The rate of deforestation in Cambodia has accelerated at an alarming rate in the last few years. Cambodia, home to some of Southeast Asia's oldest and most diverse forests, has been losing these precious areas as a result of corporations using permits illegally to clear out land. The country is losing around 2,000 square kilometers of its ancient forests every year.
That’s the sobering conclusion of a recent report by Forest Trends, which found that between 2004 and 2014, the amount of land leased to corporations had almost quadrupled. With 80% of land granted to commercial agricultural companies located within the boundaries of protected forests, trees are being harvested in some of Cambodia's most prized areas. By the end of 2013, 14% of the country had been allocated to corporations.
According to the report, the Cambodian government is giving corporations Economic Land Concessions (ELC), which is a controversial scheme that gives corporations a long-term lease to clear land for agricultural development. A lack of transparent standards has meant that under the pretext of developing the land for agriculture, large numbers of trees are being harvested instead. ELC has been used as an unlawful instrument for illegal logging on many occasions, the report says.