Speak Truth To Power (“Courage without Borders”) Series - Wangari Maathai (Kenya) “Women and the Environment”

Speak Truth To Power (“Courage without Borders”) Series - Wangari Maathai (Kenya) “Women and the Environment”
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Secret titanium mine threatens Cambodia's most untouched forest

Cardamom Mountain Range waterfall popular with ecotourists. Photo courtesy of the Wildlife Alliance.
Map of the mining area. Click image to enlarge.
American tourists on birdwatching tour led from Chi Phat
Spoonbills in flight photographed from helicopter. Photos courtesy of the Wildlife Alliance.
Forest Cover Statistics
Khmer burial jars (300-500 years old) in one of 12 known archaeological sites in the Cardamoms. Photo courtesy of the Wildlife Alliance.
Map of the mining area. Click image to enlarge.

September 01, 2010
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com

Although the mining consortium, United Khmer Group, has been drawing up plans to build a massive titanium mine in a Cambodian protected forest for three years, the development did not become public knowledge until rural villagers came face-to-face with bulldozers and trucks building access roads. Reaction against the secret mine was swift as environmentalists feared for the impacts on wildlife and the rivers, local villagers saw a looming threat to their burgeoning eco-tourism trade, and Cambodian newspapers began to question statements by the mining corporation. While the government has suspended the roadwork to look more closely at the mining plans, Cambodians wait in uncertainty over the fate of one of most isolated and intact ecosystems in Southeast Asia: the Cardamom Mountains.

Spreading over some 2 million hectares (5 million acres) the Cardamom Mountains contain a startling biodiversity, including some 250 bird species, half of those recorded in Cambodia. Rare species such as Malayan sun bears, Indochinese tigers, pileated gibbons, and Siamese crocodiles inhabit the region. The largest population of Asian elephants in Cambodia, numbering about a hundred individuals, also roams this region.

If built, the titanium mine will stretch some 15,000 to 20,000 hectares (37,000 to 50,000 acres) of the Cardamom Mountains. Construction of the pit will require deforestation and burial of vast amounts of waste; such waste often results in the destruction or pollution of important waterways.

Michael Zwirn, head of Wildlife Alliance's US operations, described the impact to wildlife in the region as "very serious", adding that the mine would particularly imperil freshwater species, such as the Siamese crocodile, which is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. In addition, the mine will sit right in the middle of an elephant migration route, endangering a quarter of Cambodia's wild elephants.

For locals the announcement of a mine in their backyard could not come at a worse time. The village of Chi Phat has spent years developing sustainable eco-tourism in the region. Many of the locals have left off poaching and logging for tourism and their efforts had begun to pay off: Lonely Planet, one of the most recognized travel guide companies in the world, named the area, known also as the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor, among the "World’s Top 10 Regions for 2010".

Villagers are currently working with Wildlife Alliance on a new lodge to attract even more tourists to the once little-visited site. The conservation organization has spent over half a million US dollars to build an eco-tourism base in the area.

According to Zwirn, the town of Chi Phat is "almost universally opposed to the mine" since "communities have staked their economic development on environmentally friendly tourism". Seven hundred and sixty-six villagers, including the village chief, have already signed a petition against the mine for Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In face of opposition it has become increasingly unclear as to the status of the mine. Zwirn says that in Cambodian "ministries have sent very contradictory signals".

"It's not clear who's making some of these decisions, and it's not even clear what some of these decisions are. It's not clear how the process is being made."

Zwirn adds that a significant portion of the government appears to oppose the mine, but that may not be enough to stop it. According to reports the mine was initially approved by the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, yet the ultimate decision rests with the Ministry of Commerce.

"This is a perfect example of unplanned and uncoordinated development," Suwanna Gauntlett, CEO of Wildlife Alliance, said in a statement.

Not only the government, but the mining corporation has also faced criticism. The CEO of United Khmer Group, Chea Chet, stated that the mine would raise revenues of 2,500 US dollars a ton. However, the Phnom Penh Post, which calls Chet's assertion "frankly absurd", reports that titanium has been selling for less than a third that amount.

"Even if the ultimate revenues are far less than they promised they are still making money," Zwirn explains. No matter what profits the company makes it's not certain those funds would stay in Cambodia: Zwirn says that the project is being backed by Vietnamese and Chinese interests, but the company has refused to disclose the names of the private investors involved in the project.

In addition, questions have been raised as to the amount of ilmenite, which is the mineral mined for titanium production, in the area. Chea Chet has stated that United Khmer Group expects to pull up 120 million tonnes. Yet, Wildlife Alliance counters that the area was explored by another mining company, Omsaura, which estimated that only 2.5 million tonnes would be available, about 2 percent of Chet's claim.

