Protecting indigenous lives from deforestation

Ransy Kamplor is working with DPA to protect her community's culture and livelihoods from the effects of deforestation [DPA]

The destruction of forests in northern Cambodia is not only leading to food shortages amongst the indigenous people but also to the loss of spiritual sites and tradition

The Krueng indigenous people, who live in northern Cambodia, are among the poorest communities in the country. They depend on the rapidly vanishing forests for their food, way of life and as the home of numerous ceremonies for their forest spirits.

"Deforestation has immensely affected Kreung cultural practices," says Ransy Kamplor, a 20-year-old Kreung woman from the Ratanakiri province.

"Big trees where we used to perform our spiritual ceremonies have been cut down. Some spiritual sites have been sold for personal benefit."

Fear over food shortages

Deforestation and mining for gold and iron are also threatening the indigenous people’s ability to feed themselves and make a living.

Ransy explains: “Because of illegal logging the climate has been changing. The rainy season doesn’t come as early as before and our dry season is so hot.

"I feel so scared when the weather changes like this. Before we had enough to feed our families but now we have little income, livestock die and crops fail because we cannot farm without water.

"These changes affect all families, especially widows, orphans and disabled people."

Protecting culture and livelihoods

Our partner Development and Partnership in Action (DPA) is working with communities such as Ransy’s to protect their culture and means of making a living.

Faced with challenges such as land grabbing and acquisition by large national and international companies and mining exploration, the DPA makes sure indigenous people are aware of their basic rights.

These vulnerable communities are also supported in organising forest patrols to protect the forest from illegal logging.

To protect against food shortages caused by an increasingly unpredictable climate, DPA trains local people in water management, organic farming and how to plan for disasters such as drought and flooding.

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