• Society

Second Zero-Snaring Campaign to End in Battambang

• By Torn Chanritheara
• June 22, 2023 8:14 AM

PHNOM PENH – Battambang is the last province to take part in the second zero-snaring campaign with officials stressing the importance of people taking part and measures to eliminate the practice.

The campaign will be held in Battambang City on June 22 to raise awareness of the destructiveness of snaring.

Neth Pheaktra, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Environment and head of the zero-snaring campaign working group, said that snaring remained a threat to wildlife.

“We are committed to protecting wildlife,” he said, adding that the campaign is to provide safety to all wildlife while raising awareness about the serious impact caused by snaring.

He said that only 20 percent of snares were removed. In 2021, more than 66,000 were removed while in 2022 about 39,000 were removed.

He said that to save wildlife is to protect the ecology in which species are dependent on one another.

An example was how bees help spread the pollen of flowers so that they can reproduce and the role of protecting trees and their flowers in return for providing for bees to make honey.

Pheaktra also said that raising the living standards of local people is crucial to prevent the impact on wildlife. 

Snaring remains a threat to wildlife. Photo: Torn Chanritheara

Pheng Sethy, Deputy Governor of Battambang, said his administration was committed to taking action to combat illegal activities in the Samlout Multiple Use Area where many rare animals live.

Pailin is also included in the campaign in Battambang.

Nguon Lina, Pailin’s Deputy Governor, also announced the intention to work with all relevant parties to suppress snaring. Lina said that last year his province handled nine cases involving illegal activities and confiscated more than 2,000 meters of wire.

So far, the campaign has been organised in 12 provinces in two campaigns. Six provinces have been involved in the second phase which has been run since March.

Seng Teak, head of the working group secretariat, said that while the second campaign may end, action will be taken against any illegal act such as snaring or hunting.

He said that the secretariat will evaluate the outcomes from previous campaigns to develop further action. This will include the number of participants in each campaign, the number of snaring and guns used before and after the campaigns, and a review commitment from private partners in combating the illegal wildlife trade, especially the restaurants which declare no sale of wildlife meat.

Teak said that promoting the local economy is an essential part of fighting illegal activities. He said that when they rely less on natural resources, they can enjoy taking advantage of nature through activities such as tourism, thus receiving more income.