Zwrin says that the company is playing "classic bait and switch". By "vastly overstating the [expected] revenues" United Khmer Group is using visions of riches to pressure the government for approval.
Conservationists fear that if this titanium mine is approved it will open the door to a variety of industrial projects in the region ultimately devastating one of Southeast Asia's last pristine forests. The Phnom Penh Post reports that if the titanium mine is successfully approved, China is planning three to four more mines covering 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) in the Cardamom Mountains.

Endangered species found in the Cardamom Mountains according to the IUCN Red List:

• Asian elephant (Elephas maximums): Endangered
• Banteng (Bos javanicus): Endangered
• Burmese python (Python molurus): Near Threatened
• Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa): Vulnerable
• Dhole (Cuon alpinus): Endangered
• Frog-faced softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii): Endangered
• Gaur (Bos gaurus): Vulnerable
• Green peafowl (Pavo muticus): Endangered
• Indochinese tiger ( Panthera tigris corbetti): Endangered
• Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus): Vulnerable
• Pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus): Endangered
• Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis): Critically Endangered
• Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata): Vulnerable
• Southwest Chinese serow (Capricornis sumatraensis): Near Threatened

Singapore hits back over sand report

Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Sebastian Strangio and Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

SINGAPORE has rejected the findings of a new report contending that its sand export trade with Cambodia is taking place without regard for “devastating” environmental and social impacts.

The report, released Monday by international graft watchdog Global Witness, claims sand exports have spiked despite a ban on exports announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen last year. It also says Singapore has done little to ensure that its sand suppliers abide by international environmental standards.

In a statement issued Monday, Singapore’s Ministry of National Development (MND) dismissed the allegations in the report.

“This is not true. We are committed to the protection of the global environment, and we do not condone the illegal export or smuggling of sand, or any extraction of sand that is in breach of the source countries’ laws and rules on environmental protection,” the statement said. “We have not received any official notice on the ban of sand exports from Cambodia,” it added.

The Global Witness report estimates that as much as 796,000 tonnes of sand is being removed each month from Koh Kong province, the epicentre of a sand trade worth an estimated $248 million annually in Singapore.

The group says the city-state’s appetite for sand, which is used in reclamation projects, is fuelling a “corrupt and environmentally disastrous” sand industry that has damaged Cambodian fish stocks and threatens long-term damage to its riverine and marine ecosystems.

Singapore’s MND, however, said that Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry that procures sand for government projects, requires its Singaporean suppliers to “comply with local legal procedures” in sourcing sand.

Contracts drawn up by JTC, it stated, include clauses obliging suppliers and their local partners to act in accordance with the “laws, rules, regulations and policies” of host countries and to dredge without causing “adverse” environmental impacts.

“JTC regularly sends out firm reminders to the sand vendors to observe the regulations and requirements of the source countries, especially those pertaining to environmental concerns,” the statement added. It warned that offending companies would be held to account under Singaporean law.

But Global Witness questioned the extent to which Singapore had taken steps to ensure the transparency of its trade with Cambodia, given Singapore’s apparent awareness of its effects elsewhere in the region.

“Singapore’s demand for sand has already had a negative impact in other countries in the region – which have subsequently banned exports due to environmental concerns,” the group said in an emailed statement to the Post on Tuesday, calling for more to be done to ensure transparency.

“Global Witness is calling upon Singapore to do the right thing by suspending all imports of sand from Cambodia until the concerns raised in [its report] are addressed,” it said.

The statement also said it was “strange” that Singaporean officials were not informed of Cambodia’s sand ban, since the city-state was the primary market for Cambodian sand. It also pointed out that a government agency – the Building and Construction Authority – made a statement to the press after the ban was announced.

When contacted Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said he could not comment on whether news of the ban was relayed to Singapore.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the government did not notify Singapore about the ban, because “legal companies are still continuing sand exports”. “We banned only the illegal sand-dredging companies,” he said.

Mao Hak, director general of the Department of Hydrology and River Works at the Ministry of Water Resources, said a ban is still in place, but that certain coastal areas are exempt.

“Sand was completely banned for export, but we excepted some areas in the ocean that do not cause impacts to the environment and where mineral resources” could be replenished, he said.

The damage caused by Singapore's insatiable thirst for land

Sand extraction in areas like Koh Kong province in Cambodia is causing widespread ecological damage
Sand being dredged in the Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary, recognised as an internationally significant wetland and home to endangered species

11th May, 2010
Tom Levitt
Ecologist

While logging and deforestation has gained global attention the growing sand mining sector is being largely ignored. Fuelled by Singapore’s land and construction demands it is wreaking environmental destruction across south-east Asia
The fast growing market for sand in south-east Asia, particularly from Singapore, is being linked to widespread damage to coastal ecosystems and fish stocks.

The densely populated state of Singapore has expanded in size by more than 20 per cent since the 1960s by reclaiming vast amounts of land from the sea, in doing so becoming the world’s biggest importer of sand – 14.2 million tonnes in 2008.



