Background
Protected natural areas are part of Cambodia’s land governance system because they define where forest land, biodiversity zones, and conservation areas are restricted from private occupation. A wildlife sanctuary is a legally protected conservation area where land clearing, private appropriation, and unauthorized agricultural expansion can trigger administrative and judicial procedures.
The Ministry of Environment and its provincial departments are responsible for managing Cambodia’s protected areas and responding to reported violations inside conservation zones. Illegal forest clearing in a protected area can affect state land control because cleared plots are often used to support claims of private ownership or agricultural use.
Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary covers forest areas across multiple provinces and is one of Cambodia’s major protected forest landscapes. Enforcement activity inside Prey Lang is relevant to long-term land administration because it shows how environmental authorities document alleged encroachment, secure affected land, and refer cases to the courts.
Enforcement Actions
According to the Ministry of Environment, officials from the Stung Treng Provincial Department of Environment inspected reported forest clearing in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary from 2 to 4 May 2026. The inspection followed media reporting on 25 April 2026 about the clearing of state forest land for private ownership in Anlong Phe village, Anlong Phe commune, Thala Barivat district, Stung Treng province.
The inspection team, working with journalists and local authorities, found one cleared forest site of about 2 hectares near an existing cashew plantation. The ministry said the clearing was carried out by unidentified offenders, and officials decided to mark and secure the land while preparing additional procedures and a case file for submission to the court.
Officials also found another forest encroachment site in Phao village, Anlong Phe commune, covering about 1 hectare, where some trees had been felled. The team continued monitoring, secured the land, and prepared a case file for judicial handling.
Institutional Role
The Ministry of Environment reported that the inspection involved provincial environment officials, local authorities, and field verification at the affected sites. Such inspections are a practical mechanism for recording the location, land area, physical evidence, and suspected legal status of forest clearing inside protected areas.
The ministry also stated that officials inspected a separate site in Anlong Phe commune where forest land had been cleared and ploughed for cassava planting over about 3 hectares. The case was attributed by the ministry to a named local resident of Anlong Phe village, after which officials secured the land, wrote an offence record, and prepared a court file.
Compliance Implications
The reported cases show that clearing forest land inside a protected natural area may lead to land being secured by authorities and case files being forwarded to the judiciary. For residents, agricultural operators, and local land users near protected zones, the ministry’s action underscores that cultivation or plantation expansion does not create lawful ownership over protected state forest land.
The Stung Treng inspections are also relevant for monitoring how Cambodia applies protected-area land controls at commune and village level. The documented use of site inspection, land securing, offence records, and court referral provides a reference point for future governance tracking in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.
