Written by Cheang Sokha and Tracey Shelton
The Phnom Penh Post
An Australian company exploring for minerals in Virachey National Park is reported to have asked villagers to build helicopter landing pads in the forests of the ecologically rich, ASEAN heritage-listed site, highlighting fears that Cambodia's nascent mining sector will undo conservation efforts in the country's fragile environment.
Yang Ke, 48, a member of the Proeu minority, said the request was made last month as he guided representatives of Indochine Resources Ltd., on a visit to the park, which straddles the borders of northeastern Ratanakkiri and Stung Treng provinces.
"We spent two nights traveling in the jungle from my home to the exploration site," Ke told the Post in an interview at his bamboo house in Taveng district, about 50 kilometers from the Ratanakkiri provincial capital, Banlung.
He said the company officials had asked villagers to clear four different landing sites for helicopters because of the difficulty of traveling through the thickly forested park.
An Indochine Resources spokesman, who asked not to be named, said the exploration work was taking place under a permit granted by Ministry of Industry, Mine and Energy in 2007, and with the permission of the Ministry of Environment.
The spokesman said that while he could not say when mining operations might begin, partly because of the difficulty of access, the company recognized that the project would affect the environment.
"But we will try to minimize the impact and our project is strictly monitored by officials at the park."
Environmentalists, however, worry that mining in the park could seriously damage the Se San River and its tributaries.
“The river system in Virachey is one of the most pristine and unique in all of Cambodia,” said David Emmett, the deputy regional director of Conservation International, which has conducted surveys in the park for the last three years.
"The river contains species that don’t exist anywhere else on earth," he said.
"If runoff from mining was to change the water's pH level the whole ecosystem could collapse.”
Emmett said camera traps and surveys have identified populations of rare otters, turtles and frogs, endangered water lizards and pythons and fish species previously unrecorded in Cambodia.
Yang Ke, 48, a member of the Proeu minority, said the request was made last month as he guided representatives of Indochine Resources Ltd., on a visit to the park, which straddles the borders of northeastern Ratanakkiri and Stung Treng provinces.
"We spent two nights traveling in the jungle from my home to the exploration site," Ke told the Post in an interview at his bamboo house in Taveng district, about 50 kilometers from the Ratanakkiri provincial capital, Banlung.
He said the company officials had asked villagers to clear four different landing sites for helicopters because of the difficulty of traveling through the thickly forested park.
An Indochine Resources spokesman, who asked not to be named, said the exploration work was taking place under a permit granted by Ministry of Industry, Mine and Energy in 2007, and with the permission of the Ministry of Environment.
The spokesman said that while he could not say when mining operations might begin, partly because of the difficulty of access, the company recognized that the project would affect the environment.
"But we will try to minimize the impact and our project is strictly monitored by officials at the park."
Environmentalists, however, worry that mining in the park could seriously damage the Se San River and its tributaries.
“The river system in Virachey is one of the most pristine and unique in all of Cambodia,” said David Emmett, the deputy regional director of Conservation International, which has conducted surveys in the park for the last three years.
"The river contains species that don’t exist anywhere else on earth," he said.
"If runoff from mining was to change the water's pH level the whole ecosystem could collapse.”
Emmett said camera traps and surveys have identified populations of rare otters, turtles and frogs, endangered water lizards and pythons and fish species previously unrecorded in Cambodia.
6 comments:
There is no problem with Cambodia environment, but there is problem with current Khmer living condition. We'll need all sorts of resources to bail us out. Go, go, go. Fuck the stupid activists.
usually, i only hear about cambodian company violating the law, now foreign company? it goes to show that everybody, regardless of national, is prone to violation and perhaps corruption in cambodia, too. so, i would make such a big fuss or deal only about cambodia, just to be fair to cambodia. thank you.
on the same note, it is illegal to do anything to alternate or change the property of the national park of cambodia. this company should be fined by the gov't. thank you.
That is impossible. Cambodia doesn't know how to extract oil from the ocean, nor do we know how to extract gold, tin, ..., and Aluminum from the mountain. Thus, we need foreigners help for that.
what is the use of moneys if all resourses that keep the country charming and being pride etc.have gone?
instead of growing more and more forests ,why try to destroy it?
to compare it with neibours countries,cambodia is the one that is the less resourse.
most of the area along all the raods in khmerland,what scenary we can see is just plain field,the earth only,there is so little try.not beautiful as other crountries.
7:04 AM...Are u sure u have some travelling in Cambodia..?? How could u compare with her neighbours and said Cambo has less resources..?? Just one thing u should know..! Neighbours are higher developed, means they used up much of thier resources.. Cambodia hasn't been well developed, means she is rich of unexlpored/discovered resources. That's why giant foreign cops like Chevron, BHP Biliton, South Australia Gold miners are eying Cambodia..!! We cambodia shoudl cares is to make sure she get a sustainable development..!! But ur concerns is also appreciated..!! Sic.
What good is a charming country if we're all starved to dead, 7:04?
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