Piseth

By Nguon Sovan

Despite rampant logging, mainly involving what Global Witness has called a “kleptocratic elite,” forest sill covers approximately 59 percent of CAmbodia’s total area, claimed Environment Minister Mok Mareth yesterday. The claim was backed by the Forestry Administration although political opposition branded it a barefaced lie.

“Though there is criticism that a lot of forest has been lost, currently forest still covers the area of about 59 percent or 106,810 square km of Cambodia’s area,” Mok Mareth told reporters after a global environment facility national dialogue.

To ensure a stable and balanced environment in Cambodia, the minister said Cambodiaa must have 60 percent forest cover. “We encourage the public to replant tree seedlings feverishly and hope to reach a 60 percent target,” he said, adding that replanting rubber trees or trees for commercial use rather than wild forest would count as reforestation.

The government no longer issues logging concessions and bans the export of timber to protect what remains of Cambodia’s forests, Mok Mareth said.

Director of the Forestry Administration Ty Sokun agreed that 59 percent of Cambodia is forested and said that the target of 60 percent by 2015 was possible.

Tree planting is increasing, said Sokun, with about 10,000 hectares replanted last year and 5 million trees distributed.

Today, logging is small-scale, with common people cutting trees to earn money to support their families, Sokun claimed, rather than the past clear cutting - a change he attributed to improvements in law enforcement.

Jo Scheuer, UNDP country director, said that the wealth of Cambodia’s natural resources, especially forests, have enormous potential to lift people out of poverty and to contribute to sustainable economic growth, if well managed.

Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Kimsour Phirith called the figure a “falsification” to conceal the weakness of the government and to avoid condemnation from donors. “This is a lie,” he alleged. “Even a child knows that the forest in Cambodia is gone.”

In the past, Cambodia had about 70 percent forest coverage Kimsour Phirith said, estimating that there was “probably 20 percent left.”

He said that the lack of large-scale logging is not due to law enforcement, but because most forests are already commercially exhausted and because of strong condemnation from NGOs and donors in the past.

Source - The Mekong Time, Wed, March 26, 2008.