Hun Sen suspends the development plan! Order to stop “forest clearing”, pendant planting trees, return 12,500 rai that have been cleared
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Hun Sen suspends the development plan! – 7 Aug. AFP reported that Prime Minister Hun Sen Cambodian leader announced the cancellation of the project to develop satellite cities around Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary and Open Zoo near Phnom Penh After widespread social criticism and regarding a week following real estate development agencies began clearing more than 12,500 rai of the Phnom Tamao forest.
Officials have defended the city development project to be built on land with too much sand to plant trees. And there are wild boars that like to destroy many agricultural crops.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday cancelled a controversial satellite-city development around a wildlife sanctuary and zoo near the capital following growing online appeals to halt the project. Conservationists and locals began voicing their concerns and objections when the development plan around the Phnom Tamao zoo and wildlife rescue centre came to light several months ago. /tripadvisor/
Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a message on Facebook that “I order.. cancel all land use permits and cancel the development of the area,” he said, stressing that the forest area around Phanom Tamao must be preserved and the company planted trees to restore the cleared areas.
On the other hand, Mr. Nick Marx, director of the wildlife care and rescue program in the Phnom Tamao forest. It said Hun Sen’s decision showed Cambodia wanted to conserve forests.
Developers last week started razing privatised areas around the more than 2,000-hectare Phnom Tamao forest area, an hour drive from capital Phnom Penh, and home to many rare and endangered wildlife including sambar deer at the zoo. Officials defended the development saying the area’s land was too sandy for trees and wild pigs destroyed farmers’ crops. /wildlifeallianceblog/
“I order… all permits for land swap and development be cancelled,” Hun Sen said in a post on his official Facebook page. He said that the forest around the zoo must be preserved, ordering the companies to replant trees on dozens of hectares of land they have already cleared. /toursbyjeeps/
Wildlife Alliance rescue and care programme director Nick Marx, who has been working at Phnom Tamao for some 20 years, said Hun Sen’s decision “demonstrates Cambodia’s desire to conserve wildlife.” /toursbyjeeps/
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