Thursday, March 18, 2010

Government of Cambodia Announces Protection of Key Grassland Areas

March 16, 2010
News Blaze

Wildlife Conservation Society and Partners Collaborate to Strengthen Management of Protected Areas to Benefit Both People and Wildlife. Nearly 77,000 Acres of Critical Habitat to Be Protected
The Government of Cambodia has announced that it will protect six of the largest remaining tracts of lowland grassland in Southeast Asia. The wildlife-rich sites - located in and around Cambodia's Tonle Sap floodplain - contain unique seasonally flooded grasslands that form a refuge for many globally threatened birds. The grasslands provide a fishing, grazing, and deep-water rice farming resource for local communities.
The six sites - one in Siem Reap province and five in Kampong Thom province - comprise 76,996 acres (31,159 hectares) of habitat. While these sites were partially protected by a provincial conservation order, they remained vulnerable to land-clearing and dam-building activities associated with large-scale commercial rice production. The new designations empower staff from Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to prevent such harmful activities.

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