Activists now fear mining in Prey Lang
ONE of four new mining exploration permits, advertised publicly this week, is within the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary map, coordinates reveal, sparking concern among activists and community members about the strength of the forest’s recently acquired protected status.
In the first public tender of fresh exploration licences since its creation in 2013, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MoME) this week called for expressions of interest to prospect for minerals, primarily gold and copper, in four areas covering a total of 552 square kilometres.
According to GPS waypoints cited in the accompanying documentation, one of the concessions – covering 94 square kilometres in KampongThom province’s Sandan district and Kratie province’s Sambour district – sits within the southern end of the 432,000-hectare sanctuary.
The sanctuary covers the bulk, but not all of, the Prey Lang forest, the largest lowland evergreen forest left in Southeast Asia, which was belatedly given protected status last May after years of efforts by activists and community members to protect the area from rampant logging and encroachment.
Marcus Hardtke, a longtime anti-logging activist who has worked extensively in the Prey Lang area, said any moves towards mining within its boundaries would be a CONTINUED