Ministry of Environment launches crackdown on natural resource crimes

Eang Sophalleth, Minister of Environment, has reconfirmed a strict order for officials to strengthen law enforcement, prevent, eliminate, and suppress illegal logging, burning, or clearing of forest land, and wildlife hunting in protected areas.

In a meeting with the Senior Management of the Ministry of Environment, including, but not limited to the Directors of the Capital and Provincial Environmental Departments, and the Directors of Protected Areas throughout the country on Thursday, March 14, 2024,Sophalleth reiterated the need to strengthen four measures to control Natural Resources and Biodiversity Conservation for Efficiency and Sustainable Development, which include:

1) Enforcing the law 100% and ending the culture of education, guidance, and contracting, and releasing natural resource perpetrators.

2) Cooperating with the Capital-Provincial Administrative Office, especially with local authorities at all levels, to closely prevent natural resource crime in protected areas.

3) Cooperating with the Anti-Corruption Unit and the National Gendarmerie Command to suppress and prevent natural resource crimes, in addition to cooperation with local authorities.

4) Promoting tree planting more than logging to maintain the growth of forest cover, especially promoting reforestation, which is a priority direction to increase forest cover by 60% by 2050 in accordance with the Pentagon strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia, and promoting community livelihoods, including sustainable biodiversity conservation.

Through this, the Ministry of Environment has launched a campaign on October 10 to provide and plant at least 1 million trees per year from 2024.

On this occasion, Minister Sophalleth said that the Ministry of Environment has been cooperating with ministries, institutions, relevant authorities, and sub-national administrations to take the strictest measures to prevent, eliminate, and suppress all illegal activities in protected areas, in accordance with legal provisions and documents in force.