The Council of Ministers on Friday announced plans to create a wildlife sanctuary on more than 8,000 hectares of Takeo province wetlands to preserve endangered cranes and other wildlife.
According to a statement issued to the media Friday, the council approved, during its meeting presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen, a sub-decree creating the protected area and placing it under the authority of the Agriculture Ministry.
The sanctuary, to be located around Prek Lpov lake in Borei Cholsar and Koh Andet districts, will be established to protect cranes and other bird species as well as endangered fish species, the statement said.
Yin Kim Sean, secretary of state at the Environment Ministry, said Sunday that three different species of cranes were known to live in the area chosen for the sanctuary.
But the sanctuary will benefit more than the cranes alone, Agriculture Secretary of State Chan Tong Yves said.
“Not only cranes but also many species have been found in that area,” he said.
Chan Tong Yves said that 900 hectares would form the sanctuaries’ “core zone,” or the area with the tightest restrictions on access, while a further 8,000 hectares would be the so-called “buffer zone,” where access and activity are also restricted in order to protect the core area.
Chan Tong Yves said that though the sub-decree was approved Friday, he was unsure when the park would become a reality. The public will receive instructions not to hunt for species dwelling in the new sanctuary, he added.
