PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has called on the sub-national administration and the relevant competent forces to ensure the use of total force and necessary means to maintain and protect forest, wildlife and fishery resources within its jurisdiction, with a strong will and a sense of responsibility.

The notification released on Tuesday, 5 April 2022, on the measures to strengthen, prevent and suppress forest, wildlife and fishery crimes, was made in response to the relevant legal documents and in compliance with the orders Prime Minister Hun Sen gave during the closing ceremony of the National Conference on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2021 and the Implementation Goals of 2022 on 23 March 2022, in order to strengthen the management of forests, wildlife and fisheries resources.

The Ministry called on the relevant authorities to prevent deforestation as well as the clearing and fencing off of forest and flooded forest lands, by implementing control measures and taking immediate action to prevent and suppress such crimes in the respective jurisdictions, and to also report and request immediate intervention from specialized units in the event of more serious or large-scale crimes.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will organize a meeting to review and evaluate implementation, and will report results to the head of the Royal Government on a regular basis at the end of each month.

It should be noted that in the past, in the process of deepening the management of natural resources in the forestry and fisheries sector, the Royal Government of Cambodia has been pushing for the amendment of relevant laws and regulations, especially for the clear redistribution of responsibilities between the relevant institutions at the national level, as well as between the national and sub-national administrations, to ensure the highest efficiency and sustainability of natural resource management.