Mekong groups call for World Bank, ADB and other donors to stop promoting tree plantations
18 December 2006
Local community representatives from twelve provinces in Cambodia and from a number of other countries in the region spoke at the meeting last month. Participants described how their lives, livelihoods and environments have been adversely affected by large plantations in their respective regions.
Conference participants listen to the testimonies of Cambodian villagers speaking about their experiences dealing with the expansion of a tree plantation company.
Individuals from five different countries in the Mekong region including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam and China, and groups from other countries gathered together on November 21-22, 2006, in Kratie, Cambodia, to share experiences and lessons learned on the issue of industrial tree plantations and their impacts on local peoples' livelihoods. Among the key issues examined were the involvement of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, some bilateral donors and multilateral agencies in promoting tree plantations either through policy, project investment or technical support. The conference also discussed the coordination of local, national and international level efforts to resolve the problems arising from tree plantations.
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