April 20, 2020
50,000 hectares in two sanctuaries registered as state land

The Environment Ministry has registered more than 50,000 hectares of protected area of the Peam Krasop and Phnom Prich wildlife sanctuaries as state land in a bid to eliminate land disputes in conservation areas.

In a statement released on Thursday, it said the Ministry of Land Management issued 18 land titles covering both wildlife sanctuaries in Koh Kong and Mondulkiri provinces respectively.

The Environment Ministry said 10 land titles covered around 4,600 hectares of the Pream Krasop sanctuary in Koh Kong province while eight covered more than 45,000 hectares of Phnom Prich in Mondulkiri province.

The statement said the main purpose of the registration was to provide a clear indication of state land status to eliminate cases of land grabbing.

It added these strict legal measures will also contribute to strengthening the effectiveness of managing the protected areas.

According to the ministry, there are 57 natural protected areas and three biodiversity conservation areas throughout the country, covering 7.2 million hectares.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50714774/5 ... tate-land/

My understanding is there are two types of State ownership. One is Private Government eg police stations , Hospitals, schools etc. The other is Public Government , eg roads , footpaths, lakes. Government Public property cannot be sold , leased etc. but can be transferred to Gov Private property , which can then be sold / leased after certain conditions are met.


So which classification is this land being put under ?

I think this is good intention, and a good move.
Not sure where this designation is, but suspect is in the area of the sancuary that is closest to Koh Kong "City".
There has been a lot of new settlement there including a couple of blatant subdivisions encroaching on the sanctuary.
A top local official, no names, was the man. Mother Nature busted it wide open and the national gov stepped in and cancelled the show.
Another of MN's successes, you might have read about it over the past 6-12 months.

PS, I have spent more time than i could ever count patrolling around that little islet photographed in the OP Khmer Times report
- Major habitat of Irrawaddy dolphin, Indo-pacific Humpback dolphin (sometimes pink), Finless porpoise, 20 species of shorebirds most of whom hatched on beaches in Siberia, and Smooth-coated otters all thru those mangroves pictured.
Here is the spot again
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50714774/5 ... tate-land/
These shots were all taken right there ^^^

China says "Thank you."

Yes.
despite what the sceptics say

May 8, 2020
Ministry refutes NGO’s claim about cleared protected forest

An aerial view of the cleared area. Wildlife Alliance

The Environment Ministry yesterday refuted a claim by Wildlife Alliance that more than 200 hectares of mangrove forest had been cleared inside protected areas in Koh Kong province’s Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said yesterday park rangers inspected the area which the NGO said had been cleared.

“Our rangers inspected the clearing which the Wildlife Alliance discovered and found it is not located in the conservation area,” he said. “It is a former shrimp farm that was authorised for cultivation and private ownership.”

On Wednesday, Wildlife Alliance said it discovered 227 hectares of mangroves forest inside Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary during checks for forestry crimes.

Wildlife Alliance founder and CEO Suwanna Gautlett declined to comment yesterday. But she told Khmer Times on Wednesday that 227 hectares were cleared in the sanctuary in the province’s Khemara Phoumint city.

“Seeing the large scale, systematic clearing, it is obvious expensive heavy machinery was used, thus indicating that the land clearing was not done by poor farmers,” she said that time. “It is heartbreaking to see this devastation. The livelihoods of fishermen are at stake, given the vital role of mangroves as nurseries for coastal fish, shrimp and crab. Urgent action is needed to stop this,” Ms Gautlett added.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50720988/m ... ed-forest/

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2020 9:50 pm

seems fairly conclusive to me
are they claiming the photo is a fake, from years ago, or from south america?