Background
Park rangers stationed at Kirirom National Park conducted patrols and enforcement operations to counter illegal land occupation and forest clearing in the protected area. Ministry of Environment park rangers carried out patrols and enforcement operations in Kirirom National Park between 19 August and 6 October 2026. Those operations recorded 44 cases of natural-resource offenses within Preah Sauramat-Kosamak (Kirirom) National Park, Kampong Speu province.
Protected-area governance in this context involves boundary control, removal of unlawful land markers, and investigation of alleged land appropriation and forest-destruction incidents. Operations on 6 October 2026 included the removal of 58 illegally placed boundary posts (23 stone posts) encroaching on state land, with field teams documenting cumulative land-claim removals totaling approximately 19.35 hectares across multiple cases.
Key Developments
Ministry teams and local rangers reported a consolidated total of 44 enforcement cases between 19 August and 6 October 2026. The recorded incidents fall into five operational categories: placement of boundary posts to claim state land (32 cases, estimated 19.35 hectares affected); clearing and burning of forest to convert land (5 cases, ~2.51 hectares); setting wildlife snares or restraints (1 case involving 15 snares and one captured wild boar); selective cutting and removal of certain commercial trees (2 cases, six trees); and unauthorized land clearance and construction activities without permits (3 cases).
On 6 October specifically, rangers removed 58 illegal boundary posts and documented an encroached area of 0.15 hectares at the removal site; teams continued field verification and evidence collection following that operation.
Institutional Role
Rangers from the Ministry of Environment coordinated operations with local administration, security authorities and community members within the protected-area buffer zones. Field operations combined patrol, seizure of physical encroachment materials, and on-site documentation to support subsequent administrative or judicial procedures.
Compliance Implications
Teams are proceeding with investigative and evidentiary procedures to identify alleged perpetrators and to enable action under applicable environmental and natural-resource regulations. Recorded removals of boundary markers and documented land-clearing areas form the primary operational evidence used to initiate follow-up enforcement or prosecution steps by competent authorities.
