Forest fires + climate
change + dams on the Mekong + deforestation = disaster for Prek Toal and the
Cambodian environment.
Forest fires near our Prek
Toal village in 2016 made us all realise that we must be more careful of our
environment.
“Rangers and
conservationists reckon the forest will take at least 30 years to recover. But
the extreme conditions witnessed last year may not be an isolated event...
The
difference this time around may be attributed to the country’s rapid
deforestation since the ’90s. The degradation of “water catchments” – the
forested mountain ranges that surround Cambodia’s floodplain – has in turn made
the flow of water into the Tonle Sap during the dry season irregular.
Drought, climate
change and changes to
the Mekong’s flood pulse – caused mostly by upstream dams – all likely lead the
forest to dry out.” (Alessandro Marazzi
Sassoon and
Kong Meta, Phnom Penh Post, Friday 23 June 2017)
Prek Toal villagers understand this well... Our biggest challenge is to
help the Ministry and the governments, in Cambodia and internationally to see
that it’s much more than just a fire.
It
is a very big warning that WE ALL MUST DO SOMETHING.
To see how serious the
situation around Prek Toal is, go to:
Greening Prek Toal Project > https://www.gofundme.com/eg-greening-prek-toal-project
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