Zoe Daniel reported this story
PM, ABC News (Australia)
MARK COLVIN: Environmental activists in Cambodia are opposing a multi-million dollar agribusiness proposal by a company associated with the former treasurer Peter Costello. They say the project will close off an internationally significant wildlife corridor.
The company behind the banana plantation and reforestation project in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains says it will be sustainable while providing jobs and export income.
South East Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel reports.
(Helicopter)
ZOE DANIEL: A journey that would take almost a day by road takes about one hour by chopper from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to the Cardamom Mountains.
Formerly selectively logged, the mountain forests have been regenerating for the last 10 to 15 years.
For the last decade, with its own rangers and government backing, NGO (non government organisation) Wildlife Alliance has been protecting the area from poachers, illegal settling and logging.
Now the NGO's founder Suwanna Gauntlett is opposing the Australian proposal for a 5,000 hectare banana plantation and 20,000 hectare reforestation project. The issue is the location.
SUWANNA GAUNTLETT: As you can see it is a forest with grassland and bushland. It was indeed a former logging concession.
ZOE DANIEL: The company planning the development says there's no forest of value on the site but the unbroken tree link between the two mountain ridges is clearly visible from the air. The area is said to be one of only seven unbroken elephant corridors in Asia and the planned plantation is right on it.
Plans for a high tech, drip irrigated plantation to export bananas as well as a replanting project to give migrating elephants a new pathway have so far failed to win support from critics.
SUWANNA GAUNTLETT: That reforestation that they're talking about doing alongside the banana plantation is also where the company says the elephant corridor will be moved to. So my first answer is no because that is a populated area and elephants will not migrate and move through a populated area. They won't.
ZOE DANIEL: Would it be fair to say that it's the location that you have a problem with? So no matter what safeguards the company put in place, you still won't be happy with the location that they've picked?
SUWANNA GAUNTLETT: I think you've summarised it exactly.
ZOE DANIEL: Australian company BKK Partners is a corporate and financial advisory service. Former treasurer Peter Costello is listed as managing director and partner. The company has an office in Phnom Penh where it's advising Indochina Gateway Capital on developing the $600 million agribusiness investment fund planning the plantation.
Our requests for an interview were declined. The company also denied that Mr Costello's involved in the project, although he was in Cambodia promoting it last year.
PETER COSTELLO (archival audio): One of the things that BKK does is it's managing an investment by Indochina Capital Gateway which is raising funds for a very major agricultural investment here in Cambodia.
ZOE DANIEL: He gave this interview to the Phnom Penh Post which is still on the newspaper's website.
PETER COSTELLO (archival audio): BKK has established a presence here in Phnom Penh. We have a full time resident director.
ZOE DANIEL: Cambodia desperately needs economic development to increase the standard of living. The company says the banana project will generate up to 7,500 jobs. But when we visited local villages they were still unsure whether the impact will be positive.
Village chief Chan Sao told me they hunt and forage in the forest to survive.
(Chan Sao talking in Cambodian)
"Also we can't raise animals in the forest like cows and buffalo if we lose our land," he says. "This is our big concern."
The villagers say that no-one from an Australian company has been to see them. Indochina Gateway submitted a formal application to develop the banana plantation in December and is now awaiting a permit.
In Cambodia this is Zoe Daniel reporting for PM.
4 comments:
Cambodian need development but not shaddy business and definitelly like to have an evironment killer kind of business. And we do not want to have a banana planting in our precious Cadamont mountain. Leave our Cadamont mountain alone. This beautiful mountain not just for Khmer, but for all to enjoy its natural beauties!
people shouldn't be against cambodia's development, etc. i think cambodia should be developed in all field while preserving and conserving wildlife, natural resources, etc at the same time, really! stop denying cambodia good opportunity to develop, even in agriculture, orchards, tropical fruits, etc, etc, ok!
be careful with the western concept of sustainable development because by western standard, sustainable development on part of cambodia can also mean no development at all, you know! cambodia wants and needs developments in all areas, you know! we've been so behind in development and there were a sense of lack of in cambodia for a long time now. so, cambodia must be open up to development, constructions, modern infrastructure, etc, etc, really! cambodia should compete with neighboring countries like youn and siem, and even regional countries, ok!
You should blame more to Vietcong/Yuon businesses which are the worst nightmares to Cambodia's natural resources and forests. Why Australian guy only who are far more better than Vietcong, China and Thailand.
Australian business man know the law and always respect the law and they they stop.
Vietcong/Yuon business crooks are the worst because they don't obey the law including CPP Yuon members as well as illegal Yuon/Vietnamese folks living Cambodia and illegal Yuon commune chiefs. Those needs to be arrested if they did illegally to forests and damaged to Cambodia's natural habitats and so on.
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