PHNOM PENH: The Wildlife Alliance released a statement denouncing a Voice of Democracy (VOD) story which it says misrepresented statements made by its Wildlife Rescue Director Nick Marx regarding protected land. The Alliance is calling for VOD to remove what it says is “fake news.”
According to the statement, VOD released a video on its Facebook page on December 10 that “misled the public and portrayed Wildlife Alliance as complaining that the government is making a new development inside the Phnom Tamao Royal Decree Protected Forest.”
The organization said it edited Marx’s statement to reflect the views of climate activist Ma Chetra, who said that the protected land was being sold to development agencies. Marx said, "I am not against development but all forests should be kept protected,” and did not expand on the statement. The Wildlife Alliance says the arrangement of the quote within the story gives the organization a bad reputation by aligning its views with those of the environmental activist.
The Wildlife Alliance said that the tree-clearing referred to in the article was part of a corridor to prevent forest fires from entering the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center.
The organization has been working as a partner to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries since 2001. Its stated mission is to jointly protect forests, rescue trafficked wildlife and provide professional care and release to seized wild animals.
The Wildlife Alliance says it has helped the Ministry to build 20 km of fence around the protected forest in addition to a water station that supplies 1,500 wild animals.
The rate of deforestation in Cambodia is one of the highest in the world. According to a report from Citizens Engaged in Environmental Justice for All, Cambodia’s wildlife sanctuaries lost 48,000 hectares of tree cover in 2020 alone. Experts warn that if the deforestation continues, temperatures will increase, the onset of rains will be delayed, and Cambodia will experience more frequent fires, droughts and extreme heat waves.
