Good read : subjects discussed include Cambodian carbon credits, REDD+, illegal logging, a potentially intimate relationship between companies Schneitec and EDC involving people close to power, and a general lack of transparency.

Opaque infrastructure project ‘a death sentence’ for Cambodia’s Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary
by Gerald Flynn｜Andy Ball｜Vutha Srey on 1 June 2022

In November 2021, the Cambodian government approved the development of 299 kilometers (186 miles) of 500-kilovolt power lines through Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary by Schneitec Northern to link Phnom Penh’s electrical grid to two coal-fired power plants in Laos, following a power purchase agreement signed in October 2019. The power lines are planned to transect the largest tract of lowland evergreen forest remaining in Southeast Asia, and critics say the project puts at risk at risk one of the country’s largest carbon stocks as well as poses a threat to Prey Lang’s Indigenous residents and two watersheds vital to Tonle Sap Lake, which sustains millions of Cambodians.

Leaked documents from April 2021 show that the consulting firm that conducted the environmental impact assessment had suggested three possible routes for Schneitec’s power lines, with two alternative routes that skirted the already-deforested eastern and western edges of the protected area respectively. Industry experts have suggested that building power lines through forested terrain can cost between 1.5 and three times as much as through scrubland or flat terrain.

The power line plans come as satellite data reveal 2021 was the worst year on record for deforestation in Prey Lang and international institutions condemn widespread illegal logging in the protected area.

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network where Gerald Flynn is a fellow.

Long read article here: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/opaqu ... sanctuary/

...so long as there are poor peon poachers to cut down the trees, along with crooked military police needing to pay for trucks and large new concrete houses, the forests will be decimated. There are so few pockets of forest left -- the Cardamom mts. have been ruined... The level of brainless greed is too high. Existing markets in China and Vietnam have an insatiable appetite for wood... Middle class consumers expect flooring, paneling and cabinetry, and they don't know or care about anything, except how to decorate their homes... The world burns as people sleep through it...

Activists Allege Prey Lang Forest is Still Under Siege

Cambodia News, (Preah Vihear): Allegations have been made that the company *** Co. Ltd, belonging to the tycoon *** *****, located in Riep commune, Rovieng district, Preah Vihear province, has been mobilizing large numbers of workers to fell timber in very heart of Prey Lang.

According to a report from the Prey Lang Community Network, in March 2023, forest activists and the Prey Lang Community Network found a large group of loggers, hard at work, cutting down trees in many areas of the protected Prey Lang forest, including: Bos Reang, Kbal Damrey, Sre Kandal, O Achmek Dek, Phum Chas, Phnom Chok, Prasat Koul, Prey Sralao, and Sre Ta Ngot.
One activist said that he questioned the loggers, who claimed they were selling the wood to *** company. They said that the timber is smuggled to the *** company property, where it is converted into legal timber by the relevent officials, (using paperwork and rubber stamps), then transported by jeep or small vehicles to Phnom Penh and some other timber depots throughout Cambodia.


The man said that the logging of Prey Lang is going on in the very heart of the forest, and that it is very hard for the Prey Lang Community Network to do anything to stop the destruction because they have no support from the authorities; on the contrary, the officials from the Ministry of the Environment often treat the Community Network members as if it was illegal to defend the forest from illegal loggers.

Give him a badge and a uniform, and he does what he pleases. Jungle generals rule, nothing you can do. They got to get that money to pay for their SUVs and daughter's education overseas, etc.

The Earth's gonna burn. Wonder if little Elon will get to Mars before it does? Ten to one his big rocket gets all blown up next week...

Saudi Aramco got a profit of 162 billion clams last year and that doublez their take for 2021...

"So, we all be going ta hell fast, hey mistah gov'nah?"

Salam alaykum !

The USAID Greening Prey Lang project in Cambodia has now been officially declared closed; although the financial assistance was withdrawn from the ambitious environmental protection project two years ago.

Today:
USAID mark end of Greening Prey Lang
Rann Reuy | Publication date 28 May 2023 | 21:15 ICT
The US government celebrated the closure of the USAID Greening Prey Lang project, a five-year activity funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with a closing ceremony and exhibition of the projects achievements.

Over the past five years, USAID Greening Prey Lang awarded small grants to 47 community-based organisations to improve conservation practices and promote community development, according to a recent press release.

