NEW VIDEO: Forest Destruction Drives Elephants Out of the Jungle

Recently, a private company received a permit to clear 27,000 acres of forest along Road 48 for a rubber plantation.  As work proceeded and more and more jungle was destroyed, Wildlife Alliance received word that herds of wild elephants were being driven out of the jungle and visiting the workmen’s camps.  Company workers at three different forest clearing sites reported that herds of elephants had been coming to the camps at night and staying until dawn. 

With this knowledge, Wildlife and Alliance explored the forest area further and found evidence of another herd was living 30km south of the encampments.  This herd lost their home base a year ago when a 20km stretch of rainforest along the coast was cleared.  This herd of 20-30 elephants came to entrance of Tanun village—located next to the area of cleared forest—last week.  Villagers reported to WA that this was the first time elephants had ever been seen this close to the village.  A large male with ivory tusks has been seen there three times in the last week and was caught on camera by one of the villagers.  With each reappearance, he became a larger threat to the village while also presenting as an easy target for poaching to sell his ivory tusks.  Plans were hatched to kill him.  That’s when Wildlife Alliance stepped in.

CEO Suwanna Gauntlett flew to the area to meet with villagers and company workers to get details on exactly what was going on.  She then met with the provincial and company military police as they are the most likely to perpetrate the killing as well as the only force capable of preventing it.  In a presentation made to company workers, WA reminded them that killing elephants is illegal and passed out flyers to help reinforce this idea.  For now, the situation remains peaceful.

The Southern Cardamom Mountains are home to one of Asia’s last seven remaining elephant corridors.  Wildlife Alliance’s work to end elephant poaching and preserve the corridor has led to a 98% reduction to elephant deaths—only four have been killed in the last ten years.  However, elephants have never been seen this close to human settlements in the Cardamoms before.  This means that deforestation continues and that elephant deaths at the hands of humans and due to loss of habitat could rise.  It is vital that WA continue its work protecting the forest in order to insure the survival of the Asian elephant in Cambodia.

Saving Cambodia's Largest Rainforest

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Community-Based Ecotourism Launches in Trapeang Rung

The morning of August 5, 2011 dawned cool and misty in Trapeang Rung commune in southwestern Cambodia. But a buzz permeated this normally sleepy village along Road 48. Government authorities, including those from the Forestry Administration, the Ministry of Tourism, and local government gathered around Wildlife Alliance’s CBET office to celebrate the opening of the Trapeang Rung CBET project to visitors.

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Reforestation program doesn't slow down in the rainy season

During the intense rains of the monsoon season, planting is impossible. But Wildlife Alliance’s reforestation program continues its work with native tree species, at the Million Tree Nursery in Chi Phat Commune. Chi Phat is a core project area near our Community-Based Ecotourism project, Wildlife Rehabilitation Station, and forest protection programs.

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Learn About the Threat to Key Tropical Forest Corridor Presented by Banana Plantation

Wildlife Alliance is doing everything we can to positively influence the Cambodian government and Australian firm Indochina Gateway Capital Limited to not move forward with a…

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A school visit with the Kouprey Express

Have you ever wondered what goes on when our Kouprey Express mobile environmental education unit visits a school? This March our education bus pulled up to the Angkor Phnom Klong and Veal primary schools in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains to give teachers and students valuable lessons in environmental protection and sanitation.

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Victory! Destructive Titanium Mine Denied Permission to Move Forward

In a huge reversal, Cambodian Prime Minister Sandech Hun Sen has announced that a strip mine previously approved in the heart of an elephant corridor in the Southern Cardamom Mountains will not go forward.

On Friday morning, the Council of Ministers—essentially the executive branch of the Cambodian government—met in a full session. According to a press release issued after that meeting, Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed the full session and announced that a 4,400 hectare titanium mine would not be permitted to go ahead.

“Due to the concerns of the impact on the environment, biodiversity and local livelihoods [Prime Minister] Hun Sen has announced to not permit the titanium mining operation that is located in Koh Kong province,” the press release read.

Wildlife Alliance has been combating this titanium mine proposed by United Khmer Group since the very beginning. In addition to being located in dense evergreen rainforest, the strip mine was directly in the midst of a thriving ecotourism project we started by Wildlife Alliance in 2007. The government originally approved the mine in February of this year, so this latest announcement came as a welcome surprise.

“We are elated by the decision of Prime Minister Hun Sen. It is incredibly encouraging to see that the prime minister has looked so deeply into this proposed titanium mine and taken the effort to weigh the consequences that this project would have on the rainforest and the local people,” said Wildlife Alliance CEO Suwanna Gauntlett. “United Khmer Group had promised staggering revenues for the government, and we applaud the courageous decision of the prime minister to see the greater value of the forest as it currently stands.”

