Group starts ‘one-dollar’ campaign to protect forest
A local community in Oddar Meanchey province is doing an online “one-dollar” campaign to raise funds for forest protection after facing personnel shortfalls for their patrolling, leaving much of the Sorng Rukhavorn Wildlife Sanctuary’s more than 30,000ha unprotected.
The Sorng Rukhavorn forest community said forestry crimes there have strongly increased and thousands of thnong trees (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) have been felled. The sanctuary is a dense forest spanning 30,254ha in the northwestern part of Cambodia.
The forest there came under the protection of a former monk, Bun Saluth, in 2001 after he witnessed widespread deforestation taking place in Cambodia due to economic land concessions, illegal logging and land grabbing.
The area was recognised as a community forest by the government, which decided to establish a wildlife sanctuary there on April 5, 2018.
Long Kimmarita
