Charles River Laboratories said it would cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice officials, and suspended shipments of primates to its U.S. labs from Cambodia.

But as one route for the drug-testing monkeys shut down, another opened wider – from Cambodia to Charles River’s labs in Quebec, Canada.

From massive caged enclosures in provinces near Phnom Penh, long-tailed macaques are now being imported into Canada for human drug testing development in unprecedented numbers, an investigation by the Southeast Asia Globe, Pulitzer Center and Toronto Star has found.

Since Charles River’s February 2023 announcement that it would stop monkey imports to the U.S., the value of Canadian imports of these endangered animals has spiked nearly six times to roughly 62 million USD, federal data shows. Charles River is the only registered importer of macaques from Cambodia in all of Canada.

The import surge has prompted concerns that Canada has now inherited a tainted supply chain that includes wild long-tail macaques, protected animals that may harbor dangerous pathogens. 

“While they’re [Charles River] doing the right thing in the U.S., they’re doing the wrong thing in Canada,” says Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a veterinary medicine expert and professor emeritus at Tufts Veterinary School in Boston. “It’s a kind of back door…They can still do their research, just not in the United States.”

In a statement, a Charles River spokesperson said the company complies with all Canadian regulations and, by abiding by strict protocols, it has ensured “no members of the public have been exposed to any health or safety risks from our facilities.”

The company said its facilities in Canada are part of its “global network” that includes “state-of-the-art operations in over 20 countries.” In a call with investors following the subpoena, Charles River’s CEO said the company quickly pivoted its monkey shipments to countries with “friendly governments” that are “working with us.”

Poached macaques allegedly smuggled into U.S.

Experts and animal rights activists question whether officials here have done enough to vet those imports.

Canadian officials point to numerous quality control checks in place to ensure proper importation of macaques. But a crucial stage of oversight falls to agents in the exporting countries – including two Cambodian government officials who were indicted by the same U.S. investigation that pulled Charles River into an international scandal and sent its stock value tumbling.

Charles River is not facing any charges and has only been subpoenaed.

The small, docile test subjects are used in Charles River’s lab research, including the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. Animals used in such research are supposed to be captive bred, according to international protocols.

The 2022 indictment alleged thousands of monkeys imported into the U.S. were wild macaques that were poached and laundered through the legal trade of the captive-breds. Officials suspect about 2,600 wild macaques entered the U.S. on false permits since 2018.

The same year of the indictment, the status of long-tailed macaques on the Red List of Threatened Species was upgraded to “endangered.” The threat report listed “biological resource use” as a leading cause of the decline of macaques in the wild.

There are good reasons why laboratory animals should not be captured from the wild, says Andrew Knight, veterinary professor of animal welfare at Australia’s Griffith University.

“Scientifically, their genetic composition, and their health or disease status, may be unknown or variable, which can make experimental results less reliable,” he says. “Additionally, there are major animal welfare concerns when primates are captured from the wild, or transported from breeding centres close to wild populations.”

“Human health and animal welfare is paramount”

Canadian regulators should pay more attention to the importation of macaques, not only because of the alleged problems U.S. investigators found but also because Cambodian monkeys could bring diseases, says Lisa Jones-Engel, a senior science advisor with the U.S. activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

“Charles River…went just to the north to Canada and not only did (Canadian officials) not shut it down, but it appears they threw the borders wide open, rolled out the red carpet,” she said. “And Canadian officials are ignoring that monkeys exported from Cambodia have been harboring pathogens that not only represent a deadly zoonotic risk, but the presence of these pathogens further undermines and confounds the use of these monkeys in experimentation.”

In May, Jones-Engel wrote a letter to officials in Ottawa that warned this primate trade is characterized by the “highest risk of zoonotic disease transmission” and that “Canadian residents may be paying the price for this industry’s hazardous practices.”

She told the Globe that the possibility of wild-caught monkeys entering the supply chain “means that this industry is more likely to usher in the next pandemic than it is to prevent it.”

we may produce or import animals carrying infectious agents capable of causing disease in humans

Charles River Laboratories

A recent case study by U.S. researchers tied a case of melioidosis, an infectious disease that can affect both humans and animals, to a Cambodian macaque imported to the U.S. in January 2021. 

The animal was not imported by Charles River, the company said.

In a statement, Charles River said it respects the views of “groups and individuals who deeply oppose the use of animals in human drug testing.”

“However, any factual and fair assessment of how [Charles River] carries out such drug testing would conclude that our commitment to both human health and animal welfare is paramount. We have no doubt that the people whose lives have been saved or immeasurably improved by the drugs we have helped develop would agree with us.”

In addition to COVID vaccines, the company develops drugs to treat cancer, diabetes and rare diseases.

The company did not respond directly to questions about whether wild-caught monkeys could have been included in their Canadian supply chain. In a 2020 form to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Charles River noted that “we may produce or import animals carrying infectious agents capable of causing disease in humans,” which “could be a possible risk of human exposure and infection.” 

The company says its strict protocols include a 30-day quarantine for imported primates and required disease testing, all monitored by Canadian officials. 

Canadian officials echoed Charles River, saying they closely monitor the primates to ensure public safety. 

Dodman, the expert in veterinary medicine, is less certain.

“Grabbing a monkey out of a tree and shipping them to a lab, you’re asking for a health crisis,” he says. “However many precautions they take, they can make mistakes and who knows the incubation time on some of these diseases?”

Oversight relies on permits issued in Cambodia

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) monitors the importation of animals going to labs. 

To do that, the federal government relies on the Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which is run by the United Nations, to properly vet the animals’ origin and ensure there is no harm to species’ wild population.  

The officials in Ottawa said they look to ensure the incoming animals have CITES permits issued by officials in the originating country.

But Masphal Kry and Omaliss Keo, the two high-level Cambodian officials indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, lead the CITES Management Authority in Cambodia that issues the permits Canadian officials say they rely upon.

Kry, who was arrested in the U.S. in November 2022, while on his way to a convention on the international trade of endangered species, is the only one so far who has stood trial. On March 22, he was found not guilty of smuggling and conspiracy to smuggle. His lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.

Despite the indictment, Keo is still listed as the CITES chairman for “terrestrial forest and wildlife resources” in Cambodia. When reached, Keo did not answer specific questions, but responded, “I thank [you] for your email and appreciate your asking (for clarification) and finding truth. I will respond as soon as possible.”

Upon Kry’s verdict and return to Phnom Penh, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries released a statement that read “This misrepresentation [the arrest of Kry] was based on evidence obtained via improper investigations, concealed from Cambodian authorities, and contravening normal practices of cross-border law enforcement norms.”

The press release continued that the allegations against Cambodia regarding the long-tailed macaque trade had no evidence and relied on unfounded assertions disseminated by certain individuals or NGO personnel, disseminated through local unprofessional media and Western mainstream media, aiming to discredit Cambodian officials and influence the court decision.”

Also facing charges are six officials affiliated with Vanny Bio-Research, a major exporter of long-tailed macaques bred for use in research. In a statement, the company said it “denies any wrongdoing.”

The allegations by U.S. prosecutors carry significant implications, said Sarah Kite, co-founder of the international advocacy group Action for Primates, adding that they “raise serious questions regarding how widespread this smuggling operation was — and may continue to be — in Cambodia.”

“By continuing to allow the importation of long-tailed macaques from Cambodia, Canada may be… contributing substantially to the cruelty of trapping, and the decimation of the species in the wild,” Kite continued.

Monkey shipments pivoted to ‘friendly’ countries

While the U.S. government has not officially instituted a ban on the import of Cambodian monkeys, redacted letters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show that at least two re-export requests of live long-tailed macaques and biological specimens have been denied since the indictment.

Pierre Verreault, executive director of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, which inspects Charles River facilities and other Canadian labs to ensure animal welfare, says the U.S. government’s probe is a key way to find out whether the supply chain is tainted. “Hopefully, if there’s something wrong there, it will stop.”

In the meantime, Charles River’s movement of macaque importations away from the U.S. has had no significant impact on operations, CEO James Foster said in a September conference call with investors.

While the indictment “was very concerning,” the company pivoted to its “international footprint, which is quite large, we have got great facilities all over.”

“We have friendly governments…working with us…We’re not going to pivot back to the U.S…The preponderance will be done elsewhere,” Foster said.

Charles River is also facing a class action lawsuit from shareholders. The plaintiffs allege that the company “made materially false and/or misleading statements” and failed to disclose that the company had “engaged in illegal activity with respect to its importation of non-human primates for research” including relying on “non-preferred suppliers of animals from Cambodia.”

As a result of the company’s “precipitous decline in market value” following the subpoena, shareholders have suffered “significant losses and damages,” the claim alleges.

Charles River did not respond to questions about the civil lawsuit. In a court filing responding to the allegations, the company denied making any false statements, saying that it “regularly warned investors of the risks of supply interruption” and potential need to rely on alternative suppliers.

“Charles River expressly warned investors about the risk of disruption to its supply of macaques and about the possibility that its operations may not comply with laws, including laws governing the importation of macaques,” the response reads. “Charles Rivers’ warning that it might be required to source products from ‘non-preferred’ vendors demonstrates that the company was being transparent, not attempting to mislead the market.”

