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Mangrove forest in Mondul Seima district was looted by traders, but the authorities warned that traders should not take ownership!

Cambodia News,(Koh Kong Province): . Many hectares of mangrove forest are located in Toul Korkir commune, Mondul Seima district, Koh Kong province, which is a national biodiversity hotspot and a place where people fish for their families and eco-tourism, and a sustainable protection area. This is a crime that requires an immediate ban or measures to arrest the perpetrators.

It should be noted that the local people said that the mangrove forest land that traders conspired with local officials to clear and clear the mangrove forest, pouring land to clear the mangrove forest, with powerful money. If the ordinary people cut down trees to make firewood or charcoal to burn in the family, they are imprisoned for allegedly destroying natural forests, so only the rich merchants and powerful people can clear the land As state property, no authority dares to imprison, only to close their eyes and make them invisible. This is according to a local newspaper quoted earlier.


According to the same newspaper, in relation to this case, Mr. Sok Sothy, Deputy Governor of Koh Kong Province and the spokesperson of the Provincial Administration on March 18, 2021, claimed that the trader who dumped the land to clear the mangrove forest is Leang Him also called Magol. The trader claimed that he had bought from the people and the commune chief about 12 hectares of community land in exchange for cutting a drain to free the salt water from entering the fields and part of the mangrove forest: Size 3,302 square meters.


Mr. Sok Sothy also claimed that in connection with the encroachment of mangrove forest, the authorities would confiscate the site as state property, not allowing traders to own it. For community land that has been sold in the past, it is necessary to study in detail whether the land is really the land of the people or the commune authority.

He added that for the owner who dumped rubble into the mangrove forest, the authorities will order him to remove all the rubble and plant mangroves to fill it. As for the law, it is up to the prosecutor to take legal action against the perpetrators.
The people supported the action of the Koh Kong provincial authorities to prevent and take legal measures in the name of protecting the national interest.
Citizens hope that the prosecution will continue the procedure in this case to find those involved with the traders.

Tourism developments threaten Cambodia’s forests and coastline
Ream National Park was once meant to be a model of sustainable ecotourism, but powerful business interests have other plans for the richly diverse beauty spot
Chinese developer Yeejia has cleared large areas of once-forested land in Cambodia’s Ream National Park for its tourist resorts

Danielle Keeton-Olsen, Roun Ry
March 30, 2021

“Before when we wanted to eat, we just went and caught some fish, but now it’s nothing like before, as all the natural resources have disappeared,” says Sen Chantha, 68, who lives in a coastal hamlet within Ream National Park in southwest Cambodia. His house faces the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

The mangrove forests, wetlands and rocky coasts that supported abundant wildlife in the park have also attracted opportunistic developers. Cambodia’s government has granted development rights for mass tourism resorts leading to deforestation and the drainage of ecologically vital mangroves.

“On the way out, you will see many big trucks clearing land all over the place… They’ve started clearing about four kilometres away, and they’ll probably come here,” says Chantha, who has lived in Prek Trabek village since the early 1990s. As forest cover has disappeared, Chantha has become a campaigner, keen to defend his community against a Chinese developer backed by the Cambodian elite.

Chantha’s family is one of more than 100 in his village engaged in a years-old conflict over land with the Chinese company Yeejia Tourism Development, whose concession surrounds their homes. The company has allowed them to remain in the area, but severely restricted their space to live and work.

Choeun Trop, 55, says Yeejia has taken part of her land and stopped her from collecting rattan from the forest.

Over the past two or three years, officials from the company have monitored her community tightly, at one point requiring members to carry identification cards and barring outside visitors, she says.
https://chinadialogue.net/en/nature/tou ... coastline/

It's this short-term thinking again. Take now, pay later.
If anyone in power had a clue, they would realise the value of guarding Cambodia's amazing eco-systems instead of selling them off for a few million dollars profit. Natural landscapes and conservation areas will appreciate in value as they became rare and sought after.

What is gone is gone, but I bet that later generations will look back and say that their heritage was sold off in exchange for a few blankets and a coronavirus.

Anchor Moy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:06 pm I
What is gone is gone, but I bet that later generations will look back and say that their heritage was sold off in exchange for a few blankets and a coronavirus.

The Xi Dynasty will have little regret!

Happy Mangrove Day!

Mangroves Help Fight Climate Change, Support Other Biodiversity Areas
Cambodianess 07/26/2021 4:24 PM

Today, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) joins the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, which is observed each year to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of protecting the world’s most productive ecosystems.

Mangroves in the ASEAN are rich and diverse, armouring communities against the cruel impacts of climate change and, at the same time, underpinning community livelihoods as well as economies. The region hosts 42 per cent of mangrove forests in the world, with an estimated total area of 42,914 square kilometres as of 2020. At least 47 out of the 70 known mangrove species in the world can be found in the region, according to the database of the ASEAN Clearing House Mechanism.

It is worthy to note how crucial these ecosystems are in supporting the interconnectivity of key biodiversity areas. As they link the land and the sea, mangrove systems receive nutrients and organic matter from terrestrial ecosystems, estuaries, and marine systems. These nutrient-rich ecosystems serve as habitats for land animals and nesting and breeding areas for fish and shellfish, migratory birds, and sea turtles. The benefits arising from mangrove ecosystems extend to nearby ecosystems such as fisheries. By serving as nursery habitats, mangrove areas allow key marine species to thrive before moving to other areas as they mature.

On this occasion, let us take this opportunity to motivate each other to work closely together and step up efforts for the protection of nature's marvels, for we are part of nature. #WeAreASEANBiodiversity!

Happy International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem!
- Cambodianess