Wildlife in Cambodia suffered heavily from the years of conflict in the 1970s and 1980s, firstly from the over-spill of the Vietnam War then rapidly by the ‘Year Zero’ devastation of the Pol Pot regime.

However, the recent political peace has not resulted in stability for the wildlife of Cambodia including important species such as tigers, elephants and rhinos, according to a new study by WWF.

Michael Mascia and Colby Loucks of WWF said: “We looked at how conflict directly and indirectly shaped people’s use of wildlife – during and after conflict. The influx of guns, the emergence of new markets, the forced hunting teams – all were directly related to conflict. It was the conflict, lastly, for well over two decades that created the environment for permanent shifts in livelihoods to the dependence on the trade of wildlife.”

A lasting legacy of the various conflicts is the widespread available of firearms. Whereas before forest people would hunt with crossbows, post-war, guns and ammunition were widely available, massively increasing the efficiency of the hunters.

Michael Mascia and Colby Loucks said:  “that conservation investments in postconflict societies should be integrated within and support broader peace-building efforts targeting combatants, noncombatants, civil society organizations, and the state”.

READ MORE ON POST-WAR CONFLICT CONTINUES IN CAMBODIA FOR WILDLIFE

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