Forestry officials today will celebrate the opening of a tree nursery on land reclaimed from squatters near Sihanoukville town.
The nursery is located 15 km from the port city at Kbal Chhay, a holiday spot famous for its waterfall, the only fresh water source in the area, according to a statement from the Department of Forestry and Wildlife.
The 6,200 hectare plot of land, which was declared reserved forest in 1997, was logged by “speculative businessmen” before being seized by authorities in 1999. The nursery, which was built with the help of an $18,850 grant from Japan, will go toward replanting 2,700 hectares of denuded forest.
