Environment officials in Ratanakkiri province have planted more than 100 boundary posts in the Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary from the beginning 2021 to June 9 to make it easier to manage and prevent people from encroaching on state land.
The sanctuary’s bureau chief, Soeurng Khemarak, said on June 9 that the more than 100 posts had been planted around the natural protected area boundaries. Eighty-four of them were from the Ministry of Environment and 10 from NatureLife Cambodia – a conservation organisation established with support from BirdLife International and financial support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.
He said another 45 posts had been planted inside the area around the core and conservation areas. The officials were continuing to plant the posts in the sanctuary despite rainfall-induced difficulties.
Bou Vorsak – BirdLife International’s Cambodia programme manager and NatureLife CEO – said on June 9 that it was the environment ministry’s task to plant the posts under government budgetary assistance, but his organisation had also provided 10 posts.
“We noticed a location close to the boundaries of Ratanakkiri and Mondulkiri provinces that we felt we had to protect and prevent land grabs on for the wildlife sanctuary so we asked permission to put up these 10 posts,” he said.
He added that the planting of boundary posts was a high priority activity in order to prevent land grabs, and as an organisation in partnership with the ministry, it supported the activity to help accelerate the task.
Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a sub-decree on January 5, 2017 to create the Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary spanning 250,000ha, as well as to encourage the participation of local communities and the public in protecting and conserving biodiversity and natural resources in the protected area.