Charles River has asked the court to dismiss the civil claim.

~~~

This article was produced by a collaboration between The Toronto Star and Southeast Asia Globe, with support from The Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network.

The post Cambodian monkey exports to Canada for lab tests are surging, fueling health concerns appeared first on Southeast Asia Globe.

Six prominent advocates of climate and energy justice have been arrested and detained in Vietnam for their efforts to help wean the country from coal. Among them is environmental justice lawyer Dang Dinh Bach, who is serving a five-year prison sentence. Bach was the founder and director of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Centre, where he dedicated his life to the public health of marginalised communities. The UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released an opinion earlier this year regarding Bach’s imprisonment, finding it a “violation of international law” and expressing concerns about a “systemic problem with arbitrary detention” of environmental defenders in Vietnam. 

Another leading defender of climate justice in Vietnam, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, founder of the environmental group CHANGE VN, was recently sentenced to three years in prison. To date, the United Nations, United States, United Kingdom and European Union have all released statements condemning her recent conviction and sentencing. 

It is in this context that we urge multilateral development banks like the ADB and World Bank, along with donor governments, not to bulldoze ahead with the plans for implementing the JETP or associated projects. Doing so would mean acting as complicit bystanders in the silencing and reprisals faced by community rights, workers’, environmental and climate advocates.

Elsewhere in the region, including the Philippines and Indonesia, ADB and World Bank Group plans to dole out hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds, to enable coal companies to refurbish or retire their facilities, have been heavily criticised by environmental, climate and social-justice groups. Though these schemes are labelled as contributions to a Just Transition – and are explicitly being considered as part of the JETP arrangements in Indonesia – the reality is that project operators are not being held culpable for the harm and damage wrought by their coal-fired power plants on community livelihoods, workers’ health and the environment. 

Clear promises to retain or provide dignified retirement packages and redress for health impacts for workers remain nonexistent, and proposals for “green jobs” lack commitments that would ensure core labour rights as per international conventions. Instead, the plans being put in place prioritise “repurposing” rather than decommissioning coal plants – allowing facilities that once burned coal to be refurbished to rely upon burning other resource-intensive, high greenhouse gas-emitting fuels such as woody biomass or waste. Meanwhile, workers and residents in surrounding communities will still be left to face the prospect of working and living in areas where the air, land and water are contaminated.

Alarmingly, it appears the same model of “repurposing” coal facilities will be proposed for financing under the Vietnam JETP.  Plans moving forward in the name of Just Transition are being backed by a powerful set of corporate and financial actors. In response, civil society, community groups and workers’ alliances across the region have consistently called for banks and donor governments to establish clear commitments – to ensure there are safe spaces where people can voice concerns and provide feedback, to inform the planning process before plans move to the implementation phase. 

The high-level political declaration announcing the JETP in Vietnam affirmed the importance of consultation with diverse stakeholders, including NGOs and civil society, to achieve a “broad social consensus” on the country’s energy-transition pathway. But the disabling environment for civil society and community-based groups in Vietnam means it is impossible to engage meaningfully in any consultative processes, free of the fear that another of their representatives may be next in line to be arbitrarily detained, charged and imprisoned. The ADB and the World Bank Group also have clear provisions guaranteeing access to information, transparency and public participation enshrined in policy, none of which is possible in the current context in Vietnam. 

Crucially, the Asia Pacific Climate Week and the gatherings associated with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation should be a time when both the  ADB and World Bank Group finally “walk the talk” by issuing statements that offer support for the release of these environmental and human-rights defenders. More broadly, they must commit to suspending Just Transition-related planning processes and financing until there are safe, meaningful spaces for community, workers’  and civil-society groups to raise questions, concerns and grievances.

Meanwhile, mobilisation by civil-society groups outside of Vietnam, to secure the release of Bach, Hong and other incarcerated environmental and human-rights defenders, will continue. So, too, will collective efforts to advance processes, principles and practices of equitable, rights-based Just Transitions within, across and beyond the region.

Tanya Lee Roberts Davis is the Just Transitions Advocacy Coordinator at NGO Forum on ADB

The post Questioning Development Banks’ Commitments to Just Transition appeared first on Southeast Asia Globe.

Not far from the truck down an old logging trail, rangers in Cambodia’s Virachey National Park conducted a biodiversity survey within the protected area, much of which is unexplored. The dense forest is one of the last relatively untouched landscapes in the fast-developing Mekong region.

“Logging and poaching is an issue but the park has a way of protecting itself,” said Thon Soukhoun, who has been a ranger since the forest became a national park in 1993. “Nowhere in the country is like Virachey, it is Cambodia’s gem.”

Nestled in the Kingdom’s northeastern corner on the borders of Laos and Vietnam, Virachey was among the first Cambodian forests declared a protected area 30 years ago. At more than 3,300 square kilometres – nearly five times the size of the capital, Phnom Penh – it was the largest national park in the country at the time.

But as Southeast Asia races to cut reliance on fossil fuels, partly through climate finance schemes, Cambodia is risking this regional biodiversity hot spot for renewable energy.

Confidential documents and maps leaked to Southeast Asia Globe from meetings between developers and government officials this year indicate at least two hydropower projects within the park are quietly underway. These files show initial assessment work has begun at the dam sites in the core of Virachey, which is also a heartland for the indigenous communities along Cambodia’s borders.

To counter the thirst for development, researchers are monetising the national park in a different way by putting a dollar sign on Virachey’s value as a potential carbon credit project. This in an attempt to prove the protected area may be worth more standing then if felled.

The stakes of this trade-off are high. Dam construction will threaten endangered species by altering river flow and clear-cutting old-growth trees, according to environmentalists. The same leaked papers also indicate one of the dams will create a 215-hectare reservoir, flooding that section of forest.

Conservationists also fear hydropower dams in Virachey may jeopardise hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of conservation funding from the U.K. for the sake of “clean” energy, the very definition of which they challenge.

“To build a dam within this valuable area within the national park, you would have to create access roads, cut down trees and disturb wildlife,” said Pablo Sinovas, country director for the international conservation nonprofit Fauna & Flora. “I would not call any energy coming out of that ‘clean’.”

In the three decades since Virachey was made a national park, Cambodia has lost more than 30% of its forest cover. Protected areas, often only safeguarded on paper, have been deeply affected by this large-scale logging.

While Virachey hasn’t gone unscathed, the park’s ruggedness protected it from the brunt of this deforestation. The forest is now known by Sinovas and other wildlife experts as a “final frontier” for biodiversity in the Mekong region, due largely to its transboundary habitat for animals migrating across the triple border.

As development discussions continue behind closed doors, Chou Phanith, an associate professor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh specialised in environmental economics, is calculating how many tonnes of carbon dioxide Virachey can absorb and potentially sell as carbon credits.

In Phanith’s words, “money talks”.

If the forest is monetised before dam construction breaks ground, it could lead to a debate about whether or not Virachey is worth more standing than if toppled for hydropower, Phanith said. He pointed out the dams are being proposed in one of the areas with the highest potential for carbon storage.

“If forest ecosystems do not have any economic value, policymakers and the private sector will always regard forest ecosystems as less important than development,” Phanith said. “We calculate the economic value of a functioning forest ecosystem as part of a win-win strategy, where we don’t always block development but force sustainable and responsible development.”

The dam proposals in Virachey aren’t entirely new. The first published document on energy production in the park dates back to a 2009 master plan for hydropower development in Cambodia, backed by the state-run Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Miyoshi Asagi, counsellor for the Japanese embassy in Cambodia, said JICA’s involvement with these dam developments ended when the masterplan was published.

In August, JICA announced it is developing a new road map to clean energy for Cambodia. Asagi said she is “aware hydropower plants have lots of debate” and that “there are no projects in the pipeline for hydropower.”

An October report by WWF, released before the World Hydropower Congress this month, found that the ecological toll of dams in the Lower Mekong Basin outweighed the rewards of renewable energy.

The report stated “as hydropower development grows, the cascading nature of its impacts could be wider and more significant than understood today.”

The potential dams in Virachey are located on and named after the Prek Liang River. This waterway is a tributary to the Sesan River, which is part of Cambodia’s “3S River Basin”, itself a major tributary to the Mekong River. 

The Mekong is reeling from compounding hydropower pressures, with additional dam developments threatening to further choke off the once-mighty river.

In Cambodia, the government typically provides little transparency for major infrastructure projects. Basic documents such as environmental and social impact assessments are not often made public.

While officials from both the ministries of environment, as well as mines and energy, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth attended the Cambodia Climate Change Summit in November.

During a question and answer session at the summit, Sophalleth responded to Globe’s inquiry about energy plans in national parks, such as Virachey, by broadly talking about balance and the need to address developments in a “scientific matter”. He then said national security through energy security is a priority.

Sophalleth continued that the ministry “not do things because we feel like doing it”, he said that environmental studies and impact assessments are done “properly… before we decide to do all of this.”

When asked if these documents will be made accessible, he said: “When the public is receptive enough to accept it, to read, to think and to see what we are trying to achieve, yes.”

The leaked files reviewed by Globe, which span several years, indicate an opaque web of four potential companies that were at some point involved in the hydropower plans for Virachey.

Three are developers from South Korea – KTC Company, Kyung An Cable and Korean South-East Power – while the fourth is a Phnom Penh-based electrical equipment supplier called Rich-Grid Technologies. None replied to requests for comment and it is unclear which, if any, are now involved with the project.