Most of its exports have come from neighbouring Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam but all three have now attempted to limit or ban exports of sand. With plans to expand its surface area by a further 7 per cent by 2020, Singapore is becoming increasingly reliant on another one of its neighbours, Cambodia, to meet its demand.

Although Cambodia publicly maintains that it has banned sand exports, an investigation by the NGO Global Witness has estimated that 796,000 tonnes of sand with a retail value of US$248 million are still being extracted and exported to Singapore every year from just one province, Koh Kong.


Ecological damage

The extraction is coming at a significant environmental cost. Dredging reduces water quality by increasing turbidity, blocking sunlight and killing off plant life, including seagrass and coral. Sand extraction also disrupts natural sedimentary regimes causing increased erosion and greater flood risks. There have also been reports of significant declines in fish stocks.

Campaigners are now worried that the rapid rise in sand mining activity in Cambodia could see the Koh Kong province in particular meet the same fate as Indonesia’s Riau Islands. Over-extraction there led to significant damage to coral reefs and entire islands disappearing, forcing the authorities to ban sand exports back in 2007.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen, did announce a ban on sand exports last year but Global Witness later found this only covered river sand and not seabed sand. It claims the sector is rife with corruption and largely controlled by individuals close to the ruling elite in the country. 



Sand dredging licences, Global Witness maintains, are being allocated inside protected mangrove and seagrass habitats. Local newspapers have also reported villagers being attacked and killed during forced evictions from areas of increased sand extraction.


‘Ultimately the people who are reliant most on the natural resources will lose out: fishermen who are being evicted or seeing their stocks plummet from sand dredging boats coming through their catch area; and indigenous people,’ said Global Witness campaigner George Boden.

Corruption

Having already logged much of the country’s forest resources, Global Witness accuse Cambodia’s elite, in collusion with mining companies, of switching their attention to sand.

The report says there is little evidence that any of the financial benefit from the booming sand mining trade is benefiting the country as a whole.

‘Millions of dollars are changing hands, but there is no way of tracking whether royalties, taxes and other revenues generated are reaching the national treasury…as usual, it is Cambodia’s poor who have borne the brunt of this elite capture, with loss of their livelihoods and coastal environments,’ the report says.

While the problem is being felt most critically in Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia, Global Witness says the majority of the blame lies with Singapore, which it accuses of ignoring concerns about the environmental impact of its sand imports as it gives the go-ahead to new racing tracks, casinos and port developments requiring yet more sand. 


In response to the NGOs findings, the Singapore Government said the import of sand to Singapore was done on a commercial basis and that they were ‘not party to any agreement or contract for the import of sand’.

However, Global Witness says it has evidence that government ministries were involved in buying sand, allegedly from Cambodia.

Illegal trade

In fact the industry has become so lucrative that as neighbouring countries implement bans to safeguard their ecosystems, there has been a growing market from Singapore for smuggled sand.



Greenpeace Indonesia says smugglers had no problem getting their exports into Singapore and were ‘rarely intercepted by customs boats or the navy’. It said 300 million cubic metres of sand was being exported illegally every year.

There have also been reports that Singapore is turning its attention to sand mining opportunities in Bangladesh, a country where erosion is already threatening its coastline.

Global Witness says the onus is now on Singapore to act: ‘The Singapore government tries to portray itself as a regional environmental leader and is hosting the World Cities Summit in June this year showcasing its environmental leadership. The reality is their demand for sand is having a hugely damaging impact on the environment in surrounding countries.

‘Its failure to mitigate the social and ecological cost of sand dredging represents hypocrisy on a grand scale,’ said Boden.

The NGO says the country should bring in guidelines for construction companies on the sustainable sourcing of raw materials.

Jerry Berne from Sustainable Shorelines, which campaigns on sand dredging, says reforming the sector may prove difficult.

‘Unfortunately for our coastlines and the ecosystems these sustain, the dredging industry, its consultants, shipping interests and many governmental agencies are deeply committed to this process and the profits it generates.’

However, he said dredging could be done sustainably. ‘Not all dredging is a bad thing. In its place and properly vetted for its environmental impacts (not the often questionable reports from industry backers), dredging might be a relatively safe mining practice. Today, however, too little efforts goes into insuring this.

'Also, it seems too many of those who should know about the harm being done by it are either ignorant or remain silent,' said Berne.

Useful links

Shifting Sands: how’s Singapore’s demand for Cambodian sand is threatening ecosystems and undermining good governance

Global Witness condemns sand exports from Cambodia to Singapore

Tue, 11 May 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - International campaigners on Tuesday condemned sand exports from Cambodia to Singapore, saying the trade has severely damaged the livelihoods of impoverished Cambodians.

In its report titled Shifting Sands, Global Witness said the sand dredging industry was unregulated, opaque, and environmentally damaging, adding that millions of dollars in revenues remain unaccounted for.

Oliver Courtney, a spokesman for Global Witness, said the damage being done to Cambodia's coastline stood "in stark contrast" to Singapore's position as a leader for sustainable development.

