Southern Cardamom National Park

11°25′43″N 103°40′02″E / 11.428598°N 103.667159°E / 11.428598; 103.667159Area4,103.92 km² (1,584.53 sq mi)^[1]Established2016Governing bodyCambodian Ministry of Environment, Department of Nature Conservation and Protection

Southern Cardamom National Park (Khmer: ឧទ្យានជាតិជួរភ្នំក្រវាញខាងត្បូង) is a national park in Cambodia. The protection was established on 9 May 2016 and covers 4,104 km² (1,585 sq mi) in the southern parts of the Cardamom Mountains.^[2] The national park is administratively divided into three sectors; Western Sector, Central Sector and Eastern Sector.^[3]

The Southern Cardamom National Park connects existing protected areas in and around the Greater Cardamom Mountains, providing a total contiguous area under protection of 18,211 km² (7,031 sq mi). The other protected areas in the landscape include Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Cardamom Mountains and Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary, covering the northern parts of the Cardamom Mountains, and Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary, Botum Sakor National Park and Kirirom National Park, south of the park. In addition to safeguarding habitats and wildlife corridors for larger animals, a main purpose of the national park is to create a safe wildlife protection for reintroducing tigers to Cambodia. Tigers went extinct in Cambodia in 2007.^[4]

The protection of the park is the responsibility of the Cambodian government, and the task is carried out by Cambodia’s Forestry Administration in cooperation with the Global Conservation agency and Wildlife Alliance. Global Conservation is an international organisation specialising in the protection of endangered UNESCO World Heritage and national parks in developing countries.^[3]

Part of the protected area forms part of the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project (SCRP).^[5] Human Rights Watch criticized this project for driving members of the Chong ethnic group from their indigenous lands,^[6] prompting Verra to open an investigation into the project.^[7]

References

^ "Sub-decree No.89 on Establishment of Southern Cardamom Mountains National Park". Open Development Cambodia. 2016. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
^ "Strategic New National Park Created in Cambodia". Rainforest Trust. May 18, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Cardamom National Park, Cambodia". Global Conservation.
^ "Cambodia declares new national park, plans to reintroduce tigers". Mongabay Environmental News. June 1, 2016.
^ "Verra Search Page". registry.verra.org. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ "Cambodia: Carbon Offsetting Project Violates Indigenous Group's Rights". Human Rights Watch. 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
^ "Verra Statement on Today's Human Rights Watch Report". Verra. 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-03-01.