“These are very sensitive documents,” said Bunleap Leang, director of the local environmental organisation, 3S Rivers Protection Network (3SPN). He said that involved groups prefer to keep potentially controversial plans under wraps. “If the dam is good from the perspective of the government and the developer then, to them, no one else needs to know.”

Plans may be further along than simple discussions. Bunleap said he confirmed through the 3SPN network that hiring at Tabok village, near one of the proposed dam sites, has already begun.

Virachey tumbles from Cambodia’s lowlands up into the biodiversity hotspot that is the Annamite Mountains, explained the conservationist Sinovas, comparing it to “two worlds converging in the park.”

At the time the sites were studied for potential hydropower, little to nothing was known about the effect these developments would have on biodiversity and forest health, Sinovas noted. But that’s changed in the 15 years since.

“As we started to understand more and more about what was in the park we are realizing its conservation is critical for Cambodian and regional biodiversity,” said Sinovas.

Fauna & Flora has set up roughly 140 camera traps within Virachey, documenting the critically endangered sunda pangolin, northern yellow-cheeked gibbon and a half-dozen other threatened species.

The national park is also the first place large-antlered muntjacs were recorded in Cambodia and is the last possible refuge for kouprey, the Kingdom’s national mammal, which has not been seen in decades.

“Virachey is one of those areas where deforestation levels have been much lower. That is partly why we have all of this wildlife,” Sinovas said. “Doing anything to damage that would not be in the national interest of Cambodia.”

He added the immediate impacts of construction are backed with longer-term threats such as poaching, illegal logging and other forest crimes common in Cambodia’s more accessible protected areas.

Earlier this year, the U.K. embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed about $730,000 is earmarked for Virachey as part of Britain’s global Biodiversity Landscape Fund.

Marc Thayre, deputy head of mission at the embassy, said the “vast majority of the funding” for the Mekong region is bound for Virachey.

“This is designed to increase the value of the park as a park itself,” said Thayre, who hoped the funds “realign the idea of what an asset is” by putting more value to the forest if left standing then if exploited.

Thayre shifted in his seat when asked about the proposed dams.

“If you want to tackle issues, like climate change and biodiversity, then you have to work in all places in the world with all governments,” he said. “We have to be honest with ourselves about the challenge and tradeoff between environment and development. There will always be some tension there.”

He also pointed to the conflict between “building things in national parks” and the “challenge of local communities not having power.”

“The world changes all the time,” he said. “There are always exit strategies written into any programs we do anywhere in the world. I hope that won’t be the case.”

Cambodia’s hunger for development has recently been joined with a craving for carbon credits.

Such credits are intended to limit emissions by preventing deforestation in places that might otherwise be vulnerable to development, such as Virachey. Major polluters then offset their fossil fuel emissions by essentially sponsoring the protection of these forests through carbon credit purchases.

In recent months, Cambodia’s carbon credits have come under scrutiny that goes beyond global questions over the effectiveness of credits as a whole.

The largest registered carbon credit zone is facing allegations of human rights abuses from the global advocacy group Human Rights Watch. In response, the world’s leading carbon credit registry service, Verra, suspended issuing new credits to the Southern Cardamoms REDD+ project.

Cambodia’s appetite to sell carbon credits, however, remains unsatisfied.

With the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Phanith studied the feasibility of REDD+ sites in Cambodia and found about 40% of the Kingdom’s total landmass – about 79,200 square kilometres – could be considered for carbon credits.

Virachey stands as one of the top carbon credit prizes.

In research conducted for the centre and viewed by the Globe, Phanith identified three core areas within Virachey with an estimated total carbon storage capacity of 28 million tonnes.

Phanith calculated credits for the park could be worth more than $200 million in total if left as is, depending on the market rate for carbon. He stressed this didn’t even begin to factor in the benefits of healthy hydrology, biodiversity and other ecosystem services.

If the proposed dams are built, they’d be in one of the three core areas identified by Phanith.

“If you want to develop Virachey into hydropower dams, or whatever, make sure the economic value is more than [the cost of carbon]. If it is, go ahead,” he said. “But be willing to pay [that] anyways to offset.”

But dollar signs can’t account for everything.

Forty seven rangers are assigned to Virachey, many are from the indigenous groups who live in the park.

Several are from the approximately 60,000-strong Brau ethnic minority group from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. To them, Virachey is more than a carbon sink or a potential energy source.

While on patrol, indigenous rangers laughed as they encouraged Globe reporters not to kill the leeches sucking on their arms, legs, neck and right ear. They called it a “forest tax” owed to Virachey. Instead of killing the leaches, rangers smoked tobacco-leaf cigarettes to ward off the blood-suckers.

As the patrol ended for the day, a shivering breeze swept in as the sunset painted the Veal Thom grasslands gold.

Sra Er, who is Brau and leads Virachey’s Taveng Ranger Station, said to set alarms for 2 a.m. for star-gazing.

When the time rolled around, Er was embarrassed.

The night sky was shielded by overcast clouds and the moon’s glare. To make up for the miserably early morning, Er unscrewed a gasoline canister filled with homemade rice wine.

Under the red glow of a headlamp as he sipped the spirit, Er spoke about the Brau peoples’ connection to Virachey, which he said was the reason he became a ranger.

When asked about potential dams in the park, he grew silent and shook his head.

“We care about Virachey and we protect the park from what we can,” he said.

This article was produced by a collaboration between The Japan Times and Southeast Asia Globe, with support from The Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network.

A Khmer-language version of this story can be found here, with translations by Sophanna Lay and Nasa Dip.

The post For renewable energy, Cambodia risks ‘final frontier’ Virachey National Park appeared first on Southeast Asia Globe.

នៅតាមផ្លូវដើរក្នុងព្រៃ ខ្ញ៉ំដើរតាមឧទ្យានុរក្ស នៅពេលដែលពួកគាត់ធ្វើការសិក្សា អំពីជីវចម្រុះនៅក្នុងតំបន់អភិរក្ស ដែលភាគច្រើននៃតំបន់នោះ នៅមិនទាន់បានគេចូលដល់់នៅឡើយទេ។

នេះជាឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យ ជាតំបន់អភិរក្សធម្មជាតិដ៏ស្រស់ស្អាតមួយ របស់កម្ពុជាដែលមិនមានការរំខានពីខាងក្រៅ ហើយស្ថិតនៅតំបន់មេគង្គដែលមានការអភិវឌ្ឍដ៏លឿន។

លោក ធន់ សុខុន  បានបំពេញការងារជាមន្ត្រីឧទ្យានុរក្ស ចាប់តាំងពីព្រៃនេះត្រូវបានគេកំណត់ជាឧទ្យានជាតិនៅឆ្នាំ ១៩៩៣ បានប្រាប់ខ្ញុំថា៖ «ការកាប់ឈើ និងការដាក់អន្ទាក់ គឺជាបញ្ហា ប៉ុន្តែឧទ្យាននេះក៏មានរបាំងធម្មជាតិការពារខ្លួនឯងដែរ»។

«គ្មានកន្លែងណាដែលដូចទៅនឹងវីរៈជ័យទេ។ វីរៈជ័យគឺជាគ្រាប់ពេជ្ររបស់កម្ពុជា»។

ប្រទេសនៅអាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ៍កំពុងប្រកួតប្រជែងគ្នា កាត់បន្ថយឧស្ម័នកាបូនិកនៅក្នុងវិស័យថាមពល ដោយមួយចំនួនគឺតាមរយៈការផ្តល់នូវមូលនិធិអាកាសធាតុ។ ចំណែកឯកម្ពុជាវិញ កំពុងតែធ្វើសកម្មភាពអភិវឌ្ឍន៏ តំបន់ដែលសំបូរទៅដោយជីវៈចម្រុះរបស់ខ្លួន ដើម្បីបង្កើននូវថាមពលដែលកកើតឡើងវិញ។ 

សកម្មភាពបែបនេះបានធ្វើឱ្យមានការជជែកវែកញែក អំពីផលប៉ះពាល់ដល់ធនធានធម្មជាតិ ក្នុងការទាញយកថាមពលកកើតឡើងវិញមកប្រើប្រាស់។ ក្រុមអ្នកអភិរក្សបារម្ភថា គម្រោងសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនីនៅវីរៈជ័យ នឹងធ្វើឱ្យរាជរដ្ឋាភិបាល [កម្ពុជា] ខាតបង់ជំនួយរាប់សែនផោនពីប្រទេសអង់គ្លេស ដែលគាំទ្រដល់ថាមពល «ស្អាត» ហើយនេះគឺជាអ្វីដែល ក្រុមអ្នកអភិរក្សព្យាយាមទប់ស្កាត់ ដើម្បីកុំឱ្យមានការកាប់បំផ្លាញ។

ដើម្បីទប់ស្កាត់នូវការអភិវឌ្ឍ ក្រុមអ្នកស្រាវជ្រាវបានប្រែក្លាយវីរៈជ័យទៅជាព្រៃដែលរកចំនូលបាន តាមរយះសក្ដានុពលឥណទានកាបូន។ នេះជាការព្យយាមបង្ហាញថាតំបន់ការពារមានតម្លៃលើសលប់ បើពុំមានការប៉ះពាល់ផ្ដេសផ្ដាស។

ស្ថិតនៅភូមិភាគឦសាននៃប្រទេសកម្ពុជា វីរៈជ័យស្ថិតក្នុងចំណោមព្រៃដំបូងដែលត្រូវបានប្រកាសជាតំបន់អភិរក្ស នៅឆ្នាំ ១៩៩៣។

ដោយមានផ្ទៃដីជាង ៣,៣០០គីឡូម៉ែត្រការ៉េ ទំហំប្រមាណជិតប្រាំដងនៃរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ វីរៈជ័យគឺជាឧទ្យានជាតិដ៏ធំជាងគេបង្អស់ នៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជានាពេលនោះ។ 

អំឡុងពេលបីទស្សវត្សរ៍មកនេះ  កម្ពុជាបានបាត់បង់ព្រៃច្រើនជាង៣០ភាគរយនៃព្រៃសរុប រួមទាំងឧទ្យានជាតិផងដែរ ដែលភាគច្រើនត្រូវបានអះអាងថាជាព្រៃអភិរក្សត្រឹមតែលើឯកសារ ប៉ុន្តែជាក់ស្តែងទទួលរងនូវផលប៉ះពាល់ ពីការកាប់ឈើទ្រង់ទ្រាយធំ។ 

ខណៈ វីរ់ៈជ័យមិនទាន់រងផលប៉ះពាល់ សភាពរឹងមាំ និងក្រាស់ឃ្មឹករបស់ព្រៃនេះបាន ការពារវាពីកាប់បំផ្លាញដ៏ធ្ងន់ធ្ងរ ហើយត្រូវបានអ្នកជំនាញចាត់ទុកជា «ដង្ហើមការពារចុងក្រោយ» សម្រាប់ជីវចម្រុះនៅតំបន់មេគង្គ។ នេះក៏ពីព្រោះ​តែវា​ជាដែនជម្រកសត្វព្រៃដ៏សម្បើម ដែលអនុញ្ញាតឲ្យសត្វព្រៃ អាចបម្លាស់ទីឆ្លងកាត់ទឹកដីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ឡាវ និងវៀតណាមបាន។

ប៉ុន្តែគម្រោងសាងសង់ថាមពលវារីអគ្គីសនី នឹងបង្អាក់នូវអនាគតរបស់ព្រៃមួយនេះ។

ផែនការសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនីយ៉ាងតិចពីរនៅវីរៈជ័យ ដែលគាំទ្រដោយរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា អាចនឹងបង្កផលប៉ះពាល់ដល់តំបន់អភិរក្សនេះ។

បើយោងទៅតាមក្រុមអ្នកជំនាញបរិស្ថាន ដំណើរការសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី នឹងគំរាមកំហែងដល់សត្វដែលកំពុងរងគ្រោះ និងជិតផុតពូជ ដោយសារតែបម្រែបម្រួលនូវចរន្តទឹកធម្មជាតិ ដែលធ្វើឱ្យជម្រកសត្វត្រូវលិចលង់ ព្រមទាំងការកាប់ឆ្ការដើមឈើធំៗ។ អ្នកអភិរក្សក៏មានការព្រួយបារម្ភផងដែរថា ការសាងសង់ផ្លូវទៅកាន់គម្រោងទំនប់ទាំងនេះ អាចនឹងបើកឱកាសឱ្យឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មសត្វព្រៃ និងព្រៃឈើ ដែលកើតមានជាទូទៅនៅក្នុងតំបន់ការពារផ្សេងៗ រាតត្បាតដល់វីរៈជ័យ ។  
ក្រុមអ្នកអភិរក្សបានជម្រុញថា អគ្គីសនីណាដែលបានផលិត និងបង្ករផលប៉ះពាល់បរិស្ថាន មិនអាចរាប់ជាថាមពល «ស្អាត» នោះទេ។  ជាពិសេសប្រសិនបើការអភិវឌ្ឍធ្វើឱ្យប៉ះពាល់ដល់កេរ្តិ៍ឈ្មោះ របស់ឧទ្យាជាតិវីរៈជ័យ ដែលគេចាត់ទុកជា ឧទ្យានបេតិកភណ្ឌអាស៊ាន និងជាព្រៃអភិរក្សដែលមានទំហំទឹកប្រាក់ ៦០០,០០០ ផោន ដែលជាជំនួយទទួលបានពីស្ថានទូតអង់គ្លេសប្រចាំកម្ពុជា។

ស្របពេលដែលកិច្ចពិភាក្សាអំពីការអភិវឌ្ឍ សុទ្ធសឹងជាការប្រជុំបិទទ្វារ សាស្ត្រាចារ្យរង លោក ជូ ផានិត នៅសាកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទភ្នំពេញ កំពុងតែសិក្សាទៅលើបរិមាណនៃឧស្ម័នកាបូនិក ដែលឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យអាចស្រូបយកបាន ហើយថែមទាំងអាចដោះដូរជាមួយនឹង ជំនួយទៅលើការកាត់បន្ថយឧស្ម័នកាបូនិក។ លោក ផានិត បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា នេះជា «ការពិភាក្សាអំពីផលប្រយោជន៍»។

លោកមានប្រសាសន៍ថា ប្រសិនបើជំនួយមកដល់មុនពេលគម្រោងសាងសង់វារីអគ្គីសនីចាប់ផ្តើមនោះ គេអាចនឹងថ្លឹងថ្លែងអំពីផលប្រយោជន៍ រវាងការរក្សាទុក និងការអភិវឌ្ឍវារីអគ្គីសនី ថាមួយណាផ្តល់ផលចំណេញច្រើនជាង ជាពិសេសនៅពេលដែលគម្រោងនេះ ត្រូវបានគេដាក់ស្នើរឱ្យមានការសាងសង់នៅក្នុងបរិវេណ ដែលអាចស្រូបយកឧស្ម័នកាបូនិកបានច្រើន។

«ប្រសិនបើប្រព័ន្ធអេកូឡូស៊ីរបស់ព្រៃ មិនបានផ្តល់នូវផលប្រយោជន៍សេដ្ឋកិច្ច អ្នកនយោបាយ និងក្រុមហ៊ុនឯកជន នឹងតែងតែចាត់ទុកការអភិវឌ្ឍសេដ្ឋកិច្ចមានសារៈសំខាន់ជាងជាអេកូឡូសុី»។ លោកផានិត បានមានប្រសាសន៍។ លោកបានបន្តថា៖ «យើងថ្លឹងថ្លែងគុណតម្លៃសេដ្ឋកិច្ច នៃអេកូឡូស៊ីរបស់ព្រៃឈើ ជាផ្នែកមួយនៃយុទ្ធសាស្ត្រឈ្នះឈ្នះ។ នេះមានន័យថា យើងមិនមែនរារាំងរាល់សកម្មភាពអភិវឌ្ឍន៏ទាំំងអស់នោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែយើងដាក់គំនៀប ដើម្បីឱ្យការអភិវឌ្ឍប្រព្រឹត្តទៅដោយចីរភាព និងមានទំនួលខុសត្រូវ»។

គម្រោងសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនីទ្វេរដង

គម្រោងអភិវឌ្ឍវារីអគ្គីសនីនៅវីរៈជ័យ បានផ្អាកដំណើរការជាយូរមកហើយ។ របាយការណ៍ចុងក្រោយ ទាក់ទងនឹងការផលិតអគ្គីសនីនៅឧទ្យានជាតិខាងលើនេះ បានចេញជាលើកដំបូងនៅឆ្នាំ ២០០៩ ដែលជា ផែនការមេសម្រាប់អភិវឌ្ឍវារីអគ្គីសនី នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ដែលទទួលបានការជួយជ្រោមជ្រែង ពីគម្រោងរបស់ទីភ្នាក់ងារសហប្រតិបត្តិការអន្តរជាតិជប៉ុន ឬចៃកា (JICA) របស់រដ្ឋាភិបាលជប៉ុន។

លោកស្រី Miyoshi Asagi ទីប្រឹក្សាអមស្ថានទូតជប៉ុនប្រចាំកម្ពុជា បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖ «អង្គការចៃកាមិនជាប់ពាក់ព័ន្ធក្នុងការសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនីនេះទេ»។ លោកស្រីបានបន្តថា៖ «ពួកយើងបានចូលរួមក្នុងការស្រាវជ្រាវ និងផែនការមេដែលបានធ្វើរួច ការពាក់ព័ន្ធរបស់អង្គការចៃកា បានបញ្ចប់ហើយ»។

ប្រទេសជប៉ុន ត្រូវបានគេចាត់ទុក ជា​ ម្ចាស់ជំនួយដ៏សំខាន់ របស់កម្ពុជា។ ប្រទេសទាំងពីរបានរំលឹក ខួប ៧០ឆ្នាំ នៃទំនាក់ទំនងការទូត ក្នុងឆ្នាំនេះ។