"(Singapore) should suspend all imports of Cambodian sand, undertake an audit of all payments by Singaporean entities for Cambodian sand, and lead by example through taking steps to ensure that sand is sustainably sourced," Courtney said.

Global Witness said in the past 50 years Singapore's surface area has grown by 22 per cent, an ongoing operation that requires large amounts of sand.

But some nations in the region, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, have banned sand exports to Singapore citing environmental concerns. It said Singapore had shifted its sourcing to countries like Cambodia.

UN trade figures reveal Singapore imported 3.8 million tons of sand from Cambodia in 2008. Global Witness said that figure has likely increased, and estimated that 796,000 tons of sand are being dredged monthly in Cambodia's Koh Kong province alone.

It added that operations were following the same destructive patterns seen in the exploitation of Cambodia's forests and extractive industries.

The Cambodian government has long disparaged Global Witness's reports on the corruption and nepotism allegedly at the heart of its extractive industries.

Cambodia announced a ban on sand exports last year after criticisms over the damage from the industry. Hundreds of subsistence fishermen complained of reduced catches as a result of the destruction of fish habitats.

However Global Witness claimed the government ban had been ignored, and said boats were even dredging in protected areas.

For its part Singapore denied it imports sand without regard for the laws or environmental impact in Cambodia, and said it had received no official notice that sand exports had been banned.

"We are committed to the protection of the global environment, and we do not condone the illegal export or smuggling of sand, or any extraction of sand that is in breach of the source countries' laws and rules on environmental protection," Singapore's Ministry of National Development said.

Global Witness said donors - who will meet in the coming weeks to determine how much money to give Cambodia this year - must demand accountability of revenues from the exploitation of state assets.

"Global Witness calls on the donors to ensure that funds are only disbursed after the government achieves reforms for transparent and accountable management of natural resources and their revenues."

Report: Cambodia destroying coastal ecology by sand exports to Singapore

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
By Denis D. Gray (CP)

BANGKOK — Cambodia is devastating its coast by dredging vast quantities of sand to sell to tiny Singapore for expansion projects, with multimillion-dollar profits going to tycoons close to the Cambodian prime minister, a watchdog group said Tuesday.

Impoverished Cambodia has become the new prime source of the masses of sand used for projects to artificially enlarge Singapore's island territory now that several other Southeast Asian nations — including Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam — have banned sand exports because of environmental concerns.

Singapore has increased its surface area by 20 per cent in recent decades by filling in coastal seabeds to create new, valuable waterfront ground, a process known as "land reclamation."

London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness criticized Singapore for the practice, pointing out that the wealthy island city-state at the same time "presents itself as a regional leader on environmental issues."

"The country's failure to mitigate the social and ecological cost of sand dredging represents hypocrisy on a grand scale," Global Witness said in a report released Tuesday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last year announced a blanket ban on sand exports following local protests, but the Global Witness investigation said the country continues to supply Singapore with tens of thousands of tons of sand dredged up from rivers and estuaries along the fragile coastline.

Operations from just one Cambodian province were estimated to be worth $248 million annually in retail value in Singapore, the group said.

Cambodia's law on sand actually banned only river sand from export, but Global Witness said its investigators found that both river and sea sand have been exported since the law was passed.

Global Witness said the government has been "failing to ensure compliance with Cambodia's other environmental and socio-economic legal framework," though a Cambodian government spokesman said that dredging is confined to areas where the environment would not be degraded.

Singapore's National Development Ministry said sand import is carried out by private enterprises, which must by law "not breach any of the source countries' environment rules and other relevant laws."

The Cambodian sand trade, Global Witness said, is monopolized by two senators with close ties to Hun Sen "with no evidence of any revenues (from the exports) reaching Cambodia's state coffers."

One of the senators, Mong Rethy, refused to comment when reached by telephone, while the other, Ly Yong Phat, could not be reached despite several attempts.

Global Witness has over the past decade published several reports chronicling the stranglehold of what it calls Cambodia's "kleptocratic elite" on the country's forests, minerals and other natural resources through corruption and cronyism, often accompanied by abuses of human rights.

The government has denied such charges, but Cambodia's international donors, including the United States and the European Union, have levelled similar criticism.

Global Witness' latest report said Cambodia's sand-dredging industry "poses a huge risk to its coastal environment, threatening endangered species, fish stocks and local livelihoods. There is no evidence that basic environmental safeguards have been applied."

It said that concessions had been allocated inside protected areas and that on one day alone, nine dredging vessels were spotted inside such a zone. Extraction has actually increased since last year, it said.

The report quotes a government website as estimating that up to 60,000 tons of sand are mined each month from the water of Koh Kong province in the country's southwest.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said a total ban was in place on sand dredging near islands and eco-tourism areas, deep water regions and in zones with large number of fish stocks.

