M O R E R A R E A N D E N D A N G E R E D S P E C I E S

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA

Rare and endangered species,including large mammals are being found in increasingly large numbers throughout Cambodia’sprotected forests and ecotourism areas, according to Non-Government Organization officers and Government offi cial.

Keo Sopheak, Senior Project Officer with WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Cambodia told the Cambodia
Weekly that based on the evidence of camera traps, endangered species including wild buffaloes, tigers, Asian elephants and bears were thriving in the protected forest areas of Mondulkiri
province. Sopheak has worked for eight years with WWF Cambodia, five of them in the field at WWF
Cambodia’s Wildlife Conservation Project based in Mondulkiri province.

Sopheak said that according to observations conducted in 2007, up to fifty wild water buffaloes, perhaps one hundred elephants and fi ve tigers stalked the forests in Koh Nhek and Pichreada districts, Mondulkiri.

He continued, “When we brought guests to visit these protected forest areas, we rarely saw these endangered animals. Now, when we go there, we see herds of animals grazing and the occasional tiger loitering with intent.”
“Since we based our project there, about 70 percent of the area’s endangered species have been conserved and their survival assured. I think that if the Cambodian government has the will to protect wildlife, we can extend our conservation drives to cover all of Cambodia’s precious wildlife,”

Men Soryun, Project Manager with the Wild Life Conservation Society, was able to confirm this welcome news.
“According to our camera traps we find more examples of different kinds of endangered animals in the protected animal-forest areas on a daily basis. It’s accurate to say that our nation has become a safe haven for the region’s
endangered wildlife.” However, the Project Manager pointed out that although wild animal
populations were increasing and endangered species being conserved, some rare and endangered species were lost to Cambodia, such as the rhino and the kou prey.

Soryun explained that during Cambodia’s civil war, most of Cambodia’s stock of rare species was destroyed. That which remained fl ed, crossing the borders of Cambodia to hide and live in thick forests of neighboring countries including Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Now, Cambodia is at peace, the shooting and illegal hunting has ended and forest areas are being conserved and protected. This has created the right environment for a welcome return of the birds and animals to their ancestral forests in Cambodia. The single greatest threat to the wildlife of Cambodia remains hunting, both to supply the international demand for animal products, and opportunistic hunting to serve internal or local markets.

He added that as security conditions improve, these activities, as well as logging of the remaining semi-evergreen forest is increasing rapidly. The localized and seasonal nature of essential resources such as bodies of fresh water and mineral licks also makes the illegal hunter’s job easier. Therefore, protection of these sites a necessity, if Cambodia’s biodiversity is to be preserved.

According to an anonymous officer of the Forestry Administration Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, reports show that conservation projects in Kampong Thom, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear, Koh Kong, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Kratie and Mondulkiri provinces are proving successful.

The Offi cer told the Cambodia Weekly that wild animal populations are increasing as a result of action taken to curtail the activities of illegal hunters. In addition, the people of Cambodia understood the behavior of their native fauna and were willing to share the wisdom with concerned NGOs.

He said that all the hard work to encourage biodiversity in Cambodia was worth it, both in terms of the revenue created by ecotourism and in terms of the sense of national wellbeing created by a beautiful, diverse and well maintained natural environment. (CW)