Monks and Activists Hold Buddhist Ceremony to Protect Cambodia’s Prey Lang Forest
A group of forestry activists accompanied by monks held a Buddhist
ceremony in hopes of protecting Prey Lang forest in Cambodia’s central
plains. The forest has been ravaged by deforestation caused by illegal
logging, with much of the illicit timber smuggled outside the country.
One monk, the Venerable Oun Long, led a group of villagers to patrol the area and clothe the trees last weekend. He said the group confiscated abandoned wood and chainsaws. They also detained loggers they found on patrol. He said the group clothed at least 40 trees.
In May last year, a report by the U.K.-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said that around 300,000 cubic meters (10,594,400 cubic feet) of timber—including endangered rosewood—had been smuggled out of protected areas in Cambodia to Vietnam with the help of local authorities through some U.S. $13 million paid in bribes between November 2016 and March 2017.
One monk, the Venerable Oun Long, led a group of villagers to patrol the area and clothe the trees last weekend. He said the group confiscated abandoned wood and chainsaws. They also detained loggers they found on patrol. He said the group clothed at least 40 trees.
In May last year, a report by the U.K.-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said that around 300,000 cubic meters (10,594,400 cubic feet) of timber—including endangered rosewood—had been smuggled out of protected areas in Cambodia to Vietnam with the help of local authorities through some U.S. $13 million paid in bribes between November 2016 and March 2017.
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