EarthAction Prey Lang Action Kit - Letter

8/2/2019 EarthAction Prey Lang Action Kit - Letter

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In the languageo Cambodias Kuypeople, Prey Langmeans our orest.200,000 people

depend on the PreyLang orest or theirlivelihoods, theirculture, and theirlives. Now, Prey Langis in troubleandit needs our help.


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But Prey Lang could be gonesoon thanks to illegal logging,agro-industrial development,and mining. Our action now canhelp save this orest.

The Prey Lang Community

Network is ghting to savePrey Lang. For years, they havepetitioned the Cambodiangovernment to protect the orestand cooperate with the Networkor its sustainable management.

Instead, the governmentis allowing companies, themilitary, and illegal groups to

make short-term prots bydestroying the orest. Armedpolice have broken up Networkmeetings, and members arebeing threatened with physicalharm and criminal charges.

The best hope or savingPrey Lang is i people andorganizations rom around the

world send messages toCambodian Prime MinisterHun Sen urging him to protectPrey Lang.

SOME THINGSTO KEEP IN MINDWHEN WRITING

START your letter with Dear PrimeMinister Samdech Hun Sen.

ASK that he take the specic actionslisted in this Action Alert.

EXPLAIN why this issue is importantto you and important to Cambodia.

THANK him or doing everything hecan to protect the Prey Lang orestand ask him or a reply to your letter.Be sure to provide your name and

email and/or postal address.

SEND copies o your email, ax,and/or letter to EarthAction so thatwe can tell the Prey Lang CommunityNetwork about their global support.

VIA EMAIL [email protected]

VIA FAX +1 413 256 8871

VIA POSTAL MAIL

EarthAction

P.O. Box 63Amherst MA 01004 USA

PLEASE SPREADTHE WORD

POST about Prey Lang and youraction on Facebook and Twitter usingthe hashtag #ourorest.

WRITE a letter-to-the editor o your

local newspaper(s) about Prey Langurging others to write to Hun Sen.

PLEASE SEND A MESSAGETO CAMBODIANPRIME MINISTER HUN SENAND URGE HIM TO

SUSPENDall logging andmining concessions in thegreater Prey Lang area.

CONFERPrey Lang withprotected status and enorceits protection.

COMMITto sustainablymanaging the orest in coop-eration with the Prey LangCommunity Network.

WHERE TO SENDYOUR MESSAGE

VIA EMAIL [email protected]

VIA FAX +1 212 755 4576

VIA POSTAL MAIL

Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen

care of: H.E. Mr. Kosal Sea

Cambodian Ambassador

UN Cambodian Mission327 East 58th Street

New York NY 10022 USA

The Kuy people livein harmony withPrey Lang, but theybelieve the orestis or everyone.Their orest is ourorest, too.

EARTHACTION.ORG/OURFOREST


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BIODIVERSITYThe core area o primary,lowland, evergreen orest coversabout 200,000 acres, surroundedby 670,000 acres o secondaryorest. All together, the orest

has seven distinct ecosystems,including a primordial swamporest, that provide habitat tomore than 50 endangered animaland bird species. Most areasremain largely unexplored byscientists. Elephants still roamwild in parts o Prey Lang.

INDIGENOUSPEOPLEThe Prey Lang orest meetsthe ood, water, livelihoodand spiritual needs o the Kuycommunities. They build theirrice elds along Prey Langs

edges and go into the orest orhunting, shing, and gatheringruits and herbs or ood andceremonies. They tap severalspecies o trees and collectthe resin or making torchesand caulking boats. Resin hasbecome the main source o cashor many Kuy amilies who sellit or industrial use. Overall, the

orest is the spiritual center otheir lives.

FOOD & WATERSECURITYThe Prey Lang orest is a vitalsource o water or Cambodiasrice growing region and or theMekong delta. As a primarywatershed regulating water and

sediment fow to the Tonle SapBasin, and as an important shspawning area, Prey Lang isvital or Cambodias long-termenvironmental sustainabilityand or ood and water security.

CLIMATESTABILIZATIONLet standing, the Prey Langorest has among the highestcarbon sequestration valuesin the region, and is a pow-erhouse or ghting global

warming. Cambodias ForestAdministration has identiedPrey Lang as an important areaor conservation, with highpotential or carbon-creditnancing.


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EARTHACTION.ORG/OURFOREST

Today, its only

3%but we canhelp save what

remains.

#OURFORESTTWITTER

@EARTHACTIONFACEBOOK.COM/EARTHACTION


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WHOSEFOREST?Whose orest is this anyway? you ask?The people living here are called Kuy (Kooee).They call the orest where they live, Prey Lang.

That means our orest. Thats the way we allcan name our Earth, our sky, our sun, our stars.But what about the olks whod like to say,

The Earth is mine. The sky, the sun, the starsare mineto do with as I wish i Ican make a prot rom it even thoughin doing so I might destroy them all.You wouldnt believe them, would you? Yet its true.By mining, cutting trees, and building roadsthats what these people think that they can do

right now. Theyre threatening Prey Lang today.Tomorrow do you believe that there theyll stay?I they get what they want it isnt justPrey Lang they will destroy. Kuy as wellwill sufer since theyll lose their way o lie.I thats allowed to happen those who eelthe world is theirs, not ours, will graduallydestroy what keeps lie good or all o us.Thats why Kuy is much the same as we.To stop this is there something we can do?The answer must be ound by me and you.

POEM BY

MARTIN COBIN COLORADO, USA

DECEMBER 2011

THANKYOU

PHOTOBYPAULAPALMER

Special thanks to theThomas D. Hormel Trust,the Samdhana Institute,and many others ortheir support or thiscampaign, and to Open(notclosed.com) or thedesign o this Action Kit.

Documents

EarthAction Prey Lang Action Kit - Letter