In Stung Treng, forests fall before they’re washed away
On the Sesan and Srepok rivers in the northeast, boats of all shapes and sizes lug timber back and forth between the banks. Men wait on craggy land alongside the water with jerry-rigged winches and homemade vehicles to drag precious cargo up steep inclines. Fallen logs bob around in the shallows. …
At the confluence of the rivers, the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam will be built. A 75-meter concrete wall will rise out of the red earth and stem the two rivers, creating a 36,000-hectare lake. …
Environmental groups have said that the dam will drastically reduce fish stocks, threatening the livelihoods of some 100,000 people upstream and downstream of the dam.
This formed the basis of locals’ protest against the dam. But now, with construction underway, attention has turned to the trees, which they cut down and turn over for hundreds of dollars a cubic meter before it is sold on to the global market, fetching a hefty profit for middlemen. …
Matt Blomberg
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/in-stung-treng-province-communities-fell-their-forests-before-they-are-washed-away-67369/