However, he said some dredging is permitted to serve local demand and allow passage of ships in silted-over areas. Surplus sand could be exported, he said.

Singapore's government denied any wrongdoing and disputed the Global Witness report's allegations.

"The report suggests that the Singapore government seeks to import sand without due regard to the law or environmental impact of the source country. This is not true," a statement from National Development Ministry said.
___
Associated Press writer Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

Cambodia accused of reversing sand dredging ban

May 11, 2010
ABC Radio Australia

Last year the Cambodian Government announced a total ban in the export of sand, saying the environmental impact on Cambodia was too great. Prime Minister Hun Sen said sand dredging was having a detrimental effect on Cambodia's rivers and marine areas. But now a new report by advocacy group Global Witness is accusing Cambodia of reneging on that pledge by secretly exporting sand to Singapore which is heavily reliant on sand imports to increase its land mass. The report says Cambodia is still dredging sand from environmentally sensitive areas despite the 2009 ban. And it says there's no evidence that basic safeguards have been applied, with boats reportedly dredging in protected areas.

Presenter: Linda LoPresti
Speakers: George Boden, campaigner advocacy group Global Witness, London

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

Environment at risk as Cambodia exports millions of tonnes of sand to Singapore, new Global Witness report reveals

A dugong, one of the endangered species under threat from Cambodia’s sand mining industry

Press Release – 10/05/2010
Source: Global Witness

Click here to download the report in English (PDF)
Click here to download the press release in Khmer (PDF)

Singapore's rapid expansion is driving an ecologically and socially devastating sand-dredging industry in Cambodia, according to a new report released today by Global Witness. This booming trade is being monopolised by two prominent Cambodian Senators with close ties to Prime Minster Hun Sen - despite a supposed government ban on sand exports.

The Global Witness report Shifting Sand: how Singapore's demand for Cambodian sand threatens ecosystems and undermines good governance reveals that:

• Cambodian Senators Mong Reththy and Ly Yong Phat have been awarded sand extraction licences behind closed doors, gaining control of an industry worth millions of dollars - but there is no evidence of any revenues reaching Cambodia's state coffers. Both have been implicated in dubious land deals and forced evictions, and have recently been criticised for sponsoring units of Cambodia's armed forces. This points to the increasing stranglehold of Cambodia's kleptocratic elite on its natural resources, replicating a pattern of corruption, cronyism, and rights abuses previously found in the forestry sector and extractive industries.
• Cambodia's sand-dredging industry poses a huge risk to its coastal environment, threatening endangered species, fish stocks and local livelihoods. There is no evidence that basic environmental safeguards have been applied, with boats reportedly turning up and dredging sand, often in protected areas, with no local consultation. All this makes a mockery of the government's supposed May 2009 ban on sand-dredging.
• This trade is driven by Singapore. The city state was the world's largest importer of sand in 2008. It has used sand imports to increase its landmass by 22% since the 1960s. This project has wreaked havoc on the region's coastlines, with Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia having all now announced bans on sand dredging for export due to environmental concerns.

"This situation highlights the continued failure of Cambodia's international donors to use their leverage to hold the small elite surrounding the Prime Minister to account," said George Boden, campaigner at Global Witness. "Cambodia's natural resource wealth should be lifting its population out of poverty. Instead, international aid has propped up basic services in Cambodia for over 15 years, providing the equivalent of 50% of the government budget. Meanwhile, money from natural resources disappears into private bank accounts, and nearly 70% of the population subsists on less than $2 a day."

Global Witness' investigation tracked boats being loaded with sand in Cambodia to their destinations in Singapore. It also uncovered contracts linking Singaporean companies to Cambodia's sand industry. In June this year, Singapore will host the World Cities Summit, which promotes ‘sustainable and liveable cities'.

"Singapore says that the import of sand is a purely commercial activity but it also presents itself as a regional leader on environmental issues," said Boden. "The country's failure to mitigate the social and ecological cost of sand dredging represents hypocrisy on a grand scale. If Singapore wants its environmental stance to be taken seriously, monitoring where the sand is sourced and what is being done to obtain it would be an obvious place to start."

/ENDS

Contact: George Boden on 0207 492 5899 or +44 7912 516445 or Oliver Courtney (French) on 0207 492 5848 or +44 7815 731 889, ocourtney@globalwitness.org.

Journalists: For images please contact Oliver Courtney - ocourtney@globalwitness.org

S'pore's lame excuse: It did not receive any official notice on the ban of sand exports from Cambodia

S'pore rebuts NGO report

May 11, 2010
Today Online (Singapore)

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Government has rebutted a report by Global Witness' claiming that Singapore's demand for Cambodian sand has threatened the ecosystem and undermines good governance.

The report from the International Environmental non-government organisation (NGO) suggests the Singapore Government seeks to import sand without due regard to the laws or environmental impact of Cambodia.

A statement from the National Development Ministry (MND) said this is not true. The Ministry says it is committed to the protection of the global environment.

