UN Confirms Logging in Carbon Trading Zone

The U.N. has said it is concerned about deforestation in Oddar Meanchey province in an area where it has launched a carbon trading scheme and confirmed that it is working with the government in order to “rectify the situation.” In an email on Friday, the U.N. Development Program confirmed it was aware of logging in Samraong district and that it was supporting “relevant agencies” in order to ensure the successful implementation of its project known as REDD—Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation—which aims to combat deforestation by having poor countries essentially sell an agreement not to destroy their forests. “The Government’s ability to effectively manage land use planning, monitoring and enforcement will be a critical element for REDD+ and something that will support development in Cambodia more broadly,” a UNDP spokesperson said. …

Kuch Naren and Abby Seiff, P. 1