Despite environmental protection policies, Cambodia’s growing economy and population have caused one of the world’s worst rates of deforestation.
Launched April 4, 2012
Twenty years ago Cambodia was under the control of the United Nations Transitional Authority preparing to hold free elections. Politically the country was given a chance to start over after its history of violent conflicts under the Khmer Rouge. Since then, the country has undergone significant growth, but it is this growth that is contributing to the country’s deforestation.
Rapid development and population growth are issues that many countries face, and they lead to the degradation of the environment. Cambodia has experienced both rapid development and population growth as well as illegal logging—the country now has one of the worst deforestation rates in the world.
Not only is the sustainability of forests important from an environmental standpoint but resources from the forest also provide a key component to the income of rural households. A number of programs, both governmental and non-profit, have been working to address Cambodia’s environmental issues, and yet the amount of forest cover continues to drop each year.
This project examines not only the effectiveness of policies that deal with the current causes of deforestation in Cambodia but also with the consequences for rural households.
Student Fellow
Keyla Beebe is a junior studying English and communications at Guilford College. While she was born in Washington State, her teens were spent studying in Curacao and Buenos Aires. She has traveled...
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Guilford Student Fellow Keyla Beebe reflects on the killing of Wutty Chut, an environmental activist who opposed deforestation in Cambodia.
Ten Pulitzer Center student fellows will report from abroad on topics such as environmental policy in Thailand, health and nutrition in the United Arab Emirates and gender equality in South Africa.
In Cambodia local human rights and environmental groups protest both illegal and legal logging that is fueled by government-granted “economic land concessions.”
A country with one of the worst deforestation rates in the world, Cambodia finds its forests depleted due in part to its population's reliance on wood fuel—and charcoal—as the main source of energy.
In Cambodia, the Aoral Wildlife Sanctuary is in danger of deforestation. Local villagers, who use and sell timber for a living, are forming volunteer groups to protect the land from illegal logging.
A system of legal deforestation in Cambodia may provide jobs and infrastructure, but the long-term environmental consequences could be devastating.
A country with one of the worst deforestation rates in the world, Cambodia finds its forests depleted due in part to its population's reliance on wood fuel—and charcoal—as the main source of energy.
A system of legal deforestation in Cambodia may provide jobs and infrastructure, but the long-term environmental consequences could be devastating.
A country with one of the worst deforestation rates in the world, Cambodia finds its forests depleted due in part to its population's reliance on wood fuel—and charcoal—as the main source of energy.
In Cambodia, the Aoral Wildlife Sanctuary is in danger of deforestation. Local villagers, who use and sell timber for a living, are forming volunteer groups to protect the land from illegal logging.