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Inside the boundaries of the Central Cardamom Protected Forest, the north could not be more different from the south. The most evident proof is in the ranger stations’ storage rooms.

During the first three months of this year, rangers seized more than 2,300 animal traps set by hunters, dozens of chainsaws, and a small cache of weapons, including AK-47 machine guns. They also recovered and released 14 live pangolins (Manis spp.), a type of threatened scaly anteater that is highly prized on the international wildlife market.

IN DEPTH: Learn more about the illegal wildlife trade in Cambodia.

Rows of blue plastic containers line the north station’s back wall. Each is filled with aromatic oil extracted from an increasingly rare luxury hardwood tree. The oil, a common ingredient in perfumes and cosmetics, is also used in the production of Ecstasy, an illicit narcotic.

Each jug is valued at US $800, and rangers have confiscated hundreds of them—together worth more than a quarter of a million dollars—in the past year from illegal traders. 

In the south, the collection is quite different—a testament to the success seen there.

Dust covers the confiscated goods at the south's main station. Rangers seized most of them a few years back, when illegal hunting and logging were rampant in the area. At village markets, hunted wildlife and cut logs were openly for sale, especially in the largest district Thma Bang.

ARTICLE: Read a first-person account of a visit to a village bushmeat market.

Today, when not on patrol, the rangers stationed around Thma Bang can rest comfortably in chairs and hammocks. It is relatively quiet and peaceful, a far cry from the early days when violent protests typically greeted them.

This change pleases Ouk Kimsan, who became manager of the Forestry Administration’s conservation program in the Central Cardamoms in 2005. He says Thma Bang used to be “a very hard place.”

When the program first began in 2001, local communities had misunderstood the rangers’ intentions, and their relationship soured. But it has since improved dramatically, he says, as the rangers have placed a priority on engaging the community and promoting education about conservation.

LEARN MORE: Find local community partnerships in Cambodia.
 
“Our work is going very well, and there are no more demonstrations,” says Kimsan. “Now they understand that our program is a good one, and we are here to help the local people.”

In fact, the situation has improved so much that many rangers are being transferred to the more crime-ridden north.

Currently, there are seven field stations throughout the Central Cardamom Protected Forest. The staff consists of 11 unarmed Forestry Administration rangers, and for their protection, more than three dozen Cambodian military policemen. 

Yet enforcing conservation laws in the Cardamoms is still tricky, because no single government agency has jurisdiction over the entire forest. Instead, the land has been divided into sections with different agencies controlling each one.

The Cambodian Forestry Administration, which receives technical and financial support from CI, has oversight of the Central Cardamoms. Adjacent to the central section are two wildlife sanctuaries and another separate protected area, which the Ministry of Environment, a weaker agency due to staff and resource shortages, controls.

Regional infrastructure also remains poor following the decades-long civil war that ended in the late 1990s.

Until then, the Cardamoms were a sanctuary for the Khmer Rouge. The faction’s menacing presence sheltered the forest from exploitation, but suppressed public works improvements, including the construction of new roads.

National Road 56, completed in 2003, now serves as a vital link to Thailand. Unfortunately, this artery has also become a preferred transit route for smuggled goods, which is why the rangers’ focus has turned to the northern sections of the Central Cardamoms.

Adding to the danger, minefields leftover from the war line the road. Although nongovernmental groups have cleared some fields, seemingly countless signs with skull-and-crossbones symbols demarcate many other live fields.

While forest rangers are well-trained to carry out safe, effective patrols and apprehend armed hunters in hazardous territory, a large part of their job is done on a personal level.
Public awareness about conservation in Cambodia is low, so education and community interaction are crucial.

Poe Somanak, a Forestry Administration ranger, describes the complexity in convincing local people, whose livelihood and survival depend on the forest, to participate.

“If we only say that hunting is illegal in this area, who will believe us?” he says. “People ask, if I follow you, what can I eat? Will you give me money? Will you support me for my whole life?”

COMMUNITIES: Learn about conservation projects to improve human well-being.

Recognizing the need for local participation in lasting conservation, the rangers meet regularly with village leaders to explain new forest laws and describe the difference between legal and illegal activities. Following on the success in the south, they also organize open forums, where villagers can ask questions and air their concerns. 

Triann, a military police deputy commander who has been at the north station since it was opened four years ago, has seen gradual changes in the community. At first, he says, no one was willing to assist the rangers.

Now, they often respond to anonymous tips and have several local villagers working closely with the ranger team.

CI has also implemented agreements with five villages in the south. Under the program, the villages receive buffalos to help restore damaged paddy fields and other agricultural assistance, in exchange for local participation in conservation.

Rangers eventually hope to cultivate similar relationships in the north as well.

“When people think of conservation, they think only about the wildlife. They think clearing forests is still okay,” says Somanak. “We try to introduce to them the idea that conservation is about all the forest and all the land.”

Besides supporting law enforcement activities in the Central Cardamoms, CI conducts ongoing scientific field research and trains aspiring Cambodian biologists to ensure long-term protection of the forest.

LISTEN: Check out an audio report about the risks Cambodian rangers face.