Minister: forest cover in Cambodia still at 59%

- Mok Mareth (left) and Ty Sakoun (right). Photos: Ki-Media.

------------------------------------------Forest still covers some 59 percent of Cambodia's total area, English-Khmer language newspaper the Mekong Times on Wednesday quoted Environment Minister Mok Mareth as saying. "Though there is criticism that a lot of forest has been lost, currently forest still covers the area of about 59 percent or 106,810 square km of Cambodia's land," he told a seminar here on Tuesday. The government no longer issues logging concessions and bans the export of timber to protect what remains of Cambodia's forests, he said. "To ensure a stable and balanced environment in Cambodia, we must have 60 percent forest cover," he said. "We encourage the public to replant tree seedlings feverishly and hope to reach a 60 percent target," he said. Ty Sokun, Director of the Forestry Administration at the ministry, said that the target of 60 percent by 2015 is possible. Tree planting is increasing with about 10,000 hectares replanted last year and 5 million tress distributed, he said. Cambodia has some 200 varieties of trees. Forest cover stood at 73 percent in 1970s, but over-logging has decreased it to around 50 percent, according to official figures issued on other occasions. NGOs even put the current ratio at 20 percent.

Source:Xinhua