Ministries urged to do more to protect forests
Forest activists and community representatives have urged the government to post markers at protected natural areas to prevent encroachment of loggers and the clearing of forest. The proposal was made at a forum on protecting and conserving natural resources on February 6 attended by the Environment Minister, local authorities, civil society organizations and community representatives. About 300 people attended the event. Chea Sokhoeurn, a representative of Prey Lang community from Stung Treng province, said that after the government made Prey Lang a 430,000 hectare wildlife sanctuary he observed that logging, hunting and encroaching on land decreased, but logging with chainsaws still went on in surrounding areas. “Based on the figures we collected, there are some 900 chainsaws within three communes,” he said.
