Seven baby gibbons play in the jungle around the Angkor temples in Cambodia, where this endangered species is benefiting from a reintroduction program. ” The project is going very well “, Nick Marks, one of the leaders of the Wildlife Alliance, rejoices, watching how the monkeys with black or white fur eat the bananas handed to them by the members of the NGO. Since 2013, this American structure has partnered with Apsara, the public body that manages the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, and the Cambodian Forestry Office to repopulate the natural area surrounding the famous remains, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Smooth-coated otter, barking deer, peacock… Thanks to the project, more than forty endangered animals have found refuge in the 6,500-hectare jungle, which has long been filled with poachers and poachers. ” We released four pairs of gibbons into the Angkor forest and they bred. Seven children were born here says Nick Marks. Returned animals were rescued from poachers or born in captivity to parents rescued from wildlife trafficking.
Still an uncertain future
” This is a big win for our project “, Chou Radina, Aspara’s Deputy Director for Forest Management, rejoices. Around Angkor is the setting the safest According to Nick Marks, to restore vulnerable fauna, especially small primates, as the site has received special protection status since its UNESCO registration in 1992. Cambodia is no exception to this illegal trade. always persistent in Southeast Asia, according to a 2020 report by TRAFFIC, a specialized global surveillance network.
Sanctions in a small kingdom” too light do not deter poachers, according to this NGO, which also denounces Cambodia’s place as a transit zone between Africa and China or Vietnam. ” Traps and traditional hunting It also threatens rare species of wildlife, admits a representative of the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, which assures that 61,000 snares are removed from forests annually. In addition to poaching, deforestation makes their conservation even more difficult, says Nick Marks, whose NGO estimates 2,000 animals are saved each year.
30% of forest area lost in 20 years
The sanctuary that the Wildlife Alliance dedicates to them in Phnom Tamao, an hour from the capital Phnom Penh, is itself threatened by an urban development project. Between 2001 and 2021, Cambodia lost 30% of its forest cover, according to Global Forest Watch (GFW), a much higher rate than its Thai neighbors (12%), Vietnam (20%) or Laos (21 %).
” If wildlife is pushed out of forests and forests lose their inhabitants, the reproduction or release of species will become an increasingly important sign of conservation. says Nick Marks. Project participants hope that the gibbons will reproduce to continue their resettlement, and that in the long run they will become as attractive as the Buddha statues at Angkor; Apart from visiting temples, tourists will have the opportunity to see nature “, Chou Radina prophesies.
Source: Le Figaro