នៅខែសីហា អង្គការចៃកាបានប្រកាសនូវ ផែនការថ្មីដើម្បីថាមពលស្អាត សម្រាប់ការអភិវឌ្ឍប្រទេសកម្ពុជា។ លោកស្រី Asagi មានប្រសាសន៍ថា គាត់ «ជ្រាបអំពីការជជែកវែកញែកជាច្រើន​ ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងវារីអគ្គីសនី» ហើយលោកស្រីបានលើកឡើងថា «មិនមានគម្រោងអភិវឌ្ឍវារីអគ្គីសនីនោះទេ»។

សំណុំឯកសារ រួមទាំងផែនទីសាងសង់ដ៏សម្ងាត់ ត្រូវបានគេបានលើកយកមកពិភាក្សាក្នុងកិច្ចប្រជុំនៅឆ្នាំនេះ ដោយមានការចូលរួមពីអ្នកអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ និងមន្ត្រីរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា ដែលបានសង្កត់ធ្ងន់ទៅលើគម្រោងសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី។ គម្រោងសាងសង់ទំនងជាមិនបង្អង់យូរទៀតនោះទេ។ យោងតាមការកាសែត The Japan Times បានបង្ហាញថា ការសិក្សា និងវាយតម្លៃអំពីការសាងសង់បាននឹងកំពុងចាប់ផ្តើមហើយ។

យោងទៅតាមឯកសារជាច្រើនបានបង្ហាញ នូវការអភិវឌ្ឍទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី បីកន្លែងដ៏មានសក្តានុពល ស្ថិតក្នុងឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យ ដោយដាក់ឈ្មោះតាមទន្លេព្រែកលៀង ជាដៃទន្លេហូរចាក់ចូលទៅទន្លេសេសាន ដែលជាផ្នែកនៃ «ទន្លេ៣» ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា។ 

ទន្លេសេកុង ទន្លេសេសាន និងទន្លេស្រែពក គឺជាដៃទន្លេមេគង្គ ដែលកំពុងរងផលប៉ះពាល់ដោយសារតែ ការប្រមូលផ្តុំនៃទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី ជាមួយនឹងការអភិវឌ្ឍទំនប់​ បន្ថែម ដែលគំរាមកំហែងដល់ទន្លេមេគង្គ ដែលកាលពីមុនមកមិនធ្លាប់មានការអភិវឌ្ឍច្រើនបែបនេះឡើយ។

គ្មានឯកសារណាមួយ រាប់តាំងពីការវាយតម្លៃផលប៉ះពាល់បរិស្ថាន ដល់ការសិក្សាអំពីលទ្ធភាព ត្រូវបានបង្ហាញជាសាធារណៈដោយរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា ឬអ្នកអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ឡើយ។

លោក លាង ប៊ុនលៀប នាយករបស់អង្គការបណ្តាញការពារទន្លេបី សេសាន ស្រែពក សេកុង (3SPN) មានប្រសាសន៍ថា «‍ឯកសារទាំងនេះជារឿងដ៏រសើប»។ លោកបានបន្តថា អ្នកដែលពាក់ព័ន្ទចង់​រក្សា​ផែនការដ៏​ចម្រូងចម្រាសនេះជារឿងសម្ងាត់។ «ប្រសិនបើរដ្ឋាភិបាល និងអុ្នកអភិវឌ្ឍន៍យល់ឃើញថា សំណង់នេះមានប្រយោជន៍ អញ្ចឹង​សម្រាប់ពួកគាត់ គឺគ្មាន​នរណាម្នាក់ចាំបាច់ដឹងអំពីដំណឹងនេះទេ»។

ផែនការសាងសង់នេះ អាចមិនត្រឹមតែជាការពិភាក្សាធម្មតាទេ។ លោក ប៊ុនលៀប បានបញ្ជាក់តាម​រយៈ​បណ្តាញ 3SPN ថា មានការជ្រើសរើសកម្មករឱ្យមកបម្រើការ​នៅ​ភូមិ​តាបុក ស្ថិតនៅក្បែរកន្លែងមួយ ដែលគេគ្រោងនឹងសាងសង់ទំនប់ក្នុងចំណោមទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនីជាច្រើនទៀត បានចាប់ផ្តើមហើយ។ 

ឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យស្ថិតក្រោមដែនសមត្ថកិច្ចរបស់ក្រសួងបរិស្ថាន ចំណែកក្រសួងរ៉ែ និងថាមពល ជាអ្នកដឹកនាំគម្រោងសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គិសនី តែខាងក្រសួងទាំងពីរ មិនបានឆ្លើយតបទៅនឹងសំណើរសុំការអត្ថាធិប្បាយលើដំណាក់កាលអភិវឌ្ឍទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនីទេ ។

ការចំណាយដ៏ច្រើនទៅលើការផលិតថាមពលស្អាត

ព្រែកលៀងគឺជាសរសៃឈាមដ៏សំខាន់របស់វីរៈជ័យ ហើយគម្រោងអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី ក៏ស្ថិតនៅក្នុងឧទ្យានជាតិនេះដែរ។ 

លោក Pablo Sinovas នាយករបស់អង្គការសត្វព្រៃ និងរុក្ខជាតិអន្តរជាតិប្រចាំកម្ពុជា (Fauna & Flora) នៅកម្ពុជា ពន្យល់ថា ចាប់ពីតំបន់ទំនាបនៃឧទ្យាននេះ ដែលស្ថិតក្នុងទឹកដីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា រហូតដល់តំបន់ដ៏សំខាន់សម្រាប់ជីវៈចម្រុះ ដែលជា ជួរភ្នំអណ្ណាម ប្រៀបដូចជា «ពិភពពីរជួបគ្នានៅឧទ្យានតែមួយ»។ 

លោក Sinovas កត់សម្គាល់ថា នៅពេលដែលតំបន់ទាំងនោះត្រូវបានគេសិក្សាដើម្បីសាងសង់វារីអគ្គិសនី គេស្ទើរតែមិនបានដឹងអំពីផលប៉ះពាល់របស់វា ទៅលើជីវចម្រុះ និងព្រៃឈើឡើយ។ 

ប៉ុន្តែអ្វីៗបានប្រែប្រួលនារយៈពេល ១៥ឆ្នាំក្រោយ។

លោក Sinovas មានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖ «នៅពេលដែលយើងចាប់ផ្តើមយល់កាន់តែច្រើន អំពីលក្ខណះពិសេសនៃតំបន់នេះ យើងក៏ចាប់ផ្តើមភ្ញាក់ខ្លួនថា ការអភិរក្សមានសារៈសំខាន់ដល់ជីវចម្រុះក្នុងតំបន់​​ និងសម្រាប់កម្ពុជា​»។

អង្គការ Fauna & Flora  បានដំឡើងកាមេរ៉ាប្រមាណ ១៤០គ្រាប់ នៅវីរៈជ័យ ដោយធ្វើការផ្តិតយករូបភាពសត្វកំពុងរងគ្រោះ និងជិតផុតពូជ ដូចជាសត្វឈ្លូសយក្ស (large-antlered muntjac) សត្វទោចថ្ពាល់លឿង (northern yellow-cheeked giboon) និងសត្វមួយចំនួនទៀត។

ឧទ្យានជាតិនេះគឺជា ជម្រកដំបូងដែលសត្វឈ្លូសយក្សបង្ហាញខ្លួន ហើយជាកន្លែងដែលវាត្រូវបានគេធ្វើកំណត់ហេតុ និងជាជម្រកចុងក្រោយសម្រាប់គោព្រៃ ដែលជាសត្វថនិកសត្វតំណាងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ដែលបានបាត់ខ្លួនអស់ជាច្រើនទសវត្សរ៍មកហើយ។

លោក Sinovas បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖ «វីរៈជ័យគឺជាតំបន់មួយដែលអត្រាកាប់បំផ្លាញព្រៃឈើមានកម្រិតទាប»។ លោកបានបន្តថា់៖ «នេះជាមូលហេតុមួយដែលសត្វទាំងនេះនៅមានជីវិត»។

«ការធ្វើអ្វីមួយដែលប៉ះពាល់ដល់ជីវៈចម្រុះ មិនមែនជាផលប្រយោជន៍ជាតិ (កម្ពុជា) នោះទេ» លោកបានបន្ថែម។ 

ក្រៅពីផែនការសាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី ឯកសារនេះបានបង្ហាញថា វារីអគ្គីសនីត្រឹមតែមួយប៉ុណ្ណោះ អាចធ្វើឲ្យដីព្រៃចំនួន ២១៥ហិកតា​ នឹងត្រូវលិចលង់ ដោយសារបរិមាណទឹកដ៏សម្បើម របស់អាងស្តុកទឹកនៃវារីអគ្គីសនី។

លោកបានបន្តថា៖ «ជាក់ស្តែងថាមពលស្អាត ពិតជាសំខាន់ណាស់» ក្នុងកាត់បន្ថយនូវបម្រែបម្រួលអាកាសធាតុ។ ប៉ុន្តែ «វាក៏អាស្រ័យទៅតាមតំបន់ និងអាស្រ័យទៅតាមរបៀបផលិតវាដែរ»។ 

សម្រាប់គាត់ វីរៈជ័យមិនមែនជាកន្លែងសម្រាប់វារីអគ្គីសនីទេ។

លោក Sinovas បានបន្តថា៖ «ដើម្បីសាងសង់ទំនប់នៅក្នុងឧទ្យានជាតិផ្ទាល់ អ្នកនឹងត្រូវបង្កើតផ្លូវ កាប់ដើមឈើ និងបង្ករការរំខានដល់សត្វព្រៃទៀត»។ «ខ្ញុំមិនហៅថាមពលដែលចេញមកពីកន្លែងនោះថា [ថាមពល] ស្អាតនោះទេ»។

កាលពីដើមឆ្នាំនេះ ស្ថានទូតអង់គ្លេសប្រចាំកម្ពុជា បានបញ្ជាក់ថា នឹងផ្តល់ប្រាក់ប្រមាណ ៦ សែនផោន ដល់ឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យ ដែលជាផ្នែកមួយនៃ មូលនិធិការពារតំបន់ទេសភាពជីវៈចម្រុះ របស់ចក្រភពអង់គ្លេស។ លោក Marc Thayre ជាអនុប្រធានបេសកកម្មនៅស្ថានទូតអង់គ្លេស បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា «ជំនួយភាគច្រើន» ដែលបានផ្តល់ជូនប្រទេសនៅតំបន់មេគង្គ ក្នុងនោះឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យទទួលបានច្រើនជាងគេ។ 

លោក Thayre មានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖ «ជំនួយនេះត្រូវបានគេធ្វើឡើង ដើម្បីលើតម្កើននូវគុណសម្បត្តិនៃតំបន់នេះ»។ «យើងត្រូវបង្វែរឱ្យពួកគាត់មកគិតសារជាថ្មី អំពីគុណតម្លៃនៃតំបន់ ហើយទប់ស្កាត់កុំឱ្យមានការទាញយកផលប្រយោជន៍ ពីធនធានធម្មជាតិនៅតំបន់នេះ ជាជាងអភិវឌ្ឍន៍»។ 

លោក Thayre ផ្អាកនិយាយបន្តិចមុនពេលគាត់ឡើងអង្គុយលើម៉ូតូ នៅពេល [ខ្ញុំ] សួរគាត់អំពីគម្រោងអភិវឌ្ឍវារីអគ្គីសនី។

«ប្រសិនបើអ្នកចង់ដោះស្រាយបញ្ហា ដូចជាបម្រែបម្រួលអាកាសធាតុ និងជីវៈចម្រុះ អ្នកត្រូវធ្វើការជាមួយរដ្ឋាភិបាលទាំងអស់គ្រប់ទីកន្លែង» លោក Thayre មានប្រសាសន៍។ «យើងត្រូវស្មោះត្រង់ជាមួយខ្លួនយើង អំពីបញ្ហា និងការសម្របសម្រួលផលប្រយោជន៍ រវាងបរិស្ថាន និងការអភិវឌ្ឍ។ ត្រង់នោះហើយជាចំណុចដ៏តឹងសសៃក» លោកបានបន្ថែម។ 

លោកសម្គាល់ថា គម្រោងនេះបង្ហាញនូវជ្រុងពីរផ្សេងគ្នា រវាង «ការសាងសង់វារីអគ្គីសនីនៅក្នុងឧទ្យានជាតិ» និង «តម្រូវការអគ្គីសនីរបស់ប្រជាជនក្នុងសហគមន៍»។

លោកបន្ថែមថា៖ «ពិភពលោកប្រែប្រួលគ្រប់ពេល»។ «រាល់គម្រោងដែលយើងធ្វើនៅគ្រប់ទីកន្លែង គេតែងឃើញមានយុទ្ធសាស្ត្របញ្ចាប់បេសកម្ម សរសេរនៅក្នុងឯកសារ។ ខ្ញុំសង្ឃឹមថា នេះមិនមែនជាបញ្ហាឡើយ»។

ការពឹងផ្អែកលើឥណទានកាបូន

ការអភិវឌ្ឍនៅកម្ពុជា មានការផ្សារភ្ជាប់ទៅនឹង ការស្វែងរកជំនួយតាមឥណទានកាបូន។

ឥណទានកាបូន គឺជាជំនួយដើម្បីកាត់បន្ថយការបញ្ចេញឧស្ម័នផ្ទះកញ្ចក់ ដោយបញ្ចៀសនូវកាប់បំផ្លាញព្រៃឈើនៅគ្រប់ទីកន្លែង ដោយសារការអភិវឌ្ឍ។ ឧទាហរណ៍មានដូចជា​​ ដូចឧទ្យានជាតិវីរៈជ័យជាដើម។ ក្រុមប្រទេសឧស្សាហកម្មដែលបង្កការបំពុលធំៗ ទូទាត់ការបំភាយឥន្ធនៈហ្វូស៊ីលរបស់ពួកគេ ដោយឧបត្ថម្ភជាដល់ការការពារព្រៃឈើទាំងនេះ តាមរយៈការទិញឥណទានកាបូន។

ក៏ប៉ុន្តែនាប៉ុន្មានខែថ្មីៗនេះ ការផ្តល់នូវឥណទានកាបូនដល់ការកាត់បន្ថយឧស្ម័នផ្ទះកញ្ចក់របស់កម្ពុជា ​បានស្ថិតនៅក្រោមការតាមដានម៉ត់ចត់ អំពីប្រសិទ្ធិភាពនៃជំនួយនេះ។ 

តំបន់ឥណទានកាបូនដែលបានចុះបញ្ជីធំជាងគេ កំពុងប្រឈមមុខនឹង ការចោទប្រកាន់ពីការរំលោភសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស ពីអង្គការឃ្លាំមើលសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស (Human Rights Watch)។ ជាការឆ្លើយតប សេវាចុះបញ្ជីឥណទានកាបូនឈានមុខគេរបស់ពិភពលោកហៅថា Verra បានផ្អាកការចេញឥណទានថ្មី ដល់គម្រោងរេដបូកក្រវាញខាងត្បូង។

គោលបំណងរបស់កម្ពុជាក្នុងការទាក់ទាញនូវឥណទានកាបូន នៅមិនទាន់មានការប្រែប្រួលឡើយ។ 

ដោយធ្វើការជាមួយនឹងមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលអាស៊ានសម្រាប់ជីវចម្រុះ លោក ផានិត បានសិក្សាពីលទ្ធភាពនៃទីតាំង គម្រោងរេដបូក (REDD+) នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ហើយបានរកឃើញប្រហែល ៤០ភាគរយ នៃផ្ទៃដីសរុបរបស់កម្ពុជា ប្រហែលនឹង ៧៩,២០០គីឡូម៉ែត្រការ៉េ អាចត្រូវបានគេពិចារណាសម្រាប់ ការផ្តល់ឥណទានក្នុងការកាត់បន្ថយឧស្ម័នផ្ទះកញ្ចក់។

តំបន់ដ៏ធំនៃឧទ្យាននេះនៅតែមិនទាន់មានគេចូលទៅដល់ ដោយមានព្រៃឬស្សីក្រាស់ឃ្មឹក លាយឡំនឹងព្រៃបៃតង និងព្រៃរបោះ។ មានតែផ្លូវសម្រាប់ចូលទៅកាប់ឈើក្នុងព្រៃប៉ុណ្ណោះ ជាផ្លូវដែលអាចធ្វើថ្មើរជើងបាន ដោយ​មាន​មន្ត្រី​ឧទ្យានុរក្សយក​ចិត្ត​ទុក​ដាក់​ និងមិន​ឲ្យ​អ្នករួមដំណើរបន្សល់ដានចេញជាផ្លូវថ្មីឡើយ។ 

លោកផានិត បានកំណត់តំបន់ស្នូលចំនួនបីនៅវីរៈជ័យ ដែលមានសមត្ថភាពស្រូបឧស្ម័នកាបូនខ្ពស់ជាងគេបង្អស់ រហូតដល់ទៅ ២៨លានតោន។ តាមរយះ លំនាំគណនាបរិមាណបំភាយឧស្ម័នផ្ទះកញ្ចក់ ចំនួននេះស្មើនឹងការបំភាយឧស្ម័នប្រចាំឆ្នាំសរុប របស់រោងចក្រផលិតថាមពលធ្យូងថ្មជិត ២៥ រោងចក្រ។

​មានតម្លៃ​មធ្យម ១០ដុល្លារ ក្នុង​មួយ​តោន ក្នុងនោះលោក ផានិត បាន​គណនា​ថា វីរៈជ័យ​អាច​មាន​តម្លៃដល់ទៅ ២៨០លាន​ដុល្លារ ​ប្រសិន​បើមិនមានការឈូសឆាយ។ លោក​បាន​សង្កត់​ធ្ងន់​ថា នេះ​ [យើង] មិន​បានគិតអំពីកត្តា​ផល​ប្រយោជន៍ ​នៃ​ជលសាស្ត្រ​ដែល​មាន​សុខភាព​ល្អ ជីវចម្រុះ និង​សេវា​ប្រព័ន្ធ​អេកូឡូស៊ី​ផង​។

លោក ផានិត បានពន្យល់ថា ការលើកទឹកចិត្តផ្នែកហិរញ្ញវត្ថុនាំឱ្យមានរបៀបមធ្យោបាយចំនួនពីរ។

មធ្យោបាយទីមួយ ប្រសិនបើព្រៃឈើមានតម្លៃខ្ពស់ជាង សក្ដានុពលអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ នោះអ្នកបង្កើតគោលនយោបាយ នឹងផ្អាកគម្រោងដោយឯងៗ។ មធ្យោបាយ​ទីពីរ ​ដែល​កម្ពុជា​ដើរ​ជា​ញឹក​ញាប់ គឺព្រៃឈើ​បង្កើត​ប្រាក់ចំណូល បាន​តិច​ជាង​​តម្លៃដែលទទួលបានពីការ​អភិវឌ្ឍ​។

ប្រសិនបើមានមធ្យោបាយទីរពីរត្រូវបានអនុវត្ត មានន័យថា ទំនប់​វារីអគ្គីសនីព្រែក​លៀង​ នឹង​ត្រូវ​សាងសង់​នៅ​កណ្តាល​តំបន់​ស្នូល​មួយ​ ក្នុង​ចំណោម​តំបន់​ស្នូល​ទាំង​បី​ដែល​បង្ហាញ​ដោយលោក ផានិត។ នៅក្នុងករណីនោះ លោកផានិត បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា យ៉ាងហោចណាស់ក៏មានតម្លៃដែលគេដឹង ដើម្បីឱ្យក្រុមហ៊ុនត្រូវបង់ និងទូទាត់សងការខូចខាតព្រៃឈើដែរ។

«ប្រសិនបើចង់អភិវឌ្ឍវីរៈជ័យឱ្យទៅជាទំនប់វារីអគ្គីសនី ឬជាអ្វីផ្សេង ត្រូវប្រាកដថា វាបង្កើតចំណូលបានលើស ២៨០លានដុល្លារ។ ប្រសិនបើអញ្ចឹងមែន ធ្វើទៅ» លោកផានិត បន្ថែម។ «ប៉ុន្តែត្រូវហ៊ានចំណាយ ២៨០លានដុល្លារ ដើម្បីទូទាត់»។

តស៊ូដើម្បីវីរៈជ័យ

លុយមិនអាចធ្វើអ្វីៗបានគ្រប់យ៉ាងនោះទេ។

ប្រជាសហគមន៍ការពារធម្មជាតិ​ចំនួន ៤៧នាក់ ​ត្រូវ​បាន​ចាត់​ឲ្យ​ទៅ​វីរៈជ័យ ដែល​មាន​ន័យ​ថា​ 

រាល់៧០គីឡូម៉ែត្រការ៉េ មានអ្នកឆ្មាំម្នាក់។ ពួកគាត់ភាគច្រើនមកពីសហគមន៍ជនជាតិដើមភាគតិច ដែលចាត់ទុកតំបន់ការពាររបស់ពួកគាត់ ដូចទៅនឹងផ្ទះយ៉ាងអញ្ចឹង ហើយការល្បាតមួយលើកៗ ចាយពេលកន្លះខែ។

សម្រាប់ពួកគាត់ វីរៈជ័យគឺមានសារៈសំខាន់ជាងការស្រូប និងរក្សាកាបូន និងប្រភពថាមពលទៅទៀត។

នៅឧទ្យានឯណេះវិញ ប្រជាសហគមន៍ការពារធម្មជាតិជាជនជាតិដើមភាគតិច កំពុងសើច ខណៈដែលពួកគាត់ប្រាប់ខ្ញុំកុំឱ្យសម្លាប់សត្វទាក ដែលកំពុងជញ្ជក់ឈាមលើដៃ ជើង ក និងត្រចៀកខាងស្តាំរបស់ខ្ញុំ។

ពួកគាត់​ហៅ​វា​ថា​ជា​​ «​ពន្ធ​ព្រៃឈើ​» មានន័យថាសត្វនេះជាអំណោយរបស់ព្រៃ រាល់ពេលមានមាន់ថ្មីចូល។ ជាជាងសម្លាប់ពួកវា ពួកគាត់បានជក់បារីបង្ហុយ ដើម្បីការពារពីសត្វទាក ខណៈពេលដែលខ្ញុំបកវាចេញយ៉ាងវេទនា និងយ៉ាងប្រុងប្រយ័ត្នទៅតាមដែលខ្ញុំអាចធ្វើបាន។

ប្រជាសហគមន៍ការពារធម្មជាតិមួយចំនួន ព្រម​ទាំង​មន្ត្រីឧទ្យានុរក្សនៃ​ក្រសួង​បរិស្ថាន គឺជា​ជនជាតិ​ភាគតិចព្រៅ ដែល​មាន​កម្លាំង​ប្រមាណ ៦០,០០០នាក់ មក​ពី​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា ឡាវ និង​វៀតណាម។

ជាបង្គោលព្រំដែនដែលខណ្ឌចែកប្រទេសទាំងបី​  វីរៈជ័យ​ជា​បេះដូង​​របស់សហគមន៍​ជនជាតិ​ដើម។

នៅពេលដែលការល្បាតរបស់យើងបានបញ្ចប់ នៅតំបន់ភ្នំវាលធំមានខ្យល់បក់រំភើយៗ អមដោយសូរិយាអស្តង្គត ដែលប្រែក្លាយផ្ទៃមេឃទាំងមូលទៅជាមាស។

លោក ស្រា អឺ ដែលជាជនជាតិភាគតិចព្រៅ និងជាប្រធានស្នាក់ការរដ្ឋបាលព្រៃឈើតាវែង ណែនាំខ្ញុំឱ្យកំណត់ម៉ោងរោទិ៍របស់ខ្ញុំនៅម៉ោង ២ រំលងអធ្រាត្រ ដើម្បីមើលផ្កាយ។

ពេលដល់​ម៉ោង​២​រំលង​អធ្រាត្រ លោក អឺ ខ្មាស​ខ្ញុំយ៉ាងខ្លាំង។

ដោយសារតែយប់នោះ តារារាប់លាងដួងត្រូវបាំងជិតដោយពពក និងរស្មីដួងច័ន្ទ។ ដើម្បីកុំឱ្យខ្ញុំខកចិត្ត លោក អឺ មួលគម្របកានដាក់ស្រាអង្ករ ដែលជាស្រាដ៏ពិបាកលេប។

នៅក្រោមពន្លឺពណ៌ក្រហមនៃចង្កៀងពាក់ជាប់ក្បាលរបស់ខ្ញុំ និងទោរទន់ទៅតាមឥទ្ធិពលនៃស្រារបស់គាត់ លោក អឺ ប្រាប់ខ្ញុំអំពីទំនាក់ទំនងរបស់ប្រជាជនព្រៅទៅនឹងទឹកដីនេះ ដែលគាត់បានរៀបរាប់ថា វាជាហេតុផលដែលគាត់ធ្វើឱ្យគាត់ក្លាយទៅជាឆ្មាំព្រៃ។

«ពួកយើងខ្វល់ខ្វាយអំពីវីរៈជ័យ ហើយពួកយើងការពារឧទ្យាននេះទៅតាមលទ្ធភាពរបស់ពួកយើង» គាត់បានប្រាប់។

អត្ថបទនេះត្រូវបានផលិត ដោយការចូលរួមរវាង The Japan Times និង Southeast Asia Globe ដោយមានការជ្រោមជ្រែងពី បណ្តាញស៊ើបអង្កេតព្រៃទឹកភ្លៀង នៃ មជ្ឈមណ្ឌល Pulitzer

The post ការអភិវឌ្ឍ «ចរីភាព» ៖ កម្ពុជាប្រឈមនឹងការបាត់បង់ជីវចម្រុះនៅឯព្រំដែន appeared first on Southeast Asia Globe.

បន្ទាប់ពីក្រុមហ៊ុន និងស្ថានទូតនានាបានសម្តែងការព្រួយបារម្ភអំពីការប្រើប្រាស់ថាមពលធ្យូងថ្ម រដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាបានសន្យាថា ផែនការរបស់ខ្លួនក្នុងការអភិវឌ្ឍរោងចក្រថាមពលអគ្គិសនីដើរដោយធ្យូងថ្មថ្មី ចំនួន៣កន្លែង ជាគម្រោងចុងក្រោយបង្អស់។

ចាប់តាំងពីឆ្នាំ ២០២០ មក ផលិតកម្មថាមពលនៅទូទាំងពិភពលោក បានបន្តធ្វើពិពិធកម្មចាកឆ្ងាយពី ការប្រើថាមពលធ្យូងថ្ម ដោយសារតម្លៃលើទីផ្សារមានការប្រែប្រួល ដែលធ្វើឱ្យកក្រើកឧស្សាហកម្មនេះ និងតម្លៃប្រេងឡើងថ្លៃ។ ទោះបីជាគម្រោងធ្យូងថ្មទាំង៣ ហាក់តស៊ូបាន ទៅនឹងគោលជំហរកាត់បន្ថយជំនួយរបស់ចិន ទៅលើរោងចក្រធ្យូងថ្មនៅក្រៅប្រទេសក៏ដោយ ក៏គម្រោងរោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីដែលនៅខេត្តកោះកុង និងឧត្តរមានជ័យ ដែលកំពុងស្ថិតក្នុងដំណាក់កាលផ្សេងៗគ្នានោះ កំពុងញាំញីដោយការពន្យារពេលដំណើរការ។ ទន្ទឹមនឹងនោះ នៅខេត្តព្រះសីហនុ ប្រតិបត្តិការនៃរោងចក្រធ្យូងថ្មកំពុងមានសកម្មភាព ចំនួនពីររបស់កម្ពុជា មានទីតាំងនៅក្នុងស្រុកតែមួយ កំពុងបង្កក្តីបារម្ភដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋក្នុងមូលដ្ឋាន។