And it does not condone the illegal export or smuggling of sand, or any extraction of sand that is in breach of the source countries' laws and rules on environmental protection.

The Government also did not receive any official notice on the ban of sand exports from Cambodia.

The import of reclamation sand to Singapore is done on a commercial basis by Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

JTC requires all its sand suppliers to comply with local legal procedures to extract or transport sand from the sources without causing adverse impact to the environment. It has also put in place specific measures to ensure accountability from the sand suppliers.

Singapore Customs also has in place procedures to check and investigate the import of all goods, including sand, at the various checkpoints.

MND says the policing and enforcement of sand extraction licences is ultimately the responsibility of the source country.

However, Singapore will continue to play its part to ensure that sand is extracted in a legal and environmentally responsible manner.

BP Oil Disaster

A boat makes its way through crude oil that has leaked from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico on April 28, near New Orleans, Louisiana. Ratings agency Moody's lowered its outlook on BP's debt to "negative" from "stable" due to "considerable uncertainty" over the group's finances following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. (AFP/Getty Images/File/Chris Graythen)

05 May 2010
Op-Ed by Pretty Ma

The ongoing oil leakage in the Gulf of Mexico is considered to be one of the worst environmental catastrophes ever to be dealt with in North America. It has made the spill of Exxon Valdez in the gulf of Alaska looks rather small in term of size and scope. Nevertheless, the environmental impact and cleanup still linger til today, almost 11 years after the incident which took place on March 24, 1989.

The magnitude of the present BP oil leak has caused much concerns across the USA. Given the unpredictable movement of the floating oil slicks, the potential impact on environment and the nation's economy is considered to be extremely high, after it's all said and done. There is now more of a likelihood that the oil slick will move down stream along and around the Florida Keys and make its way to the Atlantic coastline which will create even more problems for all communities and states along the eastern seaboard.

As the United States prepares for a major landing of the oil slick, it's morally imperative that we need to call on our Cambodian government to reflect on its offshore drilling policy. Most important of all, to demand total responsibilities from all major oil drilling companies to ensure that Cambodia will never have to face such an environmental catastrophe. Since it is actually happening down the Gulf of Mexico, it could also happen in Cambodia. It is real and quite probable, if it is not being seriously addressed. This should serve as a much needed wake up call for the people and the country. It is time to ask some very tough questions to the oil company, and I hope the Cambodian government and the people's representatives will simply do just that.

I hope that, we, as a people and the country will look at this offshore drilling issue very seriously and take appropriate actions to collectively ensure our country's finest coastline. Cambodia simply can not afford any oil leakage or spill onto its shores given the size and numbers of our beaches vis-a-vis those that are next door.

Japan Oil Company To Explore Tonle Sap

A reflection from the sunshine is seen above a fishing boat on the Tonle Sap river. (Photo: AP)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 04 May 2010

“We demand the government to study the effects on the environment, fish stocks and biodiversity before there is exploration, and allow stakeholders to participate in the study."

Cambodia signed an agreement with Japan’s national oil company on Tuesday that opens the possibility of exploration on the northern edge of the Tonle Sap lake, a major source of fish for much of Cambodia.

The agreement, signed Tuesday afternoon by Council Minister Sok An and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, or Jogmec, includes cooperation in evaluating business opportunities, researching technology and potential drilling.

Jogmec Executive Director Akira Suzuki called the agreement a first step in further oil and gas development between Cambodian and Japan. The state-run company would also be open to more private-sector development in the future, he said.

Jogmec’s predecessor, the Japan National Oil Corporation, surveyed Cambodia for onshore oil reserves between 1997 and 1999. Jogmec and Mitsui Oil Exploration Co., Ltd., will examine data from the survey, according to a joint statement by the government and the company. If the survey finds suitable oil reserves, Jogmec will work with Cambodia’s National Petroleum Authority for full exploration rights.

Sok An said Tuesday the Jogmec deal will help bolster the economy with job opportunities. And Chiaki Takahashi, vice minister of economy and trade for Japan, said he hoped the development of oil and gas here would help Cambodia become a “famous nation.”

But critics warn that Cambodia’s oil exploration could have high costs, especially if profits do not go to help the public. And environmentalists warn that the Tonle Sap project could hurt an ecosystem that supports many of the fish Cambodians rely on for protein.

Chhith Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum, said exploration on the lake could hurt its environment and its fish.

“We demand the government to study the effects on the environment, fish stocks and biodiversity before there is exploration, and allow stakeholders to participate in the study,” he said.

Invitation to Green Drnks on 25 Feb 2010

Invitation

On Green Drinks next week (25-2, 18:00), Aurelien Herail, Geres biomass and energy expert, will briefly introduce:

Charbriquettes: A Green Waste Management
What do you do with all the waste produced in Phnom Penh in a year?