“USAID Greening Prey Lang represents USAID’s commitment to improving conservation and livelihoods in Cambodia,” said USAID mission director Kerry Pelzman, as he commented on the lessons learned over the course of the project.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... -prey-lang

Two years ago:
USAID redirects funding in Cambodia as future of Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary hangs in the balance
by Gerald Flynn on 5 August 2021
- In June, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it would be ending its assistance to Cambodian government entities through the USAID Greening Prey Lang project.
- In its statement, the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh said the decision is due to continued and unprosecuted illegal logging and wildlife crimes in the protected area, along with efforts by the Cambodian government to “silence and target local communities” and activists. The Cambodian government, however, maintains that the cessation of funding from USAID was due to the ministry having reached capacity to protect Prey Lang without foreign funding.
- Satellite data show Prey Lang has lost nearly 9% of its forest cover over the past five years, and researchers and activists say its remaining forest is being eyed by logging companies.
-While USAID’s decision to stop funding the Cambodian government has been well-received by many academics and environmentalists, there is fear that the move could give the green light to government-supported logging operations.


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — More than a month has passed since the Cambodia branch of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it would be ending its assistance to Cambodian government entities through the USAID Greening Prey Lang project and the future of the 431,683-hectare wildlife sanctuary remains shrouded in uncertainty.

According to a June 17 statement from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, USAID’s decision to terminate the Greening Prey Lang project was due to illegal logging operations that have continued with impunity, along with the prevalence of unprosecuted wildlife crimes.

“In addition, the [Cambodian] government continues to silence and target local communities and their civil society partners who are justifiably concerned about the loss of their natural resources,” the statement reads.
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/usaid ... e-balance/

orichá wrote:...so long as there are poor peon poachers to cut down the trees, along with crooked military police needing to pay for trucks and large new concrete houses, the forests will be decimated. There are so few pockets of forest left -- the Cardamom mts. have been ruined... The level of brainless greed is too high. Existing markets in China and Vietnam have an insatiable appetite for wood... Middle class consumers expect flooring, paneling and cabinetry, and they don't know or care about anything, except how to decorate their homes... The world burns as people sleep through it...

That’s a bit harsh on the consumer side, don’t you think? Do you suggest that the average consumer be forced to live in barren concrete homes without flooring, paneling, or cabinetry? Only authoritarian dictatorships can force that kind of behavior.

Just my opinions, of course.

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Mon May 29, 2023 7:24 pm

orichá wrote:...so long as there are poor peon poachers to cut down the trees, along with crooked military police needing to pay for trucks and large new concrete houses, the forests will be decimated. There are so few pockets of forest left -- the Cardamom mts. have been ruined... The level of brainless greed is too high. Existing markets in China and Vietnam have an insatiable appetite for wood... Middle class consumers expect flooring, paneling and cabinetry, and they don't know or care about anything, except how to decorate their homes... The world burns as people sleep through it...

That’s a bit harsh on the consumer side, don’t you think? Do you suggest that the average consumer be forced to live in barren concrete homes without flooring, paneling, or cabinetry? Only authoritarian dictatorships can force that kind of behavior.

Just my opinions, of course.

Decisions , Decisions ? Should we pump out oil from the ground, process it into chemicals and make plastic chairs to sit on or cut trees to make chairs for those in power to sit on.

Prey Lang Forest Looting Continues Through Kratie Province


Cambodia News Kratie, 27/09/2023 - Two or three large traders are destroying the Prey Lang protected forest using no less than 10 Samsung trucks every night to transport timber from there through Stung Treng and Koh Khnhe in Kratie province. Sources say that the illegal timber transportation operation commenced in earnest after the National Commission for the Prevention of Natural Resource Crime withdrew its forces from the area.
Citizens claimed that despite the obvious offense of transporting illegal timber out the territory by the truck-load, the forest is being looted with impunity, with no actions taken by the authorities responsible for protecting the forest.


Sources on the ground say that the timber is being transported from Prey Lang protected forest by traders and loaded onto boats in Orland, Siem Bok district, Stung Treng province, then transported again by boat to Koh Khnhe, Khsach Leav village, O'Kreang commune, O'Kreang Sen Chey district, Kratie. The illegal cargo is subsequently loaded into a Samsung truck, and then travels along National Road 7 out of Kratie to Prey Veng Province without any interference from the police.

