Deal #3554

Indigenous peoples have sustainably relied on the forest for generations. Prey Lang is a crucial part of Kuy culture and spiritual life, serving as a vital resource for Kuy people’s livelihoods.

The development of the plantation was characterized by a complete lack of consultation and many farmers only found out about the project when the company arrived with machinery to clear the forests located on the concessions area.

Factors that contributed to the conflict of this project include the lack of community consultation, ignoring EIA recommendations, clearing community land holdings, providing undesirable jobs, and restricting access to company roads.

4000 families are affected by the project

The change from a diverse forest-agriculture landscape to an industrial tree plantation landscape comes with huge biodiversity costs, river pollution, loss of wildlife as well as with strong impacts on local communities of Kuy indigenous and Khmer. *Some of the burial grounds and sacred forests have also been destroyed through the plantation development. *Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, aggro-diversity), Fires, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physio-chemical, biological) quality are environmental impacts. Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place are socio economic impacts.

After some time, the protesters achieved that some agricultural and housing land, as well as community forests were respected and carved out from the plantation development. Some compensation payments were made.

The company promised roads, infrastructure, and jobs. The village roads remain in very poor condition and the only road built by the company is for their own transport through the deep forest to the ferry.

Organized protests first started in May, 2013 and involved several members of the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN), a grassroots social movement that had emerged to protect the remaining Prey Lang forest.