The Zero-Snaring in Cambodia’s Protected Areas campaign has arrived in Kratie, and the environment ministry and wildlife conservationists are calling on local communities to take an active role in safeguarding the province’s forests against the scourge of snaring.
The central campaign was launched in the capital on March 3, as the world celebrated World Wildlife Day, and is due to run through October. It was then rolled out on April 7 in Stung Treng province and, most recently, on May 16 in Preah Vihear province to its west.
Ministry of Environment secretary of state Neth Pheaktra said in a June 18 press statement that his ministry “highly appreciate[s] the joint efforts by all collaborative partners for the previously conducted provincial rallies in Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provinces”.
He said the collaborative work has “sparked the public and stakeholders’ attention and interest in learning more the campaign, while some have already started to help spread the word about it.
“Building on this momentum, may the spirit and value of the Zero-Snaring campaign be remembered and embraced by all Cambodian people and stakeholders to encourage more collective actions toward achieving zero-snaring in Cambodia’s protected areas, eradicating all forms of poaching and ending the illegal wildlife trade,” he underscored.
Pheaktra called on the people to refrain from buying, selling or consuming bushmeat or other wildlife products, and encouraged them to protect Cambodia’s wildlife and natural resources in the interest of conserving the Kingdom’s ecosystems and interconnected systems, spurring ecotourism development, and supporting improvements in local economies.
