A Review on Deforestation in Cambodia: A Growing Threat to our Forests (Full Article)

A Review on Deforestation in Cambodia: A Growing Threat to our Forests

 Written and Edited by Ek Sovannpanha.

"300,000 acres of forests lost in a single year." 

Forests in Cambodia, a place of sanctuary for natives and animals alike, have been in rapid decline since the emerging popularity of illegal logging at the end of the Khmer Rouge era in the 1990s. Throughout the history of our country, trees have always been an important source for making shelter, finding food, and making crafts of many kinds (utensils, fish baskets, etc.).  

The Data Presented  

An article published by Amnesty International in 2022 showed that by the last decade, there had been a loss of 64% of the country's original forests. Following this 2 years later, an article published by Mongabay reported a loss of 300,000 acres or 121,000 hectares of forests by the end of 2023 due to mining expansions and illegal logging supposedly affiliated with companies such as 'Think Biotech' and 'Angkor Plywood'. Out of those 121,000 hectares of deforestation, most of these were in protected areas such as Prey Lang Sanctuary which lost 11,000 hectares from 2023. 

Sources: Mongabay (2024)  

How & Why this happens  

There are many causes and explanations as to why deforestation is so major in Cambodia, losing 300,000 acres of forests (nearly the size of Los Angeles) in a single year; Many of these losses can be attributed to the expansion of mining companies such as Late Cheng Mining Development in Kampot and illegal logging allegedly by contract workers of Think Biotech, even during the pandemic in 2020. Other factors include the bribery and corruption of local authorities, greed, or a community's reliance on wood.  

Community Reliance on Wood  

Cambodia's rural communities are very different from those of Suburban and Urban communities, as although they share the same heritage and survival needs, the way they approach it is different; Rural communities rely on wood for fire, cooking food, and making shelter for themselves. Deforestation from these matters is pretty low, though if the community's situation is drastic, it could potentially make itself a major issue similar to illegal loggers.  

Recklessness by Subcontractors/Companies  

Illegal logging isn't just done by a person or a group of insignificant unknowns, but most of the time conducted by workers of big logging companies; Some of these companies include Think Biotech and its sister company, Angkor Plywood, however, there have been claims that these companies aren't doing any illicit activities, rather it was the decisions done by subcontractors (workers employed by contractors). In response to this, communities, journalists, and activists had compiled up mountains of evidence that contradicts said claims; A Mongabay Article published on October 3rd, 2023, discusses the creation of a new road on Prey Lang's Sanctuary, a protected area, connected to the concession or land of Think Biotech. However, the director 'Lu Chu Chang' denies the company's involvement with the road's creation, although acknowledging that someone from the company's concession, " From our concession or not, I don’t know, but I never got this timber. Somebody I know got this timber but this is not our team.", he said, however, went back on the statement after being asked on who it was.  

Lu Chu Chang, Director of Think Biotech denying claims of the company's involvement with the road in an interview on June 2023; Source: Mongabay (2023) 

The road came to a halt, having advanced about 8 miles since its construction.  

Mining Expansion  

Another major player in deforestation is mining companies looking to expand and find valuable minerals to increase their income and get economic gain from it. Companies such as Global Green owned by the Tycoon dude Try Pheap and Late Cheng Mining Development are examples of these mining companies, expanding their businesses and collecting mining licenses like Pokémon cards.  

Motives for Illegal Logging  

By the end of the '90s, Deforestation and cases of Illegal Logging skyrocketed to major rates; In response to this, government officials sought to find a way to decrease illegal logging cases in an attempt to prevent forest losses. Some sought first the motives of these illegal loggers, and found that these motives usually come from a reasoning of economic gains such as a global demand for wood and a higher income from trade; Sometimes, the motives are for survival and lack of awareness, it could be by communities that aren't aware that they're illegally logging, or that they know what they're doing is illicit, but without the quantity of resources such as wood for the community, there isn't much to do other than find alternatives, which most of the time was lacking and had poor outcomes.  

The Government's Role  

Many Government officials saw the impact of illegal logging and the outcome of deforestation and wanted to fix the problem, and to their credit have implemented ways to decrease deforestation. In 2008, the REDD+ Project was implemented in Cambodia after joining the UN-REDD program as a partner country; The first of these REDD+ implementations was the creation of a pilot project 'Oddar Meanchey Community Forest REDD+', starting the same year, becoming the first initiative by REDD+. Other solutions such as the halting of new economic land permits/concessions were carried through. REDD+ could also possibly reduce deforestation rates by 50%. Communities have also formed up organizations meant for tackling deforestations, helping  

 

Conclusion 

While it was off to a bad start with the loss of 64% of forest coverings by the last decade, the attempts made by both the government and communities such as RECOFTC, the Center for People's Forests and Trees, showcases the desperate attempts at restoring the country's forests in its former state. Illegal logging still has a major presence and role in contributing to deforestation, however, with the evidences and articles about big companies behind these illegal activities coming to light, it won't be as major as the last decade, with about 40% of land left to fix.