Climate Action Cambodia Project #14194

Plant a Rainforest in Southeast Asia

by Wildlife Alliance

Project Report | Oct 12, 2016
A Forest in Crisis

By Jessica Knierim | Development Associate

Forest Rangers confiscating illegally cut timber

Thanks to your support, Wildlife Alliance has planted over 1 million trees in the Southern Cardamom Mountain Range. Keeping this rainforest intact is crucial because it is part of the Indo-Burma Peninsula in Southeast Asia, one of the most threatened rainforests in the world. With an original habitat encompassing 237,300,000 hectares, only 5% of the Indo-Burma forest remains today and Cambodia represents almost 20% of this remaining rainforest.

The Cardamom Mountains continues to be a hotspot for illegal logging activities. Thus, deforestation has accelerated at an unprecedented rate in the national park. In an effort to combat this crisis, Wildlife Alliance not only aims to reforest the area, but also to protect the area from illegal loggers. The Southern Cardamom Forest Protection Program prevents deforestation by providing direct on-the-ground protection through six ranger stations that patrol the region by ground, water, and air.

On September 16, Wildlife Alliance rangers successfully carried out a major illegal logging bust and seized large amounts of timber. After a week-long struggle to obtain a search warrant from Kompong Speu's authorities, our rangers successfully located and confiscated 89 pieces (24 cubic meters) of timber, coming from about 75 trees. The illegally cut wood was found just 500 meters from a private sawmill. The confiscated timber was transported to the local Forestry Administration as evidence to apprehend the loggers.

Stopping illegal logging in the Southern Cardamom Rainforest by identifying and apprehending trade networks is key to preventing deforestation. Saving one of the most threatened rainforests in the world remains a constant battle and if we stop fighting, we will lose the war.

Thank you for helping us combat deforestation by allowing us to plant trees in fragmented forest areas!

Planted trees growing strong to reforest the area

Unfragmented forest cover, protected by WA

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Jul 13, 2016
World Day to Combat Desertification

By Jessica Knierim | Development Associate

Habitat Loss from Slash and Burn Farming

Thank you for your generous support of our Reforestation Project in Cambodia and helping us to repair the Southern Cardamon rainforest. Last month, on June 17th, we celebrated World Day to Combat Desertification, a day for people worldwide to unite to counteract one of the greatest environmental issues we face. Although very prevalent, the meaning of desertification is widely unknown. Desertification does not refer to the spreading of deserts, but does refer to the persistent degradation of habitats by humans, including unsustainable farming, mining, overgrazing, clear-cutting, and climate change. This leaves the land highly susceptible to water and wind erosion and results in unfertile soil. In Cambodia, the problem is exacerbated by the hot temperatures and powerful monsoon seasons. Temperatures are often too hot for crops to survive and the monsoon rains often wash away seeds and soil. Locals rely on slash-and-burn farming as a way to cope with the constantly degrading landscape.

This year’s World Day to Combat Desertification slogan was “Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.” Wildlife Alliance exemplifies this mission with our Forest Protection Program, our Tropical Reforestation project and our Sustainable Livelihoods projects. Wildlife Alliance has protected the earth by preserving 1.7 million acres of forestland. The Tropical Reforestation Program has restored land by employing local Cambodians to plant and maintain 733,000 trees over 1,811 acres (733 hectares) in areas that had been cleared of rainforest. And the Livelihoods programs have engaged people by providing former poachers and slash-and-burn farmers with sustainable, ecologically friendly jobs. By engaging people and providing them with sustainable alternatives, our programs address the underlying causes of forest destruction in Cambodia. These jobs not only provide people with higher incomes, but also empower them to replant denuded forest areas and protect the land and its wildlife.

Thank you for helping us to combat desertification in Cambodia and allowing us to reverse the effects of habitat degradation. We hope you will continue to support this important project!

Regrowing lost forest areas

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Apr 18, 2016
Thank you for helping us plant trees in Cambodia!

By Sheena Thiruselvan | Assistant Director of Communications

Planting young trees.

Thank you for helping us restore the tropical rainforests of the Southern Cardamom Mountain Range! Your gift to the Tropical Reforestation Project directly helps to restore denuded forests through seed collection, nursery germination and propagation, soil enrichment and planting, post planting treatment to fight invasive grasses, and the replacement of weak plants in order to ensure forest growth. The theme of this year's Earth Day, on April 22nd, will focus on planting trees for the earth because they absorb polluted air and excess CO2 from the atmosphere while helping communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability. The Tropical Reforestation Project employees are all local Cambodians, earning a susatainable living and helping to ensure the future of one of the world's biodiversity hotspots.

The Tropical Reforestation Program has been working to maintain the 733,000 trees that were planted over the last 6 years. 733 hectares (1,811 acres) of reforested land is maintained and kept healthy with soil enriching activities.

The Tropical Reforestation Project sites are all areas that have been cleared of tropical forests. The clear-cut areas experience flooding, soil erosion and runoff, and are plagued by invasive weed species. In 2015, the projects effort’s focused on maintaining the planting fields and helping seedlings survive and grow. Maintenance work in 2015 involved sustaining grass and plowing between the planting rows, and adding additional grass, compost and natural fertilizer. These activities ensure that the seedlings grow into a healthy forest.

In 2015, 760,273 seedlings were germinated in the Chi Phat shade net, 122,022 seedlings were transferred from the Chi Phat nursery to the road 48 planting field, 127,147 seedlings were transferred to the Chi Phat planting field and, 47,902 seedlings were transferred to the Sihanoukville planting field.

Thank you again for your support! We hope you will continue to ensure the success of this vital program.

One of the reforestation sites.

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