Mr. Keo Chamnan, Chief of Forestry Administration at O'Kreang Sen Chey district, Kratie, was unavailable for comment when asked to explain the timber transportation offenses mentioned above.

9TH PLCN REPORT Pdf

The government ban on forest patrols has led to a significant increase in forest loss.
Satellite data shows a significant increase in forest loss compared to the preceding year.


Since February 2020, PLCN and other forest defenders have been prevented from entering the forest to monitor illegal logging. While local and indigenous people are excluded from the forest, eye-witnesses describe how illegal loggers are entering and trucks transporting timber are leaving. Combined with satellite images showing vast forest degradation and deforestation events, these reports suggest that:

- Satellite data on forest loss has revealed a correlation between the ban on PLCN patrols and the increase in illegal logging activities by
timber companies operating in the vicinity of Prey Lang.
- This year has demonstrated that the presence of PLCN patrols does deter illegal loggers.
- The lack of community forest patrols has provided the perfect setting for unabatedand uncontrolled deforestation and forest degradation. Furthermore, reliable and transparent on-the-ground information is lacking on the current status of biodiversity, the nature of illegal logging activities, and responsible companies.
Report : https://preylang.net/wp-content/uploads ... Report.pdf

Logging route cut into Cambodia’s Prey Lang from Think Biotech’s concession
by Gerald Flynn | Andy Ball | Meng Kroypunlok on 5 October 2023

A road carved from a reforestation concession into the heart of Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia appears to be facilitating the illegal logging and trafficking of valuable timber, a Mongabay investigation has revealed.
The road originates in the concession of Think Biotech, a company previously implicated in forestry crimes, but its director denies being involved in the new road.
The road had advanced 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the ostensibly protected Prey Lang before authorities ordered a crackdown — one that activists say was just for show and targeted only small-time loggers.
Community groups and activists say Prey Lang’s forests are being decimated at alarming rates, with satellite data showing nearly the same amount of forest cover loss in the past five years as in the previous 18.

STUNG TRENG, Cambodia — A fresh incursion into Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary has added new evidence to mounting allegations of timber laundering by Think Biotech, which exists on paper as a reforestation company producing sustainable wood.

Satellite imagery showed that between April 6 and 9, a fresh path had been crudely cut into Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary from Think Biotech’s 34,000-hectare (84,000-acre) concession, which extends along the border of the protected forest in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces.

Prey Lang is mainland Southeast Asia’s largest lowland evergreen rainforest and a vital carbon sink. The sanctuary spanned nearly 430,000 hectares (1.06 million acres) until August this year, when the Ministry of Environment increased the size of Prey Lang to 489,663 hectares (1.21 million acres).

The expansion of Prey Lang, however, comes after some of the worst years on record for illegal logging in the wildlife sanctuary.

Satellite imagery from April 2023 shows construction of a new road that appears to begin inside Think Biotech’s concession. By April 12, it had cut a meandering path almost 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep into the protected forest of Prey Lang. The path appeared to be bound directly for a cluster of community forests, many of which hold old-growth resin trees that have been sustainably tapped by Indigenous communities for generations.

Satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs shows the development of a new road running from Think Biotech's concession in Cambodia's Stung Treng province into the protected Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. Image by Andrés Alegría / Mongabay.

In a June interview with Mongabay, Think Biotech’s director, Lu Chu Chang, denied being involved in the creation of the new road shooting out of his concession into the protected area.

However, communities have previously complained to USAID through its now-defunct $21 million Greening Prey Lang conservation initiative that Think Biotech — or subcontracted loggers working on its behalf — had pressured the communities, trying to coerce them into selling their resin trees. The communities themselves do not actually own the trees, only the right to tap the resin from them, so even those resin trees that were sold to loggers consensually were cut down illegally.

These complaints came in repeatedly from at least 2019, according to USAID’s reports on Prey Lang, until June 2021, when USAID opted to redirect funding away from the Ministry of Environment due to the continued commercial-scale illegal logging taking place in Prey Lang.

Think Biotech has continuously denied allegations that it’s been involved, but academics, activists, civil society groups, communities and journalists have collectively compiled vast troves of evidence that point to the abuse of Indigenous groups in Prey Lang through illegal logging.
Full article: https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/loggi ... oncession/