Cambodia Burning [2020]
324 images Created 27 Feb 2020
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Deforestation has been accelerating across Cambodia in the early 21st Century and it is estimated that there is only 3% of primary forest left throughout the country.
In 2018, fires burnt in record numbers throughout the forests of north and central Cambodia. At their peak during the dry season between January and March, it is estimated up to 1,800 fires were burning in the country, more than in any other country throughout South East Asia at that time.
The main drivers behind deforestation in Cambodia are conversion of forest lands for agricultural use and targeted logging of valuable species, such as Rosewood, for the Asian furniture markets.
Rubber plantations are the most ubiquitous and are spread throughout the country. According to the Khymer Times, "the Southeast Asian nation made a gross revenue of roughly 377 million U.S. dollars from exports of the commodity last year [2019]." Exports are mainly to countries such as China, Singapore and Malaysia. Large swathes of Cambodia's natural forests have been cleared to make way for plantations that generate large revenues for the government.
The Cambodian government also continues to grant concessions to domestic and international companies that allow them to legally clear the country’s forests for agricultural purposes, or to target the country’s trees for harvesting timber.
Decades of forest clearance have decimated the country’s biodiversity. Iconic animals such as tigers and elephants have long since been eradicated from most of the country’s forests.
National-level protection is weak and it now seems only small independent groups of conservationists are the last line of defence trying to protect what is left of Cambodia’s once great forests.
Deforestation has been accelerating across Cambodia in the early 21st Century and it is estimated that there is only 3% of primary forest left throughout the country.
In 2018, fires burnt in record numbers throughout the forests of north and central Cambodia. At their peak during the dry season between January and March, it is estimated up to 1,800 fires were burning in the country, more than in any other country throughout South East Asia at that time.
The main drivers behind deforestation in Cambodia are conversion of forest lands for agricultural use and targeted logging of valuable species, such as Rosewood, for the Asian furniture markets.
Rubber plantations are the most ubiquitous and are spread throughout the country. According to the Khymer Times, "the Southeast Asian nation made a gross revenue of roughly 377 million U.S. dollars from exports of the commodity last year [2019]." Exports are mainly to countries such as China, Singapore and Malaysia. Large swathes of Cambodia's natural forests have been cleared to make way for plantations that generate large revenues for the government.
The Cambodian government also continues to grant concessions to domestic and international companies that allow them to legally clear the country’s forests for agricultural purposes, or to target the country’s trees for harvesting timber.
Decades of forest clearance have decimated the country’s biodiversity. Iconic animals such as tigers and elephants have long since been eradicated from most of the country’s forests.
National-level protection is weak and it now seems only small independent groups of conservationists are the last line of defence trying to protect what is left of Cambodia’s once great forests.