ក្រុមការងារ Southeast Asia Globe រាយការណ៍ពីទីតាំងនីមួយៗនៃគម្រោង​ទាំងបីនេះ។ ជាមួយរូបភាពសរុប ប្រមាណ ៤ ៣០០សន្លឹក ក្រុមការងារ Globe ក៏បានសំភាសន៍ និងនិយាយជាមួយមនុស្ស៣៥នាក់ រាប់ពីប្រជាពលរដ្ឋពាក់ព័ន្ធ និងប្រជានេសាទដែលជួបការលំបាក ដល់កម្មកររោងចក្រ មន្ត្រីមូលដ្ឋាន និងអ្នកជំនាញផ្នែកថាមពល។ សូមអានអត្ថបទទី១ នៃបទយកការណ៍​ ការពឹងផ្អែកលើអគ្គីសនីធ្យូងថ្ម របស់ Globe ហើយបន្តមើលអត្ថបទទី២នេះ ដែលជាបទរាយការណ៍អមជាមួយរូបថត៖

ខេត្តឧត្តរមានជ័យ

នៅខេត្តឧត្តរមានជ័យ រោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីធ្យូងថ្ម ហាន សេង ដែលអាចផលិតថាមពលបាន ២៦៥មេហ្គាវ៉ាត់ ជាគម្រោងសម្រេចបានពាក់កណ្តាល បានហួសថ្ងៃកំណត់ការបិទបញ្ចប់ការសងសង់ តាំងពីឆ្នាំមុនមកម្លេះ។ ដោយសារតែជំនួយធ្លាក់ចុះ ម្ចាស់គម្រោងបានបង្វែរគម្រោងនេះ ឱ្យទៅក្រុមហ៊ុនម៉ៅការសាងសង់ថ្មីវិញ ដែលមិនត្រឹមតែបន្តការផលិតអគ្គីសនីដោយធ្យូងថ្មប៉ុណ្ណោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែក៏សម្លឹងឃើញ នូវការវិនិយោគបន្ថែម លើថាមពលសូឡានៅទីតាំងនេះផងដែរ។

«​ខ្ញុំ​ចង់​ឲ្យ​អ្នក​រាល់​គ្នា​ក្នុង​សហគមន៍​របស់​ខ្ញុំមានអគ្គិសនីប្រើប្រាស់ ប៉ុន្តែ​ខ្ញុំ​ក៏​មាន​ការ​ព្រួយ​បារម្ភ ​អំពី​ហានិភ័យ​សុខភាព​ដល់​កម្មករ និង​ប្រជាជន​ក្នុង​មូលដ្ឋាន​ផង​ដែរ»។ រូបភាព៖ Anton L. Delgado ផ្តល់ឱ្យ Southeast Asia Globe

ច្រេក ពេជ្យនេង

ខេត្ត​កោះ កុង​

នៅ​ខេត្ត​កោះកុង ក្រុមហ៊ុន​រ៉ូយ៉ាល់​គ្រុប​កម្ពុជា ​នៅ​មិន​ទាន់​បាន​បញ្ចប់​ការ​សាងសង់​រោងចក្រ​ថាមពល​អគ្គិសនី ៧០០ មេហ្គាវ៉ាត់ ​ដែល​គ្រោង​នឹង​ដំណើរការ​នៅ​ឆ្នាំ​នេះនៅឡើយ។ ទោះ​បី​ជាយ៉ាងណា ​អ្នក​ស្រុកដែលនៅតំបន់នោះពីមុន​ នៅ​តែ​បន្ត​តវ៉ាទៅលើសំណងមិនសមរម្យ ភាពអយុត្តិធម៌ និង​ការ​បង្រ្កាបមកលើប្រជាជន នាពេលពួកគាត់ត្រូវបានគេបណ្ដេញចេញ។

ខេត្ត ព្រះសីហនុ

នៅខេត្តព្រះសីហនុ គម្រោងសាងសង់រោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីធ្យូងថ្មថាមពល ៧០០មេហ្គាវ៉ាត់ របស់ក្រុមហ៊ុន Cambodia International Investment Development Group (CIIDG) មានទីតាំងស្ថិតនៅតាមបណ្តោយផ្លូវជាតិតែមួយ ជាមួយនឹងរោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីថាមពល ២៥០មេហ្គាវ៉ាត់ របស់ Cambodian Energy Limited (CEL) ដែលកំពុងដំណើរការស្របពេលគ្នា។ ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋរស់នៅស្រុកស្ទឹងហាវ ក៏បានបង្ហាញអំពីកង្វល់របស់ពួកគាត់ ជុំវិញនឹងផលប៉ះពាល់សុខភាព និងបរិស្ថាន ដែលបង្កឡើង ដោយរោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីធ្យូងថ្មផងដែរ។

រាយការណ៍បន្ថែមដោយ៖ Andrew Haffner និង ឡាយ សុផាន់ណា

អត្ថបទនេះទទួលបានការគាំទ្រពីជំនួយ News Reporting Pitch Initiative ពីមូលនិធិខុនរ៉ាតអាឌិនណៅអ៊ែរ​ Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung ប្រចាំកម្ពុជា

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After companies and embassies expressed concerns about coal, the Cambodian government pledged that its plans to develop three new coal-fired power plants would be the Kingdom’s last foray into coal-fuelled electricity.

Since 2020, energy production globally has continued to diversify away from coal, as volatile markets rock the industry and spike fuel prices. Despite surviving China’s funding cuts to overseas coal, the planned power plants in Koh Kong and Oddar Meanchey are in varying stages of inertia, plagued by long delays. Meanwhile in Sihanoukville, the operations of two of Cambodia’s active coal complexes in the same district are raising concerns among local residents.

Southeast Asia Globe reported from each of these locations. While taking more than 4,300 images, Globe spoke to 35 people about the projects; from concerned residents and struggling fisherfolk to plant workers, local officials and energy experts. Read Part I of Globe’s Counting on Coal project and continue to see Part II, an accompanying photo story. Click or tap any image to expand for a slideshow.

Oddar Meanchey province

In Oddar Meanchey, the 265-megawatt, semi-built Han Seng project missed its deadline to go online last year. Falling revenue for the Chinese companies in charge pivoted the project to new contractors, who are sticking with coal but also investing in solar energy production at the same power plant.

“I want electricity to be accessible to everyone in my community, but I am also concerned about the health risks to workers and local people,” she said. Photo by Anton L. Delgado for Southeast Asia Globe.

Chrek Pechneng

Koh Kong province

In Koh Kong, the Royal Group of Cambodia conglomerate has yet to break ground on a 700-megawatt power plant scheduled to go online this year. Though former residents continue to allege unfair deals and heavy-handed evictions.

Sihanoukville province

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia International Investment Development Group’s (CIIDG) new 700-megawatt coal project shares a road with the already operational 250-megawatt Cambodian Energy Limited (CEL) power plant complex. Steung Hav residents fear for the effects these two coal sites could have on their health and environment.

Contributed reporting by Andrew Haffner and Sophanna Lay. A Khmer-language version of this story can be found here, with translations by Sophanna Lay and Nasa Dip.

This article was supported by a ‘News Reporting Pitch Initiative’ from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation in Cambodia.

The post Counting on coal: A visual guide to Cambodia’s big bet on fossil fuel appeared first on Southeast Asia Globe.

Locals toasting to happy hour down the road from the front gate of the site complained of months of delayed pay for a relative working there as a security guard, adding there was no set date for operations to resume. There was little more information at the nearby Ou Svay commune hall.

“Maybe the plan changed to complete construction by 2025?” questioned Roeun Phearin, who was a commune consultant for the plant. “The construction is now paused and we don’t know the reason because it is the internal information of the company.”

Cambodia bet big on coal in 2020. The Kingdom doubled down on fossil fuel that year with plans to develop three coal power plants to meet rising electricity demand and, in the process, flip most of Cambodia’s power production from renewable sources to coal.

The move bucked the global push for clean energy and dismayed sustainability advocates, but the announced plants are now facing years of delay – raising questions about when, or if, the Kingdom’s last coal projects will go online.

When announced, all three plants were attached to China’s infrastructure-focused Belt and Road Initiative. But while China’s 2021 pledge to cut support for coal power abroad killed projects elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Cambodia’s plans appeared to survive the chopping block.

Southeast Asia Globe documented the slate of projects across three provinces, as well as Cambodia’s original coal-fired power plant. Of these three sites – which the Cambodian government pledged are its last coal plants – two are in varying stages of inertia. The third is finished and operational.

In deep-rural Oddar Meanchey province, the 265-megawatt, semi-built Han Seng project missed its deadline to go online last year. Falling revenue for the Chinese companies in charge pivoted the project to new contractors, who are sticking with coal – but also now investing in solar energy at the same plant.

Meanwhile, near the coast in Koh Kong province, the politically connected Royal Group conglomerate has yet to even break ground on a 700-megawatt power plant initially scheduled to go online this year. Former residents of the area allege unfair deals and heavy-handed evictions.

Finally, just across the Bay of Kampong Som in Sihanoukville province, Cambodia International Investment Development Group’s (CIIDG) new 700-megawatt coal project appears to be the only of the three to hit its expected completion targets.

Just down the same road from it in Steung Hav district is another plant, the 250-megawatt Cambodian Energy Limited (CEL) coal complex, which was the first of its kind in the Kingdom. Local residents fear for the effects these power plants could have on their health and environment.

“This is not good for us,” said fisherman Hang Dara, who left his job as an electrician at CEL because of health concerns. “But it will be much worse for the next generation in this province since they now have even more coal projects.”

Future of fossil fuels

While addressing the U.N. in 2021 and in order to stay “committed to harmony between man and nature”, President Xi Jinping pledged China would stop building coal-fired power projects abroad and step up support for renewables and low-carbon energy.

As a major financier and equipper of coal-fired power plants, China’s announcement was hailed as a major step toward achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global temperature rise by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The fate of 77 Chinese-backed coal projects around the world that were in varying stages of development before Xi’s pledge were still uncertain as of October, according to the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Almost half of those power plants would be in Southeast Asia.

If these 37 projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines are operated for their standard 25-to-30-year lifespans, CREA calculated they’d emit a total of nearly 4,230 million tons of carbon. That’s a little less than U.S. emissions for just last year, the centre said.

The three coal projects in Cambodia continued after China’s pledge, but 14 power plants were officially cancelled in Indonesia and Vietnam, according to CREA, nixing the production of 15.6 gigawatts of coal-fired energy.

“With the very dramatic drop of costs for clean energy and the increase of costs for coal, the Cambodian government has the chance to re-evaluate if those coal plants are the best way to meet Cambodia’s power needs,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA.

Cambodia is opting into an especially precarious position, Myllyvirta said, as the country mostly depends on foreign imports of coal.

“The wild swings in coal prices and global coal markets in the past three years have vividly demonstrated the economic risks of depending on fossil fuels,” he said, adding that price fluctuations would only “become more volatile.”

In 2021, Cambodia imported approximately $222 million worth of coal, according to records from the U.N. Comtrade Database processed by Harvard Growth Lab’s Atlas of Economic Complexity.

The trade data underlines the role of Indonesia as Cambodia’s largest coal exporter for more than a decade. Nearly 85% of coal imported by Cambodia from 2012 to 2021 came from Indonesia.

Zulfikar Yurnaidi, a senior officer at the ASEAN Centre for Energy in Jakarta, agreed with Myllyvirta that the future of coal is increasingly uncertain. Yurnaidi said the international “allergy towards coal” continues to be an unaddressed ASEAN issue.

“We cannot wish coal and fossil fuels gone right away,” Yurnaidi said. “Support from foreign financial institutions is still required. Maybe not to install a dirty power plant, but to help us reach the end goal of reducing emissions by upgrading fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy.”

As coal funding runs dry, international climate finance has risen in Southeast Asia with millions of dollars going into the ‘just energy’ transitions in Vietnam and Indonesia. After the third Belt and Road Forum in mid-October, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet announced Chinese state-owned power companies had offered the Kingdom more than $600 million for renewable energy projects.

Despite foreign funding, Yurnaidi said ASEAN’s emphasis on economic growth will continue to require coal while bloc member-states shift to renewable energy sources.

“ASEAN is a very huge ship with hundreds of millions of people and trillions in GDP,” Yurnaidi said. “With the energy transition, we know this ship needs to take a turn. But we cannot just make a sudden roundabout because then everyone will fall into the sea.”

Counting on coal

Cambodia’s bet on coal seemed to embody that idea.

In the aftermath of Covid-19, Cambodia’s Power Development Master Plan charts the way for the country’s energy expansion from 2022 to 2040 and predicts a steady rise in national demand for energy.

The first five years of every “energy scenario” within the plan prioritises the development of Cambodia’s proposed roster of three new coal sites.

At a meeting before the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2021, also known as COP26, Cambodia’s Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem said the country would no longer approve additional coal projects.

The years of construction delays facing two of the power plants have some experts wary of potential energy shortages. Chea Sophorn, an energy project manager who specialises in renewable developments, said shortages would depend on how quickly the Kingdom’s post-Covid economy, and thus energy demand, recovers.

