The Veal O’Kdei forest community, in Kraya commune of Kampong Thom province’s Santuk district, plans to request tree saplings from the Forestry Administration’s (FA) provincial cantonment to reforest more than 500ha that criminals had encroached upon.
Hach Sadam, chief of the community, said on May 19 that the request would be made after the June 5 commune council elections, but he did yet not know how many saplings were required. The replanting was intended to prevent offenders from continuing to clear community forest land, which they had been doing since 2016, despite regular patrols by community members and rangers.
“We will ask the forestry officials for saplings to plant. Loggers no longer dare to come in, but if we don’t plant the land, people will continue to clear it and grow potatoes and cashews,” he said.
He added that the community was made up of seven villages, which housed 1,479 families in the commune. They had forced the offenders to stop logging the forest in secret, after government officials had banned them to no avail. The community had brought 36 cases to court, but had not seen any action from the court.
He said the community forest covers 4,200ha and was of great benefit to the villagers and residents from other nearby communes. They harvested non-timber forest products like vines, medicinal plants, potatoes and fruit. The forest was also home to gibbons, wild boar, rabbits, red munjacs, sambar deers and other endangered animals that should be conserved.
Sadam added that the clearing of the land was attributable to an increased demand for land and businessmen from other provinces had bought the land, often for high prices, and cleared it for their own use. The sales were conducted without the recognition of the authorities.
Kampong Thom Provincial Court spokesman So Sovannareth told The Post on May 19 that he did not remember how many land cases brought by the community had been decided on by a judge, but he would examine court records and report his findings later.
Bun Sothy, head of the FA’s provincial cantonment, welcomed the request. But first he wanted the community to study how many saplings they would need, and decide who would participate in the replanting.
He said his officials often patrolled the area to stop the illegal activity, but the teams clearing the land were often warned in advance of patrols, because they had positioned lookouts on the roads leading to the forest.
“We stepped up patrols in the forest once the request for intervention was made by the community. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the forest is near to the road, the lookouts notify the men doing the work. As soon as we approach, they withdraw, so our forces have been unable to catch them,” he said.
