Illegal Logging a Challenge for Carbon Trading

8 May 2012
The Cambodia Daily
Carbon trading and other Payments for Ecological Services (PES) / Community forest / Environment and natural resources / Environmental and biodiversity protection / Forest classifications / Forest policy and administration / Forest products / Forests and forestry / Land / Logging and timber / National parks and wildlife sanctuaries / Protected areas / Protected forest
Banteay Ampil / carbon trading scheme / Cheng Kimsun / Cheng Kimsun chief of Forestry Administration / illegal logging / Ministry of Agriculture / Oddar Meanchey Province / petition / Royal Cambodian Armed Forces / Samraong districts / U.N. / villagers

A Ministry of Agriculture official said yesterday he was aware of allegations of illegal logging by Royal Cambodian Armed Forces soldiers within protected community forests in Oddar Meanchey province and was looking into it. “I am following this case, but I haven’t received their petition yet,” said Cheng Kimsun, chief of Forestry Administration at the Ministry of Agriculture, referring to a complaint due to be filed this week by nearly 2,000 villagers who have put their names on the petition. … There are 1,838 families from 15 villages in Banteay Ampil and Samraong districts who have affixed their thumbprints to the complaint, which claims that rampant illegal logging is taking place within the protected areas. The villagers reside in four community forests that, along with nine others, have been set aside in Oddar Meanchey province as part of an ambitious U.N.-backed carbon trading scheme. …