The ‘Chainsaw Tree’ is a reminder of the scale of the problem of forestry crimes. Phak Seangly
The Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, located in one of the Kingdom’s many protected natural resource areas, which cover more than one million hectares in Mondulkiri province. The Keo Seima REDD+ project is currently being implemented over an area of 166,983 hectares within a larger sanctuary of over 300,000 hectares of the Wildlife Sanctuary, as part of a collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and WCS Cambodia.
Senior reporter Phak Seangly of The Post sat down with Sin Satha, director of the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary Office, to discuss the management of thousands of items seized from crimes in the region.
What steps are you taking to improve crime suppression efforts in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary?
We are focused on strengthening enforcement. First, we will ensure full implementation of the law. Second, we are increasing public awareness about the environment and the new environmental laws that were implemented in June last year.
We are spreading this message not only the in towns and provinces but also in 20 target villages around Keo Seima to raise awareness about the importance of forest conservation and related laws.
Through the implementation of the REDD+ project, the livelihoods of the community, especially those living in the 20 villages, are improving, to ensure a decent standard of living.
Now, we are implementing this REDD+ project. Regarding the distribution of benefits from this REDD+ project, some villages get $30,000 dollars, some get $40,000 dollars, some get up to $50,000 dollars. These three points are important.
Another important point is that we are committed to successfully implementing the environment ministry’s Circular Strategy on Environment 2023-2028. These are our four main priorities.
What types of evidence have been seized from crimes so far?
The first type of evidence we collected is timber. Another includes vehicles such as modified motorcycles, cars and trucks. These items are evidence in the sense that they are used to commit crimes. Other items include homemade snares, chainsaws and various home-made firearms.
How many pieces of evidence have been seized, and which type is the most common?
We cannot accurately estimate the total number of seized items, as they have been collected since 2016. However, in 2024, we seized between 10 and 20 large vehicles, as well as almost 100 modified motorcycles. We also seized several hundred chainsaws. The most common types of evidence are chainsaws and modified motorcycles.
Seized animal traps and logger’s modified motorcycles have been cut up and welded into a giant elephant sculpture in Sen Monorom town to raise public awareness of conservation efforts. Din Bunthoeun
After the seizures, you need to safeguard them, are there any difficulties doing this?
We face some challenges because, currently, we don’t have dedicated warehouses or storage facilities for the evidence. There is a space issue. However, there are no major security concerns, as our officers are always stationed at the site, ensuring safety.
For smaller evidence like motorcycles, chainsaws or weapons, there’s no need for a large storage area, but for larger items like timber, large vehicles and trucks, we currently lack the space for proper storage.
Some of the seized items, like traps and motorcycles, we have welded together to create a giant metal sculpture of an elephant. It is on display in Sen Monorom town. This was done to raise public awareness of the destruction of our natural resources.
In addition, there is a sculpture called the ‘Chainsaw Tree’ that was made from chainsaws confiscated by our law enforcement officers. It is on display here.
Like the elephant statue, it is so our fellow citizens and other visitors can get a sense of the scale of the problem.
These chainsaws are the original source of the logging, clearing and other destruction of our natural resources. It was made in 2022 by volunteers from the Liger Leadership Academy.
Sin Satha, director of the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary Office, faces a tough challenge, but says efforts are improving. Phak Seangly
In accordance with the relevant laws, how should all the evidence be handled?
After the evidence is seized, the judicial police must build a case and send it to the court. The evidence should then be stored securely at the designated facilities for auction.
If no auction is held, the evidence must be kept here. Our items are categorised into two types: the first is easily perishable items, like timber.
The second type is items like motorcycles, cars and chainsaws. Timber generally needs to be auctioned within a year to prevent spoilage, but other items can be stored for longer periods before being auctioned.
What is the situation regarding crimes in the protected natural resource areas up to now?
Criminal activity has significantly decreased in 2023 and 2024, especially in terms of illegal logging. This is an early sign of the success of the measures we’ve taken. We are still conducting evaluations and will compare the crime statistics from 2023 and 2024 to analyse trends.
Why are you calling for community participation in protecting the natural resources in the area?
As law enforcement officials, we do not want criminal activity to occur. What we need the most is for people in surrounding areas to join us in protecting natural resources, rather than taking part in illegal activities. This is a priority.
We still enforce the law 100%, but what we hope for is to avoid enforcement actions and criminal arrests. Many crimes are linked to livelihood issues, and we want to shift people from committing crimes to collaborating with us in conservation efforts.
