The zero-snaring campaign reached its fourth province, Mondulkiri, on July 29, as part of efforts to protect wildlife in Cambodia, according to Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Phreaktra.
The campaign was initiated by the ministry, with the support of several national and international NGOs who are on mission to protect wildlife in Cambodia.
The three provinces where the campaign is already underway are Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Kratie. Two more provinces will be targeted, but the ministry has not revealed their locations yet.
Speaking at a July 28 press conference, Pheaktra said snares represent a critical threat to wildlife in Cambodia. In just five Protected Areas – Cardamom National Park and Kulen Prum Tep, Keo Seima, Srepok and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuaries – a total of 234,291 snares were removed between 2010-2019.
He said in 2021 alone, 61,611 snares were removed from 72 of Cambodia’s Protected Areas and Biodiversity Corridors, indicating an annual average increase of 40,000 per year in the last ten years.
“This represents just a fraction of the estimated snares used in Cambodia’s forests and continues to be a significant threat to wildlife, particularly endangered species,” he said.
He said that to address this crisis, a coalition of government ministries and international conservation organisations together launched the Zero-Snaring in Cambodia’s Protected Areas campaign.
“The goal of the campaign is to create awareness about illegal snaring and eradicate all types of snaring in Cambodia’s protected areas so that our wild animals can move freely and safely in those protected areas,” he said.
