Help Rangers Protect Endangered Cambodian Wildlife

In March, Wildlife Alliance began training 65 forest rangers at a brand new ranger station in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. This was made possible by a grant earned for our impressive work and effectiveness of our ranger protection in the Southern Cardamom National Park.

 The new Chhay Areng Ranger Station was completed back in December and since then has been completely operational. It is our first ranger station in the north, in an extremely remote area of the Southern Cardamom rainforest. In this area people are used to there being no control or regulation on his or her activities, such as illegal logging, forest clearing, or wildlife poaching. Prior to the new ranger station opening, our rangers stationed to the south were patrolling the region regularly but due to the distance, the rangers could only patrol the area about once a month. With the new ranger station, we are expecting to see a decline in illegal activities and see a healthy change for the environment and conservation of natural resources, wildlife and forests.

This area of Southeast Asia is rich in biodiversity but unfortunately there are many species that fall on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. One particular illegal activity commonly found in this northern region is the use of the snare, which is a homemade device that cruelly and indiscriminately maims or kills any individual that crosses it. Due to the previous lack of control in the northern region there are still unimaginable numbers of snare traps set in the forests just waiting for the next innocent animal to pass by. Fortunately now that we have a ranger station functioning in the region we have the manpower to search for and confiscate the snares. Unsustainable levels of snaring are currently driving an extinction crisis in Southeast Asia. In the Southern Cardamom National Park, the number of snares removed by Wildlife Alliance rangers nearly doubled in just five years, from 14,364 in 2010 to 27,714 in 2015. Because snares are cheap to make and require little effort to be effective, they are far more dangerous and devastating to wildlife populations than if everyone in the region were given a gun. We have created a microproject to help our rangers combat this crisis, but we still need to raise over $2,000 to reach our fundraising goal. It is up to all of us to help save our forests and wildlife for future generations. Please donate today to help our rangers rid the forests of and protect the wildlife!

Thank you for your continued support to our rangers. Without your support, our rangers would not have been able to stop illegal loggers and wildlife poachers from damaging the Cardamom forests.

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 provincial authorities, our rangers successfully located and confiscated 89 pieces (24 cubic meters) of timber, resulting from the destruction of about 75 illegally harvested 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.

The Cardamom Mountains continue to be a hotspot for illegal logging activities. Thus, deforestation continues at an unprecedented rate in the area. To combat this crisis, Wildlife Alliance provides direct on-the-ground protection through six ranger stations. On their daily patrols, the Southern Cardamom Forest Protection Program stops forest clearings, timber cutting, and wildlife poaching. In 2015, our rangers confiscated 240 cubic meters of timber, removed 473 illegal logging campsites, and seized 450 chainsaws.

Keeping the Southern Cardamom 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 Cardamoms are home to 20 threatened mammal species and regulate rainfall for the entire west of Cambodia – producing 22 major rivers that provide water supply, climate regulation, and resources to hundreds of thousands of people in 3,750 villages across 8 provinces.

On behalf of the rare trees and animals, as well as the local people who depend on the environmental services provided by the forest, we thank you for your generous support. Your ongoing commitment enables us to keep the Cardamom forests standing.