Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Mining near Mondulkiri wildlife sanctuary worries organisation

Mining near Mondulkiri wildlife sanctuary worries organisation

Environment Minister Say Sam Al looks at core samples at a mining site in Mondulkiri earlier this month. Photo supplied
Environment Minister Say Sam Al looks at core samples at a mining site in Mondulkiri earlier this month. Photo supplied

Mining near Mondulkiri wildlife sanctuary worries organisation

An environmental NGO has raised concerns about potential impacts to Mondulkiri province’s Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary from a possible large-scale gold mining operation in the area.

The government, however, says that the companies involved are working hard to stave off any potential negative effects.

World Wildlife Fund Cambodia spokesman Un Chakrey said that the proposed gold mine could put several endangered and critically threatened species, such as elephants and bantengs, at risk along with other wildlife.

It also increased opportunities for illegal poaching and the likelihood of potential destruction of natural water resources and habitat if roads are built for transportation.

“We really think that the mining is very dangerous for the wildlife and habitat,” Chakrey said. “However, we will work hand-in-hand with the government and the companies [involved in the project] to ensure there’s no impact.”

Australian companies Renaissance Minerals Cambodia Limited and Emerald Resources have been conducting exploration work in Mondulkiri and are now applying for an industrial-mining licence, according to Ministry of Mines and Energy spokesman Meng Saktheara.

Neither company responded to requests for comment by press time. Saktheara said that the mining companies were operating inside the buffer zone of the protected area, where activity was allowed.

However, he added, a careful environmental impact assessment still needed to be done. The minister of mines and energy and the minister of environment have both visited the site recently.

The biggest gold deposit in the country – 1.2 million ounces of gold – was found in the area, Satkheara added.

“It could have a significant economic impact for the country, but at the same time, it’s so close to a protected area,” he said.

The WWF Cambodia is working with Renaissance Minerals on the environmental impact assessment, but the NGO had not seen any study yet, Chakrey said.

Sok Rotha, Mondulkiri provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said that mining always had consequences for the environment and affected the safety of both workers and any people that were living nearby.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to