Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
CAMBODIA'S CONSERVATION MUDDLE
With proper, sustainable management, Cambodia's
forests
could represent a valuable
source of income, not just in terms of providing timber, but also as a focus for ecotourism.
Regrettably, the last few decades have seen the country's forest cover decline dramatically -
a 2005 survey by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggested that it has
decreased by 2.5 million hectares since 1990. Initially the deforestation was due to logging,
mainly illegally for timber, but more recently they have been cleared in vast swathes to make
way for plantations, such as rubber in Kompong Cham province, and more worryingly, for the
illegal production of the drug MDMA, better known as Ecstasy, in the Cardamom Mountains.
In 2001, the Cambodian government (forced by the World Bank) began to take action to
reduce some of the most glaring environmental abuses. However, the government soon fell
out with
Global Witness
(
W
globalwitness.org), the environmental watchdog appointed by
the Bank to monitor Cambodia's forests, when its findings were not to its liking. In June 2007, a
damning report issued by Global Witness naming a number of high-ranking government
o
cials as using the country's resources for personal gain was met with derision; the
government responded by calling for heads to roll at Global Witness. In the meantime, more
than a decade after a cessation in logging was announced, little has really happened and the
country's natural resources continue to diminish at an alarming rate.
Cambodia's forests are home to a vast, diverse
wildlife
population, including globally
threatened species including the tiger. Ironically, the improvements in infrastructure that
followed the establishment of the country's national parks in 1993 have sometimes made it
easier for poachers to capture wild animals, which are either sold in local markets for the pot
or used to produce medicines and charms. Until a government clampdown in 2001 it was
possible to buy
game
taken from the Kirirom park, particularly venison, along NR4 nearby,
while
restaurants
specializing in rare meats such as pangolin were easy to find in Phnom
Penh. Nowadays, this appears to have mostly stopped and you'll see anti-hunting posters
along NR4 instead, although poachers still sell their bounty on the black market.
Despite its o
cial stance on logging and poaching, Cambodia appears to lack the will to
implement sound conservation policies. Most recently, concessions have been granted to
international companies to explore for oil and gas offshore, and - after a nifty change in the
law - for bauxite, gold and copper in a protected area of Mondulkiri. Though it could be that
the government simply doesn't recognize the long-term implications of the present shambles,
ecological organizations claim that exploiting the country's natural resources offers just too
many tempting opportunities for personal profit - witness the current situations at Bokor
(see box, p.272) and Botum Sakor (see p.263) national parks.
to alight at Trang Tro Yeung and then ask one of the moto
drivers around the market to take you to the park (about
$12 return). Make it clear where you wish to alight before
you set off.
By motorbike or car
The park is an easy day-trip from
Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville; hire a car and driver (around
$60) or rent your own motorbike. The road to the top is
sealed (if badly potholed), so access is possible all year
round. If you're staying at the top for the night, you can
arrange for your driver to return the next day to take you
back to Trang Tro Yeung; otherwise you'll need to beg a lift
with the accommodation's supply truck.
INFORMATION
Entry fee
To enter the park (daily 8am-5pm), you'll need
to pay an admission
fee ($5/person for foreigners) at the
small shack at the park entrance opposite the
Kirirom
Hillside Resort
, 10km from the main road.
Park o
ce
The park o
ce has no information for visitors,
although a nearby noticeboard has a useful map and shots
of various park locations, as well as photos of dead animals
illegally caught here.
Temperature
The temperature up on the plateau
averages 25˚C by day, dropping by 5-10˚C at night,
making long trousers and warm clothing essential after
dark.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
At weekends, Kirirom tends to get overrun with trippers from the city, though few of these stay overnight. The most
economical way to stay is with a
homestay
; if you have no luck with that, try the resort within the park itself, which also
has a restaurant. The only other places to get
food
are the stalls beyond the park o
ce (lunch only).
