Wildlife Alliance has achieved zero elephant poaching in Cambodia's Cardamom Rainforest for over a decade through effective patrolling and law enforcement efforts. Between 2000-2006, 37 elephants were poached in the area, but since increased patrols and removal of over 140,000 snares beginning in 2006, there have been no elephant poaching incidents. The newly established 410,000 hectare Southern Cardamom National Park helps further protect elephant habitat connectivity in the region. Maintaining zero poaching requires continued investment in anti-poaching patrols and stronger laws against hunting protected species like elephants.

1. Press Release
A Decade of Zero Elephants Poaching in Cardamom Rainforest
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 10, 2016: On World Elephant Day (12th August) conservation
non-profit organization Wildlife Alliance celebrates its achievement of Zero Poaching for the Asian
elephant population of the Cardamom Rainforest in the last decade.
In the early 2000s the Cardamom Rainforest was an elephant and tiger poaching hotspot –
between 2000 and in 2006, 37 wild Asian elephants were poached in the Cardamoms. In a
response to this poaching crisis Wildlife Alliance has been supporting the Royal Government of
Cambodia in 2002 with effective patrolling and law enforcement across the landscape. Since 2006,
over 24,000 multi-agency law enforcement patrols have removed more than 140,000 snares and
sent 300 offenders to court.
Wildlife Alliance CEO Suwanna Gauntlett emphasized the approach used to reach this success
“achieving Zero Elephant Poaching for more than a decade in the Cardamoms is a fantastic
achievement and demonstrates that investing in law enforcement is the best way to achieve
conservation results,” explained Gauntlett “however to maintain this success more forest rangers
need to be deployed on the ground and laws prohibiting hunting of protected species, including
with snares, need to be strengthened.”
Gauntlett colleague Dr. Thomas Gray agreed. “With the global poaching crisis an estimated 30,000
elephants are being killed yearly to supply increasing demand for illegal ivory products. Thus, we
cannot be complacent,” said Dr. Thomas Gray Director of Science for Wildlife Alliance.
The Cardamom Rainforest Landscape covers more than 2,000,000 hectares of tropical rainforest in
South West Cambodia with the South West Elephant Corridor providing an 860,000 ha natural
habitat corridor for elephants moving between the protected areas of Landscape. Flora and Fauna
International (2008) estimated the elephant population within the South West Elephant Corridor
as at least 175 individuals. The newly created 410,000 hectare Southern Cardamom National Park
helps secure habitat connectivity for the landscape’s elephants.
The newly created Southern Cardamom National Park covering a total area of 410,000 hectares is
at the heart of the South West Elephant Corridor. Minister of Environment H.E. Say Samal said “to
maintain Zero Poaching and preserve the rainforest we need to ensure effective management of
the wider Cardamom Rainforest Landscape and align efforts across the protected areas. Protecting
the Cardamoms and its elephant population is protecting Cambodia given the role of elephants in
maintaining healthy forest and the role of healthy forest in maintaining healthy people.”
The Cardamom Rainforest Landscape supports one of the two viable populations of Asian elephant
Elephas maximus left in Cambodia – the other occurs in the forests of Mondulkiri. These camera-

2. trap images are from inside the newly created Southern Cardamom National Park and show a
family group of elephants inside the natural forest. The creation of this new protected area,
covering 410,000 hectares will help conserve critical elephant habitat and allow these majestic
creatures, the second largest land mammal on the planet, the space to roam free in the forests
away from human disturbance.
Throughout the years Wildlife Alliance has installed some 112 camera traps around Chiphat village
in the Cardamom Rainforest Landscape to understand the movements and social structure of
elephant groups. This is crucial information for both law enforcement patrolling and working with
communities to prevent human elephant conflict. This elephant family group is about 10 to 12
individuals and ranges over a relatively large area of the Protected Areas in which Wildlife Alliance
work in - Southern Cardamom National Park and Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary.
*A press conference to announce Wildlife Alliance great achievement of Zero Poaching for the
Asian elephant population and show camera traps footages of these giants roaming in the
Cardamom Mountains, will be held this Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 10:30am at Wildlife
Alliance.
For more information, please contact:
Contact: Ms. Botumroath Lebun, Public Relations Contact: Dr. Thomas Grey, Director of Science
Cell: 012-885-727 Cell: 097-282-2258
Email: lebun@wildlifealliance.org Email: gray@wildlifealliance.org
Website www.wildlifealliance.org Website: www.wildlifealliance.org
Wildlife Alliance Street 123 House 86, Toul Tompoung 1, Chamkarmom, Phnom Penh, Cambodia