For most of it, the answer is the municipal landfill, where it decomposes, threatens the local environment, and is picked over by poor families trying to make a meager living in hazardous conditions.

But for over 900an and Jeroen Verschelling

Kamworks ltd

phone: +855 99 872220 (direct)
skype: kamworks_jeroenv
@: jeroen@kamworks.com
www.kamworks.com
www.MoonLight-lantern.com

Kamworks: Solar energy for rural electrification

On Green Drinks tomorrow, Rogier van Mansvelt, Climate Change Mitigation Advisor for the Cambodian Climate Change Office for the Second National Communications, will briefly introduce:

CO2 emissions from the energy and transport sector in Cambodia and options for green growth

28 January 2010. Starting at 18.00 and you are invited.

Venue: Baitong Restaurant. No. 7, Street 360, BKK1, Phnom Penh.

Check www.greendrinks.org for more info. Or mail us at greendrinks@kamworks.com. Please note that drinks will be at own expense.

Kamworks: Solar energy for rural electrification

Cambodians waking up to climate change

October 28, 2009
By Chak Sopheap
Guest Commentary
UPI Asia Online

Niigata, Japan — Cambodia held its first National Forum on Climate Change in Phnom Penh on Oct. 19, to raise awareness of climate change issues and their effects on socioeconomic development. This is a positive development for Cambodia, where issues related to climate change are likely to be incorporated into its national development plans.

On the final day of the three-day forum, Cambodia issued its draft position ahead of December’s Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. It said it would do "its utmost" to reduce greenhouse gases, but developed countries must help in its efforts.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen said that developed nations must do more for their poorer cousins as they have more resources. He said Cambodia was not responsible for climate change but is a victim. Although natural disasters ranging from typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis have hard hit countries like the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia, among others, the impact on Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos has been fairly low. But apparently it is believed that they are signs of the impending impact of climate change.

Cambodia’s present actions toward combating climate change can help the country achieve sustainable development so the next generation will not have to bear the cost of its current natural resource depletion. The U.N. Human Development Report 2007/2008 said, “Humanity is living beyond its environmental means and running up ecological debts that future generations will be unable to repay.”

But the Cambodian government must reexamine its current practices, which often neglect or bypass regulations on environmental protection. For example, no environmental impact assessment report was filed before the government granted a contract to a private company to fill the Boeng Kak Lake in Phnom Penh.

Although the company recently obtained an EIA stating that the said structure is a “dead lake” and the project would have “no major impact on the environment,” the lake is prone to flooding during the rainy season and no estimate on the severity of risk due to flooding has been provided.

There must also be a proper cost-benefit analysis that does not place weight on economic gains alone, but also embraces a sustainable development plan where risk estimations are carefully projected. For example, the government authorized a private company to pursue a development project of palm oil, cassava plantations and livestock farms in the Bokor Mountain region, but the project is expected to affect the natural beauty as well as the quality of land and the environment.

Without risk reduction and protective mechanisms, the state and its citizens will have to bear the risks and costs of future adjustments, which could be higher than the current predicted economic benefits.

Therefore, the government must seek to enhance a resilient environmental risk management plan and invoke existing principles and laws. One is Precautionary Principle 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which is one of the guiding principles of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The Cambodian Ministry of Environment ratified this convention on Dec.13, 1993: “In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation,” it said.

This places the burden on the state, and not the community that is the victim of environmental damage, to prevent environmental degradation. But in most cases, the state and the companies it tasks to environmental projects are never held responsible for disregarding laws and causing damage to the environment. So the government must take responsibility to implement the convention it has ratified.

All stakeholders, including individuals, groups or organizations that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by the risk of environmental degradation, must involve themselves in determining and taking decisions on any tolerable risk. Access to information must be ensured as provided by the precautionary principle as well as the 1996 Cambodian Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management.

Article 11 of the environmental law clearly states, “The Ministry of Environment shall immediately inform concerned ministries whenever the Ministry of Environment finds that natural resources are not being conserved, developed, or managed [or] used in a rational and sustainable manner.” Articles 16, 17, and 18 also elaborate and encourage public participation and access to information.

All this should not be viewed as going against development projects of the Cambodian government, but rather as seeking to emphasize the framework for action by all stakeholders to protect the environment.

Cambodia has a weak social infrastructure, so the poor are more prone to be hard hit by the impact of climate change and environmental damage. Therefore they deserve the right to participate and benefit from the government’s so-called development projects.

On the other hand, people must not take the government’s action for granted, but must try to preserve the natural resources and environment through action within their power. For example, households can use reusable bags rather than plastic bags while shopping.

There must be greater awareness of the fact that natural resources cannot be easily renewed and the cost of environmental reconstruction is higher than preservation. Every citizen must make environmental protection his or her civic responsibility.
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(Chak Sopheap is a graduate student of peace studies at the International University of Japan. She runs a blog, www.sopheapfocus.com, in which she shares her impressions of both Japan and her homeland, Cambodia. She was previously advocacy officer of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.)

