The Ministry of Environment is planting 17,000 acacia and other kinds of saplings on a 6.5ha area in the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province to improve forest cover.
Minister of Environment Say Samal said the large-scale planting was a further contribution to policies on sustainable management and the conservation of natural resources.
Samal was speaking during a reforestation and plant cloning ceremony on September 19, which included visiting a buffalo breeding farm in the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary.
“Each of our communities should have enough food to eat and be able to enjoy a good standard of living, and this is an important factor in protecting natural resources,” he said.
Samal commended the park rangers and the community, who he hailed as “vital soldiers” who had donated their efforts and time towards protecting natural resources and conserving biodiversity for Cambodia and its people for future generations.
The Ministry of Environment has prepared a 2022-2025 reforestation plan to improve forest cover.
It will also provide park rangers with knowledge and experience in cloning plants, as well as planting and maintenance techniques for plantations.
The plan also aimed at widely disseminating knowledge, techniques and job opportunities.
According to the Ministry of Environment, 17,000 acacia and other kinds of saplings had been cultivated for planting.
Forage grass seeds obtained from the Ministry of Environment had been sown on 6ha of land for 60 buffaloes.
Fifty of the 60 buffaloes had been reared at Khtong and 10 at Ker Pov, with the number of buffaloes increasing by two.
Recent studies by Ministry of Environment biodiversity experts found 12 species of mammal, 18 types of reptile and eight kinds of amphibian in the Phnom Preah Kuhear Luong and the Phnom Totong-Phnom Touch natural heritage sites in Kampot province.
Of these, three are listed as Critically Endangered (CR) and two as Endangered (EN), with a further two are in the Vulnerable (VU) group.
The Ministry of Environment said more species are being scientifically identified and are highly likely to be new, with ministry teams collecting samples for further study.
The study also said the mountains are home to tens of thousands of insect-eating bats, which produce guano as fertiliser worth more than $100,000 a year to those who collect it.
In January 2021, the government issued two sub-decrees. The first was the sub-decree on the forming of the 25ha Phnom Preah Kuhear Luong Natural Heritage Area in Kampot province’s Banteay Meas district.
The second was on establishing the Phnom Totong-Phnom Touch natural heritage site, an 83ha area in Kampot province’s Dang Tong and Banteay Meas districts.
