Pledges made for efforts to protect Cambodia's wildlife from hunters

RATANAKIRI, Cambodia－Officials and conservationists in Cambodia said on Sunday that wildlife is a key contributor to the development of ecotourism in the country, urging people to stop hunting and trading in order to protect wildlife species from extinction.

"Wildlife plays a crucial role in sustaining the ecological system. The loss of wildlife and biodiversity causes imbalances in the ecosystem," said Cambodian Ministry of Environment's secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra during the Zero-Snaring Campaign event held in far northeast Ratanakiri Province.

"We will further commit our collective efforts to end the snaring crisis, while urging all wild meat consumers to say no to bushmeat and participate in conserving all wildlife animal species."

Pheaktra called on people to stop poaching wildlife in protected areas in order to create a safe haven for wildlife and biodiversity, and to support ecosystem sustainability.

Seng Teak, country director of World Wildlife Fund Cambodia, said Cambodia is the leading country in the Southeast Asian region to take concrete action to tackle the snaring crisis, which is a major driver of wildlife decline and extinction of some important wild animal species.

"Collective actions are needed to address this crisis, coupled with implementing environmental education and public awareness programs, strengthening law enforcement efforts, increasing the penalties for wildlife criminals, and developing more alternative livelihood initiatives for local communities," he said.

Bou Vorsak, chief executive officer of NatureLife Cambodia which has supported management and conservation activities in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces since 2005, said the monitoring result showed that hunting is increasing in the last few years.

Awareness campaign

"We have worked with all stakeholders, including economic land concession holders, to conduct awareness about laws and importance of wildlife conservation and also support rangers and local communities to conduct law enforcement patrol and remove the snares from key habitats," he said.

Tuy Sereivathana, program director of Wild Earth Allies Cambodia, said Cambodia is known as one of the biodiversity hot spots, and some Cambodian biodiversity has been under pressure from threats.

From January to mid-August, some 26,588 snares had been removed from 76 protected areas and biodiversity corridors across the country, according to the Ministry of Environment.

The Zero-Snaring Campaign, which began in March, covers six target provinces, said a news release, adding that Ratanakiri is the sixth and last province to hold this campaign before the wrap-up in the capital Phnom Penh in October.

Xinhua