Cambodians get tips to stay green

27th October 2009
Anne-Louise Brown
Noosa News (Australia)

Cambodia's tourism minister Dr Thong Khon travelled to Noosa last Thursday to learn about how the Noosa Biosphere Reserve is managed.

Dr Khon was joined by a delegation from Cambodia's tourism department, with the focus of their visit sustainable tourism.

Cambodia has several biospheres of its own and Ben McMullen, project manager for environmental initiatives for the Sunshine Coast council, said the exchange of ideas was central to the visit.

“In the last decade tourism in Cambodia has taken off and what we want to help the tourism department do is learn how to keep profits local,” Mr McMullen said.

“We also want to help the tourism ministry develop sustainable tourism that is mindful of the environment and of preserving the country's biosphere reserves.”

Dr Khon said he had travelled to Australia several times, but had never been to Noosa.

He was overwhelmed by the region's natural beauty.

“Tourism is Cambodia's major industry and represents 10% of the country's gross domestic product,” Dr Khon said.

“Because every year tourism keeps increasing, we need help to manage the industry correctly, so we are very grateful to come to Australia for assistance and education.”

Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries working with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on local community efforts and sound science.

“As places which seek to reconcile economic development, social development and environmental protection, through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test and demonstrate approaches to sustainable development at a regional scale.”

The Noosa Biosphere Reserve is the only biosphere reserve in Queensland, and one of over 500 which have been established worldwide across 95 countries.

Cambodian Charcoal Market Is Booming

A merchant in Phnom Penh sifts through his trailer filled with charcoal. (Photo: Simon Marks/IHT)

October 15, 2009
By Simon Marks
The New York Times

The number of households projected to use charcoal as an energy source in Cambodia will rise to more than 1 million in 2015 from about 500,000 now, according to a 2008 study conducted jointly by Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, the United Nations Development Program and the environmental group Geres.

That projected increase has raised concerns among environmentalists, who note that charcoal production entails the removal of vast quantities of woodland, often in naturally growing forests, as well as high levels of “black carbon” or soot — which scientists say plays a significant role in global warming.

The report values the current annual market for charcoal in the capital, Phnom Penh, at $25 million — a number that is expected to more than double during the next five years based on current trends.

And while the authors note a shift toward modern energy sources, they reported that “the demand for firewood, charcoal, kerosene and batteries will remain high over the next decades.”

Wood burners for cooking, which are used extensively in Asia and Africa, produce large quantities of soot particles, which scientists say are responsible for as much as 18 percent of global warming.

David Beritault, an energy expert at Geres, said much of the charcoal made in Cambodia had not been sufficiently burned to complete its transformation from wood, a phenomenon that leads to higher levels of black carbon in the atmosphere. Black carbon can travel long distances, warming the air and melting ice by absorbing the sun’s heat.

But charcoal, if produced correctly, can burn almost smokeless and is less polluting than wood — although it does emit greenhouse gases during its production. Geres is involved in a so-called green charcoal project that aims to make the material with more energy-efficient wood.

“If we can control the process, we can produce the same amount of charcoal but with less wood,” Mr Beritault said.

Environmentalists also say that water filters, which cost about $7.50, could be used instead of having to boil water to make it potable. Moreover, Biodigesters, which provide a cheap source of fuel by converting organic waste into biogas, are another option that could improve health conditions in households that cook with wood and charcoal.

Still, 27 percent of residents in Phnom Penh use charcoal as their main energy source, according to the Ministry of Industry, and urban demand for charcoal is expected to nearly triple over the next two decades.

Khiev Thim, a charcoal merchant in the Phnom Penh who, on a recent morning, sold roughly 1,300 pounds of charcoal to a variety of households and small businesses, said demand in the city was fierce.

“We sell it everywhere in the city,” he said, “except along the main roads.”

Environmental concerns raised about Angkor of Cambodia

Tourists visiting Angkor Wat

PHNOM PENH, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The International Coordinating Committee of Angkor held its 17th technical meeting this week in Siem Reap town, focusing on how the tourist destination can avoid becoming a victim of its success, the Cambodia Daily newspaper said Saturday.

Experts at the meeting have pointed out that the number of tourists and resulting traffic is taking its toll on the area, the newspaper said.

One major problem is sewage, said Shinji Tsukawaki of the Kanazawa University in Japan who is part of the environmental study project Environment Research Development Angkor Cambodia.

With 2 million annual visitors staying an average of five days in Siem Reap town, 1 million tons of human wastewater is deposited into the soil each year, Shinji Tsukawaki said.

The effect of sewage on soil and underground water requires urgent monitoring and measures, he said.

In addition, TS Maxwell of Germany's University of Bonn, who is involved in the Angkor Inscriptions Survey Project, told the meeting that the thousands of visitors who tour Angkor's temples each day could damage stone inscriptions by simply touching them.