The environment ministry provided the Mondulkiri provincial environment department with four drones and other patrolling equipment on September 21. - Photo: Environment ministry
PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Environment handed over four drones and various types of patrolling equipment to Mondulkiri provincial environment rangers on Saturday (Sept 21), to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring land protecting over one million hectares of conservation area.
The handover ceremony took place during the launch of the “Ponlok Baitong” REDD+ project, presided over by ministry secretary of state Chuop Paris at the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary.
The event was attended by representatives from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), local authorities, indigenous communities, students and journalists from 25 media outlets.
Din Bunthoeun, acting director of the provincial environment department, stated that the provision of drones and other equipment is a significant support for the ranger teams, as their number remains limited, despite being responsible for protecting a huge amount of land.
"In some parts of the over-one-million-hectare area, our officers cannot reach all areas during patrols.
"Therefore, we need to use drones to capture footage of illegal logging sites.
"Sometimes, it’s too far to reach on foot, so the drones help us cover these areas significantly, saving both time and resources," he explained.
He added that the protected areas include the Keo Seima, Sre Pok, Phnom Prich, Phnom Nam Lear and Lomphat wildlife sanctuaries.
Over 120 provincial environment rangers and officers are working to conserve natural resources within these areas.
Paris mentioned that the ministry currently has approximately 1,200 rangers working to protect over seven million hectares of conservation areas.
Besides the rangers, local communities in these areas, as well as armed forces and partner organisations, are also involved in patrolling.
“Although we have a limited number of rangers, we can still manage due to the support from the communities. That’s why we are striving to implement the REDD+ project to protect forests, improve community livelihoods and promote good governance ... This is the approach we have been following,” he said.
According to the ministry, the Keo Seima REDD+ project is collaborating with the provincial environment department to distribute equipment to 20 community patrol groups, involving 316 members, within the project area.
The equipment includes hammocks, tents, raincoats, boots, water bottles, torches, backpacks and first aid kits.
The ministry reported that from July 2023 to June 2024, 2,847 patrols were conducted, covering a total of 167,232 kilometres. These included 3,929 daytime and 1,083 night-time missions.
During these operations, 18 suspects were arrested, four contracts were signed, 56 verbal warnings were issued and 831 hectares of illegal logging sites were documented.
The enforcement team also confiscated and destroyed various items, including 50.75 cubic metres of timber, traps, modified firearms, chainsaws, knives, pesticide sprayers, vehicles, motorcycles, carts, excavators, homemade trucks, drilling machines and grass cutters. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
