Overview
Cambodia’s economy has been virtually destroyed as a result of the Civil War (1970-1975), the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), and the Cambodia-Vietnam war (1978-1979). Despite rice being Cambodia’s most important crop and a staple food for the Khmer, by 1974, under wartime conditions, rice had to be imported to be consumed and the production of rubber, Cambodia’s most profitable export crop, fell of sharply, which was a major contributing factor in the destruction of the economy. In the years 1976-1978, many people (hundreds and thousands) died as a result of overwork, malnutrition and mistreated or misdiagnosed diseases as the proper resources needed where hard to get. When the end of the Cold War came, the revenue of timber started to cause conflict as it began to replace foreign support for the fighting factions in Cambodia’s long civil war. While the exploitation of timber made fortunes of military and political leaders on both sides, this misuse of the timber was causes armed conflicts of its own. Some areas where timber wars have been fought Cambodia, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, the DRC, Burma and Liberia. The true severity of the impact of this exploitation of timber can be shown through the number of places that wars and conflicts have erupted. In the last 30 years, Cambodia’s forest cover has been said to have roughly diminished by around one-third. This deforestation has severe effects for the country’s ecology, agriculture, population survival, security and future prosperity. This deforestation has caused further implications for Cambodia as it is said to be the cause of flooding in and around Cambodia. These floods were described as the worst in 70 years: 350 people died, and thousands left homeless. These floods also had big economic issues for Cambodia and the other countries that were affected.
Local Use of the Timber:
Most Cambodians who live near forests use resources that the forests have to provide for many types of products and services. Non-timber forest products are used for many reasons such as commercial purpose. Products that come from the forest that are non-timber include food, agricultural inputs, fuel and food. Many people, such as the indigenous people, have relied on the source of income that the forests provide for nearly 2000 years. Timber resources can be used for a wide range of things such as: building materials, charcoal production and firewood. A study conducted by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute found that poor households gained 42 percent of their livelihood value from forests and medium households gained an average of 30 percent. This shows the true impacts and contributions that the rural households can gain by living near forests. This is why deforestation can negatively affect these communities by putting their livelihoods in danger.
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Important events:
- 1953: Cambodia wins its independence from France
- 1969: The US starts a secret bombing against North Vietnamese forces in Cambodia
- 1985-1989: A new prime minster comes to power; war proceeds and many people are displaced. The new prime minister attempts to help the situation by outlining socialism.
- 1993- Three parties form an alliance with Prince Norodom as lead followed by Hun Sen. Also, in spite of exports illegal logging continues.
- 1996: With witnesses around the world exposing the Khmer Rouge plans to sell 90 million dollars’ worth of timber to Thailand, rival government troops begin more conflict.
- 2000: With so much deforestation and so many trees gone, severe flooding causes many to die and many more to be displaced. The costs of the flooding were stated by the government to be over 156 million dollars.
- 2002-2006: Despite new laws having been put in place, illegal logging continues as a result of the lack of transparency, government control and the overall corruption of Cambodia.
Resolution of the matter:
There are two big problems with producer and exporter countries addressing the timber conflict issue. Firstly, a sovereign government is likely to ill-use their natural resources if it feels the need to defend itself, and in the case with the corrupt governments, the economical result of this will almost certainly end badly. Such a regime would fight international efforts to stop the trade, citing reasons of sovereign control over natural resources, national security, etc.
Secondly, logging operations usually take place in very exterior, frontier regions where there is barely any to no established infrastructures. These forest management organisations do not change or act on what they’re doing unless some real evidence is brought to them, and this evidence Is rarely brought forward. Even when illegal activities are reported, they are always small, and difficult to assess after the event. Therefore, it is essential for pro-active intelligence gathering and market surveillance.
In conflict zones, it is very unlikely that authorities have the opportunity to enforce forest management, as they do not have access to territories under insurgent control.
Raising Awareness:
There are many things that can be done to prevent deforestation. Deforestation isn’t just a major problem in areas like Cambodia, but it is a major problem that the world is facing. Some things that can be done to make a start on improving this issue are:
- Start planting trees
- Stop printing and start using less paper
- When shopping, try and buy recycled products
- Cut down on meat intake as a big source of deforestation is for cattle farming
- Recycle as much as possible
- Don’t buy meat products sourced from land that has been cleared of forests.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cambodia has become poorer and suffered lots of deaths, displacements, and flooding solely because they possess a very valuable resource. Unlike resources such as oil, timber is quite easy to exploit which is the reason for the breakout of so many wars and conflicts. Compared to most forms of extraction, logging and deforestation is an easy method as it requires low investment, but there is a quick return. In short, a few soldiers with the correct materials and trucks can produce hundreds and thousands of dollars in a very short time. Unfortunately, Cambodia has fallen a victim to this timber crisis as it has been the cause of many wars.
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