Causes of Historical Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Cambodia

概要

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Various demands for forestlands, wood, goods and services to meet the rapid economic development and fast growing population have put great pressures on tropical forests. Although forest clearing for agricultural land and pasture, and commercial logging coupled with government' policy failures are generally recognized as the major causes of deforestation, other causes have not been well documented. As a case study, this article aims at documenting forestry development and analysing the causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Cambodia. Forestry development in six different political regimes, namely, before 1970; 1970 to 1975; 1975 to 1979; 1979 to 1989; 1989 to 1993 and 1993 to the present was studied. Based on our analyses, we concluded that deforestation in Cambodia may have caused by intensive bombardments during the war time, forest clearing for resettlements, wood extraction for re-construction of war-devastated infrastructures, agricultural cultivation, and indiscriminate logging in recent years. Additional to deforestation, forest degradation may have resulted from indiscriminate felling and overexploitation. Cambodia would lose its important natural resource if immediate actions to stop deforestation and forest degradation is no undertaken.
森林計画学会の論文