But with international investors turning away from fossil fuels, Sophorn emphasised that securing support to jump-start the two stalled projects could be difficult.

“What type of investor will still be able to finance stranded assets like this?” questioned Sophorn, explaining that without China there are few to no places for these projects to turn.

Cheap Sour, an official with the Ministry of Mines and Energy, declined to comment and referred to the ministry spokesman, Heng Kunleang, who left Globe’s text and voice messages on read. Eung Dipola, the director-general of the ministry’s Department of Minerals, was unavailable for comment.

Construction in Cambodia

In Oddar Meanchey, financial difficulties have already pushed the companies backing the $370 million Han Seng power plant to pivot.

The state-owned Guodian Kangneng Technology Stock Co. suffered a massive decrease in its net profit for shareholders in the first half of last year and brought in a new contractor, Huazi International, in September. 

The plan to install 265 megawatts of coal-fired power hasn’t changed – but Huazi has since announced intentions to add 200 megawatts of solar capacity to the site. This is the first time any other type of energy production has been associated with the struggling Han Seng power plant.

Just two kilometres from the semi-constructed project site, the Yun Khean coal mine, which would supposedly one day supply the plant, is operating as usual.

Boy Troch, who lives a stone’s throw away from the mine’s slag heaps, believes mining operations contaminated the groundwater beneath his farm, damaging crops and sickening wildlife.

“There are a lot of lands affected by the mine, but village and commune chiefs do not care,” Troch said, pointing at shifting heaps of coal-streaked earth across the road from his land.

With his grandchildren by his side, Troch said he feared coal mining would proliferate in his district if the power plant went online.

“We are afraid to protest because our voice isn’t heard,” Troch said. “We are ordinary people. We are more afraid that they will evict us from this land.”

In Koh Kong, stories from evicted residents may validate these fears.

Royal Group, one of the largest investment conglomerates in Cambodia with direct ties to former Prime Minister Hun Sen, received a nearly 170-hectare land concession in 2020 within Botum Sakor National Park for the coal power plant.

People living on the site without land titles complained of rough, uncompensated evictions. Former resident Keo Khorn’s home was torn down in 2021 by a government task force. With 37 evictees, he petitioned for reparations.

“We all came together to complain about the company,” Khorn said. “Everyone heard us, the provincial ministries and the national ministries. But no one did anything.”

The project site is currently vacant, but workers are clearing forests around the location. These areas, also within the national park, were given to Royal Group in a second, nearly 10,000-hectare land concession this year.

Thomas Pianka, with Royal Group’s energy division, flatly refused to speak with Globe reporters.

“No, I don’t need to talk to you,” he said before hanging up a call.

Where coal plants are actually operating, residents in Sihanoukville province have different worries. 

A plant security guard for the older Cambodia Energy Limited site said other workers have told him about health concerns, but said the company has never mentioned any risks.

The guard’s deputy village chief, Ly Socheat, said she regularly fields complaints about the smell from the power plant. Socheat said many of the families in her village have stopped collecting rainwater in fear of contamination from the coal.

While Socheat attended several meetings about potential employment opportunities at the power plant, she has also never been informed of any potential health impacts.

Residents complained of respiratory issues and headaches. But coal-fired power plants have also been linked to cancer – a 2019 study estimated 1.37 million cases of lung cancer around the world will be linked to such plants by 2025.

In the waters just off the coast, fisherman Hang Dara recounted why he left his job as an electrician at CEL to instead cast for crabs by the power plant. He believed the plant’s discharged water was heating the bay and harming the environment.

“I was very worried about my health,” said Dara, who explained he had severe headaches and chronic coughs while working at the power station. “But now I am very worried about the health of the fish.”

As Dara stood by the bow, his fishing partner Loy Chaeum drove from the stern. As they passed coal loading docks supplying the two power plants, Chaeum excitedly pointed out a vulnerable Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin surfacing for air.

“I don’t see many dolphins now, they don’t like the coal. Like us, they must go farther and farther away to survive,” said Chaeum, who explained he motored across the bay every morning in search of a better catch.

That brings him closer to Koh Kong, where one day there may be another coal-fired power plant.

“If they build it, there will be nowhere for them or us to go,” he said, turning back to land, having lost sight of the dolphin.

Contributed reporting by Andrew Haffner and Sophanna Lay. A Khmer-language version of this story can be found here, with translations by Sophanna Lay and Nasa Dip.

This article was supported by a ‘News Reporting Pitch Initiative’ from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation in Cambodia.

The post Counting on coal: Cambodia’s fossil fuel push flounders with delays appeared first on Southeast Asia Globe.

In the Areng Valley, a river-carved flatland in the range sparsely populated by villages of indigenous Chorng people, that includes any semblance of cellular reception. 

This means it’s usually best to meet in-person with Reem Souvsee, the deputy chief of the valley’s Chomnoab commune. Otherwise, Souvsee explained, she might get some reception near the roof of her house, or up the neighbouring mountains where local men go to harvest resin from trees to sell for a bit of income.

Despite that isolation, in recent months this stretch of rural communities amongst densely jungled peaks has been pulled into the centre of global debate about carbon credits – a development scheme organised under a U.N.-backed framework called REDD+.

These credits are intended to limit the emissions that cause climate change by preventing deforestation in places like Areng. They’re purchased by major polluters, including some of the world’s largest oil and gas firms, to offset their fossil fuel emissions by essentially sponsoring the protection of forests, in developing countries such as Cambodia.

Some of these credits are already coming from the mountains near Souvsee’s home, which lies within the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project. Managed by the nonprofit Wildlife Alliance in partnership with the Cambodian government, the roughly 4,453-square-kilometre project in Koh Kong province includes portions of two national parks and another officially protected area. It is the largest of four such registered carbon credit zones in Cambodia. 

The project has also been seen abroad as one of the flagships for the burgeoning climate finance sector. But that image took a major hit in June when the world’s leading carbon credit registry service, a U.S.-based non-profit called Verra, abruptly suspended issuing new credits for the site in response to an as-yet unreleased investigation from global advocacy group Human Rights Watch alleging rights abuses by environmental officials and rangers within the project area.

The finer mechanics of the carbon credit model are mostly unknown to locals in Areng, who were unaware of these developments. But Souvsee – a member of Cambodia’s besieged political opposition Candlelight Party and a former affiliate with the conservation activist group Mother Nature – saw reason to support the programme, which has funded local infrastructure and community development. 

“We want REDD+ to be here, but we want them to respect our rights as indigenous people,” she said. “They can help protect our forest, our culture – and they can help protect [our land] from companies too.” 

For rural forest communities such as those of Areng, the threat presented by outside companies is very real. 

Rights organisations annually rank Cambodia among the most corrupt in the world, pointing to well-documented elite networks that have granted themselves near-total control of the Kingdom’s natural resources under a sprawling political patronage system. This has seen the country’s once-vast forests and other officially protected landscapes traditionally doled out among an overlapping class of tycoons and politicians, usually to be stripped for timber and developed into agricultural plantations.

At the same time, the Cambodian government has pledged to expand carbon credit programmes across its many officially protected areas, as well as a deepening partnership with regional finance hub Singapore to bring its sprouting credits to a global market.

The Ministry of Environment has announced at least eight credit projects in the works in recent years, with two currently awaiting registration with Verra. Officials didn’t answer questions about their plans when contacted by a reporter.

Some conservationists argue the basic financial premise of REDD+ offers an alternative path forward, a means of changing the status quo for forests in Cambodia and other developing countries. They say credit sales provide a funding model that’s actually sustainable on the ground, allowing for more concerted efforts to protect nature. Project developers also assert a system that rewards states for keeping trees standing – as opposed to clear-cut for timber, mining or other development – is a much-needed step in the future of environmental protection. 

But critics say these plans still fail to defuse the key drivers of deforestation by powerful economic interests, especially in countries such as Cambodia where land rights and environmental protections wither in the face of political clout and profit-seeking. Worse, some say, the brunt of the protections brought with REDD+ often fall on some of the world’s poorest communities – often smallholder farmers who depend on forests to eke out subsistence livelihoods. 

“I think there’s been a growing disappointment with REDD+ projects,” said Professor Ida Theilade, a forestry expert with the University of Copenhagen. She’s studied Cambodia for more than 20 years and has, in the past, done consulting for carbon credit projects in other countries. “It’s very hard to find those success stories, those really big stars in the sky.”

The recent Verra suspension has pulled that critical spotlight squarely on the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project.

Verra stated it was investigating the situation in Southern Cardamom further, but didn’t comment beyond that. Human Rights Watch also did not disclose their report to the Globe. 

Though minimal details from the group’s study have been made public, its researchers had reportedly documented rights violations carried out against local people by public officials and conservation rangers in the development of the REDD+ project.

Even just a hint of these preliminary findings was immediately familiar to many in Cambodia. 

Though the forests under its watch remain some of the thickest in the country, Wildlife Alliance has long been accused of heavy-handed enforcement of environmental restrictions with often-impoverished local villagers. The not-yet-public Human Rights Watch report likely taps into this history.

Suwanna Gauntlett, Wildlife Alliance CEO and founder, denies abuses, saying her organisation is working to support rural livelihoods while safeguarding protected areas. She places the group’s role in Cambodia in a longer arc of conservation in the Kingdom, tracing back to the group’s earliest days in 2000 – operating in a near-lawless environment to fight land-grabbing, human-caused forest fires and widespread poaching.

“We used to be the good guys doing good stuff, and now we’re the villains,” said Gauntlett, reflecting on the spotlight cast on her group by Human Rights Watch. “I don’t know how comfortable I feel in my new role.”

On the ground

