Cambodia is a country in SouthEast Asia with an area of around 0.7% that of New Zealand, that borders Laos and Vietnam and has a long and illustrious history, before going through a dark period of war and genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime and subsequent political instability after it was invaded by Vietnam. However, it has now been politically and socially stable for a number of years now.
Cambodia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, in terms of percentage of trees cut down, and seems to have no intention of slowing down, although the government has made pledges in recent years. |
The StatisticsSince 1970, Cambodia's primary forest cover has fell from over 70% cover to just around 3.1% forest cover.
From 2001 to 2012, Cambodia lost around 1.2million hectares of forest, compared to a gain of just 100,000 hectares. The yearly deforestation rates peaked in 2010, with a loss of just under 240,000ha. It has been on a slow decline ever since, however the percentages are still relatively high. |
The CausesThere are many different contributing causes to deforestation in Cambodia however the main one would have to be the combined factors of demand for rare or illegal wood in countries such as china, and government corruption.
A prime example of high demand of rare protected wood is the decline towards extinction of Siamese Rosewood, officially protected but still smuggled form Cambodia to Thailand. There have been estimates by websites such as the Global Witness, that the smuggled wood could easily be into the tonnes. The Siamese Rosewood trade, such in demand as it is, is worth millions at the least. Getting away with such illegal activity would be quite hard if not for many timber tycoons connections in the top levels of the government. The high demand combined with government corruption leads to many unreported cases and logging in sanctuaries with soldiers (who are supposed to protect the trees) turning a blind eye. Another major reason for deforestation in Cambodia is the post war baby boom. After the horrific genocide (with 1 in 4 killed) under the Communist Khmer Rouge regime, there was a baby boom and massive population growth, much like that of Europe and America after WW2. This population growth, combined with a vast percentage of the population still relying on wood fuel, drove timber prices up and threatened Cambodia's forests. 29% of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh's population still relies charcoal fuel today. |
The EffectsCambodia's high rates of Deforestation has had a very bad effect on the region's climate and crop production. Without trees, weather becomes more extreme, as trees are essential in keeping the water content in soil balanced. Floods become more extreme as there are no tree roots to collect and store the water, and droughts become drier as the underground water tables rise up and evaporate.
Wildlife is also severely threatened, with a few tigers remaining in the Eastern Plains Landscape, their habitat having been decimated in the last 30 or so years. A few critically endangered Siamese Crocodiles have also been spotted in Eastern Plains' Sepok River. The decline in these animals population could easily have something to do with the mangroves and marshland forests being cleared to grow rice and other wetland crops, thus driving them and their prey out of their habitats. Wild water buffalo is another example of the many species of animals driven out of their forest and marsh homes and hunted closer and closer to extinction by poaching as they roam unfamiliar surroundings. Perhaps the saddest example of what Cambodia's deforestation has done to its wildlife is the near extinction of its national animal; the Kouprey. The Kouprey, a buffalo like animal has been extensively poached and driven out of its habitat by deforestation and logging. So much so there are estimates of only around 250 left. Some even question whether it is already extinct. |