New protected forests test overstretched ministry
The nearly 1 million hectares of newly protected forests the Environment Ministry wants to create by the end of the year will add nearly a third more land to the portfolio of an agency already struggling to manage the 3.2 million hectares it has. And that’s not to mention the more than 1 million hectares of existing protected area it will soon be taking over from the Agriculture Ministry. Prime Minister Hun Sen himself invited grassroots groups to join forces with authorities to protect the forest.
