8/2/2019 EarthAction Prey Lang Fact Sheet

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PREY LANGFACT SHEETThe Bigger Picture In 1970, 70% o Cambodias landwas covered with old-growth orests. Today it is only3%. Cambodia has the third highest deorestation rate

in the world, behind only Nigeria and Vietnam.

Size The core area o Prey Lang consists o primary,lowland, evergreen, orests, that cover about 200,000acres. It is surrounded by over 600,000 acres osecondary orest. The entire Prey Lang area is roughlythe size o Rhode Island.

Population 200,000 people depend on the Prey Langorest or their livelihoods, their culture, and theirlives. Some 300 villages and amily rice elds are also

at risk that are scattered through a large buer zone osecondary orest that surrounds Prey Lang.

Not Legally Protected The Prey Lang orest is not ullylegally protected by law, and existing laws are notenorced. Illegal loggers are clear-cutting large areas oold-growth trees.

Industrial Concessions More than 30 companies havebeen granted economic and mining land concessionsin the greater Prey Lang area by the Cambodiangovernment. Old-growth orests are clear-cut and

replaced with rubber tree and cassava plantations(the latter to provide eco-riendly ethanol),or mined or iron and other ores.

Rate of Destruction A botanical team rom a topEuropean University recently conducted severalsurveys in Prey Lang and predict that at the current rateo destruction, the entire Prey Lang orest will be gonewithin ve years.

Language In the language o Cambodias Kuy people,Prey Lang means Our Forest.

Biodiversity Prey Lang is Cambodias Amazon.The orest has seven distinct ecosystems, includingprimordial swamp orest, that provide habitat to morethan 50 endangered animal and bird species includingsun bears, tigers, and leopards. Most areas remainlargely unexplored by scientists. Elephants and tigersmay still roam wild in parts o Prey Lang.

Water & Food Security The Prey Lang orest is a vitalsource o water or Cambodias rice growing regionand or the Mekong delta. As a primary watershed

regulating water and sediment fow to the Tonle SapBasin, and as an important sh spawning area, PreyLang is vital or Cambodias long-term environmentalsustainability and or ood and water security.

Climate Stabilization Let standing, the Prey Langorest has among the highest carbon sequestrationvalues in the region and is a powerhouse or ghtingglobal warming. Cambodias Forest Administrationhas identied Prey Lang as an important areaor conservation, with high potential or carbon-

credit nancing.

Meeting the Needs of Villagers The Prey Lang orestmeets the ood, water, livelihood and spiritual needs othe Kuy communities. They build their rice elds alongPrey Langs edges and go into the orest or hunting,shing, and gathering ruits and herbs or ood andceremonies. They tap several species o trees andcollect the resin or making torches and caulking boats.Resin has become the main source o cash or many Kuyamilies who sell it or industrial use. Overall, the orest

is the spiritual center o their lives.Short-lived Victory In 2002, the Prey Lang people andother orest communities persuaded the governmentto ban logging concessions. But their victory wasshort-lived as the government continued to awardconcessions to agro-industry and mining companies,both o which clear-cut the land.

Avatars In May 2011, members o the Prey LangNetwork gained international media attention ortheir staged demonstrations in Phnom Penh where they

painted themselves blue and green, wore lea hats,and called themselves Avatars, ater the JamesCameron lm.

Repression & Violence Police armed with AK-47s havebroken up Prey Lang Network meetings and Networkmembers are being increasingly threatened withphysical harm and criminal charges.

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