD Programme representative yesterday said it would be concerning if recent claims of the military systematically clearing protected forest in Oddar Meanchey province covered under the scheme proved true – though a third-party company has dismissed the claims as outdated. ...

Nearly one hundred pieces of timber were found separately in Kratie province’s Prek Prasap and Sambo districts over the weekend, but no arrests were made. About 40 pieces were discovered in Sambo’s Vathanak commune after forestry officials unsuccessfully chased a truck they believed was carrying timber. ...

An ethnic Phnong community in Kratie province’s Snuol district has accused local officials and soldiers of grabbing over 1,000 hectares of community forest and threatening the lives of local villagers for years, with the rights group Adhoc yesterday saying they would take the case to ...

A young male elephant was found dead after getting stuck in a hole on Monday afternoon in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, according to officials. ...

Official confiscated about 6 cubic metres of luxury timber in Preah Vihear’s Chey Sen district this week in two separate busts, also detaining eight for illegally transporting timber out of the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. ...

A joint task force of national Military Police, provincial Military Police and Forestry Administration officials confiscated a large amount of illegal timber in Kratie province’s Sambor district earlier this week, but made no arrests. ...

More than 60 species of endangered plants have been found in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.​ ​ ...

A team of Pursat provincial and national military police seized eight trucks loaded with timber on National Road 55 in Kravanh district’s Samraong commune on Monday and yesterday. ...

A military lieutenant is suing 13 families in Oddar Meanchey for allegedly farming his land, which lies within a protected community forest in Anlong Veng district, local authorities confirmed yesterday. ...

In recent years, there has been a declining trend in the number of sarus cranes observed throughout Cambodia. The seasonally flooded grasslands of the Northern Plains, one of the few locations in Cambodia where the birds breed, are threatened by agricultural conversion to rice paddies. ...

Deputy Prime Minister Bin Chhin oversaw a meeting on illegal logging in the northeast region of Cambodia, reportedly branding the Kingdom’s anti-logging crackdown a “success” despite evidence to the contrary. ...

Local media in Mondulkiri province have accused established businessmen of being involved with logging in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary. Online newspaper Nokor Dragon said illegal logging became rampant in the national reserve, and claimed local tycoons Oeng Bunchin, San Choy, and Srieng Meng mobilized people ...

A conservation scheme begun eight years ago in Preah Vihear province, in which farmers are recruited to grow organic rice for the international market in exchange for protecting local ecology, has successfully signed up 43 new families in Stung Treng province over the last year, ...

Claims the military is involved in systematically clearing forest in Oddar Meanchey province in an area meant to be protected by a carbon credit scheme involving Virgin Atlantic have prompted the UK-based airline to launch an investigation into the program. ...

The European Union will be funding conservation efforts in Mondulkiri’s Srepok and Phnom Prich wildlife sanctuaries to the tune of $3.3 million over the next five years, according to a press release yesterday. The project, Advancing CSOs Capacity to Ensure Sustainability Solutions (ACCESS), will be ...

A research team comprised of members from the Environment Ministry, Wildlife Conservation Society and local communities has set up camera traps in Phnom Tbeng National Heritage Park in Preah Vihear province. ...

The government has reclassified 32,305 hectares of public land in Stung Treng province’s Sesan district to provide an economic land concession for the Lower Sesan II dam. According to a sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on November 17, the land covers part of ...

Ratanakkiri Military Police officials yesterday denied multiple local media reports that thousands of logs of luxury timber were being transported on the Sesan River to be sent to Vietnam illegally. ...