The Southern Cardamom REDD+ project seemed to provide a ready case study for bigger questions facing climate financing in Cambodia. So as part of a broader investigation of greenwashing conducted in partnership with the Earth Journalism Network, reporters from the Southeast Asia Globe and the U.K.-based outlet SourceMaterial, spent about a week total travelling through the Southern Cardamom zone over two separate trips. 

With regular check-ins and surveillance from local police, reporters spoke with more than 30 people in communities around the area. These interviews ranged from villagers and local officials to Wildlife Alliance employees.

What they found was – a mixed bag.

“On the whole, we’re happy with REDD+,” said Chhan Kong, 41, a fisherman and rice farmer living in the village of Teuk La’ak. “[But] the rangers can be harsh and aggressive.”

When he and others ventured into the protected area to make camp and fish – a permitted activity – Kong said they ran the risk of having their camping equipment confiscated or destroyed by rangers. 

This was a common thread in many interviews, and locals also told reporters they felt compelled to run at the sight of rangers lest they run afoul of restrictions. Those caught breaking the rules could be sent to court, villagers said.

Maybe the most notable recent incident in the REDD+ zone that the Globe heard of involved a then-62-year-old woman who was briefly detained by rangers about two years ago. Presumably on the way to their station, the rangers let her go with no further action after other community members went to advocate for her release. 

Still frightened and confused, she told reporters the rangers had picked her up for cutting a small tree near her farm. 

As with her case, the single-most common appeal was for greater communication and cooperation, especially for farmers, fisherfolk and others around the boundaries and enforcement of protected areas. A Wildlife Alliance field official who spoke with reporters said there was signage to mark these edges and showed them a detailed map, but acknowledged it wasn’t distributed to local people. 

Hoeng Pov, a Chorng community representative in Areng Valley, said even commune officials often lacked key information about the project.

“We really want to know about accountability – how much [do they earn] from selling carbon, how much do they pay for organisations who do this project and for the communities as well?” he mused to reporters. “Some organisations haven’t addressed people’s concerns, they only talk about their project. [And] after they got money from this project they haven’t let us know how the money was divided.” 

Though questions remained, almost everyone reporters spoke with agreed on the importance of protecting the forest. 

Besides the carbon-sucking benefits that trees and other plant life provide on their own, cutting them down also has massive impacts on the climate – deforestation contributes as much as 20% to global carbon emissions. 

According to the nonprofit Global Forest Watch , Cambodia has lost about 31% of its tree cover since 2000, amounting to about 1.57 gigatons of carbon emissions. 

At the same time, its forays into carbon crediting have produced mixed results.

Of its four Verra-registered REDD+ projects, two have experienced severe deforestation. One of these is in the province of Oddar Meanchey and the other is called Tumring, located on the edge of the country’s once-vast, now-vanishing Prey Lang forest. 

Regarded as the largest lowland evergreen forest remaining in mainland Southeast Asia, even the protected areas of Prey Lang are steadily dissolving under industrial-scale logging operations. 

Tumring was developed in partnership with the South Korean government, but primarily overseen by the Cambodian Forestry Administration. The forester Theialde said satellite imagery has shown dramatic loss of tree cover at the project site, and it’s unclear if it’s actually selling credits.

Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia’s first foray into carbon crediting, has suffered a similar fate. With backing from the U.N. Development Program, the project initially found commitments from organisations such as Disney and Virgin Airlines to buy credits. But the corporate backers cancelled after it became apparent that local officials and military units had asserted their own claims to officially protected land.

Meanwhile, Cambodia’s second-largest REDD+ project – managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) at the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern province of Mondulkiri – is generally considered a success. 

Colin Moore, the Southeast Asia regional REDD+ coordinator for WCS, said revenues from the credits sold from the project have been a game-changer for the group’s work on the site.

“It’s really allowed us to scale our activities on the ground,” said Moore. “We’ve only very recently entered a world where you can do more than just fund a bare-bones conservation programme in these landscapes.”

Moore said WCS works with Everland, a company based in the U.S., to market and sell the credits from REDD+ projects to buyers around the world. Everland also does the same for the Southern Cardamom project.

When credits are sold from Keo Seima, a portion of their sales revenue goes to Everland or other fees, but the rest of the proceeds are split between WCS Cambodia and the Environment Ministry. Moore said the breakdown is 20% for the ministry, 80% for the project itself, deposited into an account managed by WCS. 

That latter pool of money goes into funding conservation projects within Keo Seima, including personnel costs and programming related to rural livelihood development, community land titling and more.

Both Moore and Wildlife Alliance declined to say how much in total funding their credit sales have made over the life of the project so far. Local media has quoted government officials stating the Environment Ministry itself has raised $11.6 million in carbon credit sales since 2016, which would be only a portion of the total revenues.

Moore said the successes of the Keo Seima and Southern Cardamom REDD+ projects were the “proof of concept” before the Cambodian government’s current push to develop more credit programmes. A boost in global interest in financing such projects since 2021 – the first year of the Paris Climate Accords commitment period – also helped drive interest, he added.

“The existing projects that were here in Cambodia had been ticking along, eking by on some small sales here and there,” Moore said. “Only after 2021 did they start to make big sales, be able to move their inventory.”

Critiques and hopes

Conservation funding aside, critics of REDD+ have not found it a convincing model to mitigate climate change. 

An extensive report from a carbon trading research centre at the University of California-Berkeley asserted last month that loose REDD+ assessments and quality control practices by Verra are leading to “over-crediting” and “exaggerated” claims about the impact of such projects. 

As a result, they said, credits sold under the promise of directly offsetting specific amounts of carbon emissions likely represent only “a small fraction of their claimed climate benefit”. The researchers also wrote that REDD+ projects focus their enforcement efforts on rural, often-impoverished forest communities while remaining unable to address large-scale deforestation caused by more powerful economic interests.

“Our overall conclusion is that REDD+ is ill-suited to the generation of carbon credits for use as offsets,” the researchers wrote, adding that the current “market system creates a race to the bottom that is hard to emerge from.” 

Those within the sector itself have a different view.

Everland President Joshua Tosteson freely admits the industry is imperfect but is adamant that its basic premise is a good one when done properly. He said he hadn’t read the Berkeley report in depth, but noted that he agreed with it that the Verra system allowed for a “wide variability right now in respect to how projects get set up in relation to the communities.” 

“There isn’t really like what you might call a normative standard, a quality standard for how things ought to be done,” he said, adding that applied to things such as gaining free prior and informed consent and revenue sharing with local people.

That makes it hard to properly gauge how well projects actually address the underlying social and economic reasons for forest loss, Tosteson added. 

Beyond that, he rejected the larger denunciations of the Berkeley report, ascribing some of its findings to a broader wariness of using market solutions to address deforestation or climate change issues. However, for a country such as Cambodia, he thought the financial incentive that REDD+ brought to conservation could help keep trees standing.

“The thing about REDD that I think people do not appreciate and understand is that money talks – and the fact that there has been financial success associated with forest conservation in these two places [Southern Cardamom and Keo Seima] is beginning to change the mind of the government,” he said. “It’s going to take a while, but this is definitely part of the trajectory that I think can get you to a different ethos at a national level.”

At Wildlife Alliance’s offices in Phnom Penh, Gauntlett and her organisation also stand by their work.

Besides using the revenues from carbon credit sales to fund protection of the REDD+ area, the group also listed a range of material investments in the rural communities of the Southern Cardamom project. 

Besides helping start “community-based eco-tourism” centres, Gauntlett also said her group had shored up land tenure for residents in the REDD+ zone by facilitating the government processing of just under 5,000 “hard” land titles – a level of official recognition of ownership often difficult to secure in Cambodia – covering nearly 12,250 parcels of private land there. She expected the Ministry of Land Management to issue an additional 7,249 titles through 2024.

Gauntlett also listed infrastructure developments such as about 28 kilometres of new or rehabbed roads in the project zone, 94 solar-powered water wells, 77 toilets, two schools and a bridge. Wildlife Alliance also funded 16 full university scholarships for students to study and live in Phnom Penh, she said.

Reporters were able to see much of the hard infrastructure for themselves as they traveled through the project area. In the Areng Valley, one older resident said the newly installed toilet was the first she’d ever had. 

While the Wildlife Alliance REDD+ programme officially started in 2015, Gauntlett said her organisation had first tried to establish the programme in 2008 – but was rejected by the Cambodian government.

“Finally when REDD started, it was pretty much already all done. It wasn’t a decision that came out of the blue like this,” she said. When asked why the government had initially been against it, Gauntlett was concise.

“Very simple. More money to be made through economic land concessions.”

‘An illusion’

Still, the incentives offered by climate finance will need to compete with more short-term motivations. Not everyone shares Gauntlett’s optimism that carbon credits are up to task.

The forester Theilade is among them. She mostly focuses on the vanishing Prey Lang forest and the community networks that have struggled to maintain it against powerful interests. 

She was also involved in the early 2000s with helping the Cambodian government develop its “REDD+ Roadmap”, a planning process with World Bank funding that ostensibly evolved into the Kingdom’s current strategy. 

Today, she occasionally reviews conservation proposals with carbon trading components, but she’s not working specifically with crediting schemes. 

Theilade is also not involved with Wildlife Alliance or their work in Southern Cardamom but said she’d read about the organisation’s presence there. Though she gave some credit to them, she said Cambodia’s extensive patronage system leaves no quarter for good intentions – especially where forestland is concerned.

Such an outcome for Wildlife Alliance has already happened elsewhere in the country. Last year, its partners in the Forestry Administration conspired against the conservation group with local officials and prominent tycoons to clear-cut and parcel out a smaller forest that Wildlife Alliance had preserved just outside the Phnom Penh metro. 

The conservation group had used that area, known as Phnom Tamao, as a sanctuary for rare and endangered animals. Though a rare surge of public discontent put a stop to development of the land, the forest itself was decimated. 

