Kingdom committed to combat wildlife trade
THE Ministry of Environment has ex pressed it s commitment t o c ombat w i ld l i f e crimes, Environment Minister Say Sam Al said. He invited a ll sta keholders to ta ke part in t he ef for t.
Spea k i ng at t he Br it i s h A mbassador’s residence on Sunday to discuss awareness of t he i l lega l wild l i fe t rade, Sa m A l sa id t he K i ngdom already has mechanisms and laws i n place to tack le t he issue.
“As a UN member, Cambodia is ready to cooperate with international organisations and all countries in preserving natural resources as well as preventing and combating the illegal wildlife trade,” he said.
Ministry spokesperson Neth Pheaktra said on Monday, that the government has actively clamped down on illegal wildlife trafficking over the years.
He said since 2012 the authorities had seized more than 79kg of rhino horns, 42 tonnes of ivory samples, 167 bears and 375 pangolins. They also arrested 3,441 suspects.
And between 2016 and last year, 6,422 animal traps were found and destroyed.
A Wildlife Alliance Cambodia representative said yesterday that ministry officials and rangers from his organisation had recently detained two people in Cardamom National Park for illegally hunting animals.
T he y were c aug ht r e dhanded and in possession of two homemade guns, a chainsaw a nd a n i l le ga l f i sh i ng tool, all of which were confisc ate d. T he su spe c t s have been sent to t he Koh Kong prov incia l court, he said.
Optimistic about Sam Al’s commitment, World Wildlife Fund-Cambodia director Seng Teak said: “We are working with the ministries of Agriculture and Environment to stop illegal wildlife hunting. I see the ministries have been working hard on this.
“I t hink government instit ut ions must toug hen punishment on i l lega l hunt i ng. Even those who walk into the protec ted a rea s shou ld be severely punished.
“Legal enforcement is the most important thing. Only when legal enforcement is strictly implemented can the problem be solved, otherwise, it would be hard,” he said.
Tea k sa id t he aut hor it ies must also act against wildlife markets by proactively checking t he restaura nts t hat a re suspected to be ser v ing exotic meats.
“If there is a sale, there is hunting. There should be a hefty fine imposed on those who sell,” he said.