Activist records destruction of Cambodian protected forest, tree by tree

The destruction of the forest is recorded with forensic precision.


Environmental activist Ma Chetra photographs the stump of each felled tree. In each shot, there’s a global positioning device to display each tree’s coordinates and a tape measure showing the width of each trunk – up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) in some cases.


The evidence appears indisputable that about 200 towering sentinels of the Preah Roka Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province have been cut down. Ma Chetra’s video shows felled tree trunks waiting to be dragged away, already-sawn timbers and charred remains where loggers appear to have set controlled fires to remove undergrowth.

It’s the kind of destruction that has dogged Cambodia for decades, denuding some of richest forests in mainland Southeast Asia. During 2023 alone, it lost 121,000 hectares (300,000 acres) of forest — an area equivalent to the size of Los Angeles, according to a report by the University of Maryland in the U.S. and Global Forest Watch.


And Preah Roka is meant to be a protected area. The 90 square kilometer (35 square mile) sanctuary was set up in 2016 to preserve the region’s biodiversity and support sustainable forest use by the local community. A recent study found this and adjoining sanctuaries support dozens of wild elephants.


Prime Minister Hun Manet has, in fact, vowed to stop the destruction of Cambodia’s forests. In December 2023, Four months after taking office, he thanked Cambodians for sharing evidence of illegal logging on his Facebook page and told Ministry of Environment officials they already had the power to stop the practice.


He used martial language to drive the point home.


“You have swords in your hands. I still stand behind you. You need to implement the law,” the prime minister told assembled ministry officials.


Fast forward 17 months, and Ma Chetra and other environmental activists and members of the indigenous Kuy community publicized evidence from a May 5-7 survey of Preah Roka, complete with video and a mosaic of pictures of each sawn tree stump.


The Ministry of Environment was not pleased.


After RFA Khmer broadcast an interview with Ma Chetra on May 9 about the findings, the ministry responded. In a May 10 statement, it dismissed the claims of illegal logging as false. It alleged that RFA Khmer had used outdated images and information. The ministry appeared to threaten legal action against the activist.


“A person named Ma Chetra often enters protected areas without permission, creates false information, intentionally incites, attempts to cause social unrest, and promotes the politics of illegal groups abroad,” the statement said, defending the conduct of its own officials.


“Park rangers in protected areas have implemented their roles and responsibilities with high responsibility,” the statement said.

On May 12, the Kuy community issued its own findings, endorsing what Ma Chettra said based on the May 5-7 survey. They had discovered that both small and large trees—such as beng, raing and sokrom varieties – had been felled. Trunk diameters ranged from 50 to 150 centimeters. Most logging activities, it said, were found in areas known as Chorm Teuk Khmao, O’Skach, and O’Rumsae. The team also found logging camps, chainsaws, and various spare parts used for logging operations.


The Kuy community said this was severely impacting their traditional customs, cultural practices, and daily livelihoods, which depend on forest resources such as tree resin, fruit and wild honey.


A young Kuy activist, Khak Pharithmasi, told RFA that he regrets the ministry’s accusations against Ma Chetra, especially since it has not yet thoroughly investigated the matter.


“For the sake of transparency, environmental officials should investigate thoroughly before drawing any conclusions. Any accusation must be based on a full investigation. Just because Ma Chetra posted something on Facebook doesn’t justify accusing him without proper inquiry,” said Khak Pharithmasi.

Ma Chetra said the report from the Kuy community reflected the reality on the ground. He called on the government and the Ministry of Environment to investigate why its lower-level officials have failed to suppress illegal logging activities.


“We produced a video, yet they did not even visit the site before declaring it false,” Ma Chetra told RFA Khmer.


He is no stranger to Preah Roka sanctuary. He participated in another survey four years ago that exposed more than 100 cases of illegal logging there.


Illegal logging is endemic in Cambodia. According to the group Global Forest Watch, the country lost 34 percent of its primary forest between 2002 and 2023, and a similar proportion of its tree cover over the same period.


Most of the destruction happened during the tenure of Hun Sen, the current Senate president, who was prime minister from 1985 to 2023. He also used tough language, if not tough action, against illegal logging.


In 2016, Hun Sen called for rocket attacks against illegal loggers and famously promised to cut off his own head if the practice continued under his watch.

Activist records destruction of Cambodian ‘protected’ forest, tree by tree – Radio Free Asia