Cambodia is going to observe the National and World Environment Day 2022 (June 5) in Battambang provincial city on May 5, said the Ministry of Environment in a recent announcement.

The upcoming celebration, organised by the Ministry of Environment and Battambang provincial administration, is themed this year “Taking Care of the Planet for Our Health”, it pointed out.

The National and World Environment Day 2022 is aimed to raise the public awareness on environment, especially to promote the movement of environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable living, the announcement underlined.

According to Mr. Seng Teak, Country Director of WWF-Cambodia, about over 60 years ago, Cambodia, especially the country’s northeastern plains, was described by world’s renowned scientists as the “Wildlife Paradise”. One of the first wildlife documentary films ever produced in 1950 featured the presence of many important wildlife, such as Kou Prey, Wild Water Buffalo, Banteng, and Guar among many other animals. Since then, the numbers of these wildlife have steadily declined due to a series of threats, including war, human activities and other development factors. These threats have caused some wildlife species to disappear from Cambodia and fail to reproduce, including Kou Prey, Wild Water Buffalo, and Tiger.

Today, he said, many important species of wildlife such as Indochinese Leopard, Asian Elephant, Banteng, Gaur, Hog Deer, Eld’s Deer, Siamese Crocodile, Giant Ibis, White-shoulder Ibis, Vultures, Sarus Crane, Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphin, Giant Barb, Giant Catfish, Giant Freshwater Stingray and other important wildlife are discovered still roaming forests and the rivers in Cambodia. However, these wildlife are threatened by substantial pressures from human activities, including poaching, snaring, illegal fishing, wildlife trafficking and habitat loss.

The Royal Government of Cambodia has been working with partners to protect these wildlife and their natural habitats by supporting protected areas management; law enforcement against illegal poaching, wildlife and timber trade and land encroachment.

Moreover, to save the globally significant wildlife species in Cambodia from poaching and snaring, the Zero-Snaring in Cambodia’s protected areas campaign was launched in early March 2022 with the goal to eliminate all types of snaring and end the illegal wildlife trade.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press