United Khmer Group had projected revenues of more than $1.3 billion for the mine despite having never done a scientific analysis of the proposed mining area. If it had been allowed to go ahead with the strip mine it was questionable as to whether it would be profitable. But it is certain that it would have had disastrous effects on the community of Chi Phat and the ecotourism project Wildlife Alliance and the local people have developed.

Chi Phat’s natural beauty has been the subject of numerous international articles in recent months, including a large write-up in the New York Times. But all this attention would have been for naught if the Chi Phat’s trails and scenic waterfalls had been replaced by mining pits and industrial runoff.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s decision today is a major victory for conservation in one of the largest contiguous rainforests in Southeast Asia, but threats persist. Not too far away from the proposed mine, an Australian firm is looking to set up a banana plantation that would sever the elephant corridor. But after seeing this responsible move by the Cambodian government today, we are moving forward more confident that the cause of conservation and sustainable development can come out on top in that struggle as well.

Celebrate World Water Day

Water is essential for life.  Yet an overwhelming number of people in the world—an estimated 1 in 8 according to the United Nations—do not have a regular supply of clean water. 

In the Southern Cardamoms, water is essential not only for regular consumption but also for the protection of forests and wildlife and the daily business of almost everyone in the community.

Koh Kong province is home to over 100 miles of coastal mangroves and fisheries, hundreds of miles of inland fisheries and 8 major waterways.  These waterways, fed by the coastal salt water and the inland fresh water, provide rich networks of aquatic nurseries where fish, crabs and shrimp flourish.  Fishermen and shrimp harvesters provide food and income for their families.

Rich biodiversity has developed in the coastal mangroves, and protecting the vulnerable species requires careful management and protection of the waterways.

Farmers, trained and equipped by Wildlife Alliance, tap into these sources to supplement annual rainfall and ensure their crops thrive.  They feed their families and sell their goods in the local communities.  Their access to water ensures the food security for the entire region.

Still other communities have partnered with Wildlife Alliance staff to develop a growing ecotourism industry, depending on the beauty and outdoor activities the winding waterways provide.

Communities, forests and wildlife all owe their life to effective water and forest management.  A watershed protection approach implemented by Wildlife Alliance and the Forestry Administration has proven incredibly effective in preserving the region.

The Southern Cardamoms currently have the slowest rate of deforestation in the country.  This was made possible by the generosity of friends around the world and the hard work of our staff on the ground.

As we celebrate World Water Day, consider making a gift to enable Wildlife Alliance to continue to preserve vital watersheds that sustain forests, wildlife and communities.

Some Burning Examples of Why the Protection We Provide Is So Important

Fires rage through forest in Cambodia’s Southern Cardamom Mountains as part of an effort to clear the land in this globally important habitat. This area being cleared sits just outside the regions protected by Wildlife Alliance.Wildlife Alliance is the reason that Cambodia’s Southern Cardamom Mountains are still home to one of Asia’s largest rainforests. The photos in this entry are a sampling of what is occurring to the rainforest immediately outside of our project area. All of these images are from a recent aerial survey of areas in and around the Southern Cardamom Mountains. Without our presence, this globally significant forest would meet the same fate in no time.

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Fact Finders and Conflicts of Interest: The Fight Against Destructive Titanium Mine Continues

The struggle to prevent a destructive mine from opening in an important Cambodian rain forest habitat continued this week with Wildlife Alliance and the mining company trading views in front of a government investigative committee. The Tuesday/Wednesday meeting with the committee paves the way for a final decision on the massive mine to be made next week.

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A Long-Awaited Move to Prevent Illegal Forest Encroachment in the Cardamoms

After two years of lobbying by Wildlife Alliance, the government of Cambodia’s Koh Kong province has made a tremendous step this week toward creating a plan that will hopefully preserve vast tracts of rainforest currently subject to rampant destruction in part because nobody has clearly marked the boundaries of protected areas. A newly created committee is now set to begin work create land-use plans to deal with forest encroachment in three key areas of the province.

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The Law Applies to Everyone, Including the District Governor

The rich and powerful in Cambodia often utilize their connections or open their wallets to subvert the rule of law. With such corruption and impunity rampant, how can it be expected that ordinary citizens will play by the rules when those that lead them feel no need to do so. Therefore it was both a disappointment and a significant achievement when SWEC rangers caught a powerful district governor illegally transporting the meat of a wild animal this week.

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