Based on global prices for carbon on the offsets market, Theilade thought there was no way for credits to compete with other land uses associated with the patronage system – especially timber logged from protected areas.

Though she gently cautioned that she didn’t want to “sound too negative” about the work being done by some conservation groups to build out such schemes, Theilade just didn’t see it as a realistic option given the political weight against conservation.

“It has to be a government deciding, or a culture deciding, that these forests are worth something to us,” she said, describing the various ecological, social and spiritual benefits that forests provide in Cambodia. “That the government is going to conserve forests for some small carbon payments, I’m afraid, is an illusion.”

Contributed reporting by Anton Delgado, Meng Kroypunlok, Roun Ry and SourceMaterial.

This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.

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Since 1970, 2 million people have lost their lives to disasters. Tragically, but all too predictably, the poorest in the least-developed countries are worst-affected. They will find themselves in the eye of the storm as temperatures rise, new disaster hotspots appear and existing risks increase. Unless we fundamentally change our approach to building resilience to disaster risk, temperature rises of 1.5°C or 2°C will make adaptation to the threat of disasters unfeasible. Disaster risk could soon outpace resilience in Asia and the Pacific.

It is worth pondering what this would mean. The grim tally of disaster-related deaths would inevitably rise, as would the annual cost of disaster-related losses, forecast to increase to almost $1 trillion, or 3% of regional GDP, under 2°C warming  up from $924 billion today, or 2.9% of regional GDP. The deadly combination of disasters and extreme weather would undermine productivity and imperil sustainable development. 

In the poorest parts of our region, such as the Pacific small island developing states, disasters would become a major driver of inequality. 

Losses would be particularly devastating in the agriculture and energy sectors, disrupting food systems and undermining food security as well as jeopardizing energy supply and production. Environmental degradation and biodiversity loss would be remorseless, leading to climate change-driven extinctions and further increasing disaster risk.

To avoid this exponential growth of disaster risk, there is a narrow window of opportunity to increase resilience and protect hard-won development gains. To seize it, bold decisions are needed to deliver transformative adaptation. They can no longer be postponed. 

This week, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is convening top policymakers, experts and academics from across the region on 25-27 July to discuss transformative adaptation policies and actions at ESCAP’s Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction. The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2023 will also be launched at the Committee.

The stakeholders drawn to this meeting will consider key questions such as prioritizing greater investment in early warning systems. 

Expanding coverage in least developed countries is the most effective way to reduce the number of people killed. Early warning systems can shield people living in multi-hazard hotspots and reduce disaster losses everywhere by up to 60%. They provide a tenfold return on investment. To protect food systems and reduce the exposure of the energy infrastructure – the backbone of our economies – sector-specific coverage is needed. 

Investments at the local level to improve communities’ response to early warning alerts, delivered through expanded global satellite data use and embedded in comprehensive risk management policies, must all be part of our approach. 

Only transformative adaptation can deliver the systemic change needed to leave no one behind.

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Nature-based solutions should be at the heart of adaptation strategies. They support the sustainable management, protection and restoration of degraded environments while reducing disaster risk. The evidence is unequivocal: preserving functional ecosystems in good ecological condition strengthens disaster risk reduction. This means preserving wetlands, flood plains and forests to guard against natural hazards, and mangroves and coral reefs to reduce coastal flooding. 

Forest restoration and sustainable agriculture are essential. In our urban centers, nature-based solutions can mitigate urban flooding and contribute to future urban resilience, including by reducing heat island effects.  

Beyond these priorities, only transformative adaptation can deliver the systemic change needed to leave no one behind in multi-hazard risk hotspots. Such change will cut across policy areas. It means aligning social protection and climate change interventions to enable poor and climate-vulnerable households to adapt and protect their assets and livelihoods. 

Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation must become complementary to make food and energy systems more resilient, particularly in disaster-prone arid areas and coastlines. Technologies such as the ‘Internet of Things’ and artificial intelligence can improve the accuracy of real-time weather predictions as well as how disaster warnings are communicated.  

Yet to make this happen, disaster risk financing needs to be dramatically increased, with financing mechanisms scaled up. In a constrained fiscal context, we must remember that investments made upstream are far more cost-effective than spending after a disaster. 

The current level of adaptation finance falls well short of the $144.74 billion needed for transformative adaptation. We must tap innovative financing mechanisms to close the gap. Thematic bonds, debt for adaptation and ecosystem adaptation finance can help attract private investment, reduce risk and create new markets. These instruments should complement official development assistance, while digital technologies improve the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of adaptation financing.

Now is the time to work together, to build on innovation and scientific breakthroughs to accelerate transformative adaptation across the region. 

A regional strategy that supports early warnings for all is needed to strengthen cooperation through the well-established United Nations mechanisms and in partnership with subregional intergovernmental organizations. At ESCAP, we stand ready to support this process every step of the way because sharing best practices and pooling resources can improve our region’s collective resilience and response to climate-related hazards. 

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can only be achieved if we ensure disaster resilience is never outpaced by disaster risk. Let us seize the moment and protect our future in Asia and the Pacific.

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the under-secretary-general of the UN and executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

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Home to such endemic creatures as shimmering, iridescent snakes, the fancifully coloured douc’s langur and the saola, a rare deer-like animal also known as the “Asian unicorn”, the Annamites are a biodiversity hotspot. 

But these densely forested mountains, which span the border highlands of Laos, Vietnam and eastern Cambodia, are increasingly under threat. A recent World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report celebrated the distinctive animals of the range while sounding an alarm that deforestation and an estimated multi-billion-dollar, illegal wildlife trade is gradually eradicating such creatures – leaving open the possibility that as-yet unknown species could be wiped out before ever being recorded to science. Even if humans are unaware of these losses, forests across the range are already bearing the ecological toll.

“As wildlife species disappear, their ecological roles are lost, and the forest changes too, in terms of composition, structure and function,” said Yoganand Kandasamy, a conservation biologist and senior author of the report.

Despite being considered a single range, the Annamites feature diverse habitats the WWF report describes as an “evolutionary laboratory”. These include limestone karst hills, mature secondary forest and patches of primary wet evergreen forest. The WWF notes the Annamites have one of the largest contiguous natural forested areas in continental Southeast Asia with nearly 11,000 square kilometres of habitat. 

This has helped a number of endemic species to evolve. 

Among these is the kha-nyou, a karst-dweller and so-called ‘living fossil’ first scientifically recorded in 2005 from specimens collected almost a decade prior in a Lao market. The sole surviving member of the Diatomyidae family, all other species in its taxonomic category are thought to have vanished more than 10 million years ago.

But modern history has left deep scars on the forests, which sustained heavy damage during the Vietnam War. More recently, according to data from Global Forest Watch, Vietnam has lost more than 740,000 hectares of humid forest in the past 20 years, contributing to about a 21% decline in total tree cover. WWF points out that much of this deforestation happened in the Annamites.

The mountains have held onto their habitat better than some lowland areas due to the difficulty of access there, but even with legally protected status, new roads and agricultural expansions have gradually crept up the slopes. This has also helped to open the mountains to enterprising loggers and hunters.

The preferred tool of many poachers in the Annamites, and elsewhere in the region, is the snare – a twisted loop of rope or wire used to trap animals indiscriminately. Such snares have contributed to what conservationists in the region call “empty forest syndrome”, in which habitats maintain their trees but are cleared of animal life.

Out of the suspected 12.3 million snares hidden in the undergrowth in the region, more than 120,000 have been removed from the Hue and Quang Nam saola nature reserves in Vietnam. This industrial-scale snaring crisis is fueled by market demands for meat, traditional medicines and exotic pets. 

Snares are often sold in local village stores, and vary in materials and sizes. Some are made with car winch cables to catch larger animals while the more abundantly found are twisted motorbike brakes and clutch wires, explained Yoganand. 

Even with substantial forest cover still remaining in the area, conservationists say the sheer volume of these snares are changing the Annamites’ natural character and ecological functions.

“[This is] because animal populations, which are integral to the forests, are being lost,” Yoganand said.

The loss of seed-dispersing animals such as the Annamites’ gibbons could favour the spread of more wind-dispersed trees, which are smaller and less dense than animal-dispersed ones. This change to the tree composition could result in lower carbon sequestration and storage by the forests, Yoganand explained, diminishing a crucial ecosystem service on which humans rely.

Many gibbon populations of the Annamites have already declined and are becoming locally extinct due to snaring – often to then be sold into the pet trade. 

The local human populations play various roles in the wildlife trade and the longevity of Annamite endemics. The WWF said some communities have acted as good stewards, pointing to one in the Quang Binh province of Vietnam that has protected the Hatinh langur from illegal hunting for more than a decade. 

But other locals are involved in the trapping and hunting to supply urban wildlife markets. Others are simply unaware of an animal’s endemic status and the role the species has in the critical ecosystem services of the forest. 

From the perspective of the most vulnerable communities nestled along the Annamites and relying on it for subsistence, the short-term economic interests in the wildlife trade shroud the consequences of a decaying ecosystem. 

“Well-functioning forests help vulnerable communities, often acting as a safety net to prevent people from further hardships during difficult times,” Yoganand said. “It helps them become resilient to climate change and other disastrous events such as prolonged droughts.”

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