Buddhist Monks Working to Tackle Deforestation in Cambodia
Dear friends,
Deforestation is a growing phenomenon on this planet. Forests are so important for all sentient beings on earth and each time deforestation happens, hundreds and thousands of animal lives are taken away.
This article highlights a great initiative started by the sangha of Cambodia to save the forests of their country. By tradition, Sangha are not known to involve themselves in secular activities unless for a good cause. And in this case, the monks are setting a good example for the public in hope that others will follow in their footsteps too.
Do read the article thoroughly and rejoice for the Sangha’s kindness. And please do your part to help stop deforestation. We must save our planet before it’s too late.
Tsem Rinpoche
Buddhist Monks Working to Tackle Deforestation in Cambodia
By BD Dipananda | Buddhistdoor Global 2016-07-22
Buddhist monks collecting images and videos of illegal logging to spread them through social media. Photo from Dw.com
Deforestation remains a major threat to Cambodia’s forests, but a group of Cambodian Buddhist monks from the Independent Monk Network for Social Justice is battling to save these forests by lobbying lawmakers to protect them and by publicly exposing illegal logging.
Venerable Buntenh, founder and leader of the network’s approximately 5,000 monks, teaches local people to use social media such as Facebook to raise awareness of illegal logging by uploading photos on Facebook, posting videos, and writing articles. The monks also teach locals how to halt deforestation.
“No one has told me that I should go out there to protect the forest, but for me it was a logical thing to do. I am doing all I can to save it. I plant new trees, I help the people who live from the forest, I am reminding the government of the promises they’ve made,” said Ven. Buntenh. (Deutsche Welle)
The human rights organization Licadho from the University of Maryland in the US has pointed out that 14.4 per cent of Cambodia’s jungle disappeared between 2000 and 2013, 12.2 per cent of which were cut down in protected areas—an ongoing trend that has led to harmful effects for human beings, animals, and the climate.
Ven. Buntenh also noted that one of Cambodia’s largest and oldest evergreen woodlands, Prey Lang, is under threat. Large parts of Prey Lang have already disappeared to make space for plantations, and land concessions and illegal loggers have removed large patches of trees in protected areas.
“The people who cut down the forest think they are superior, but in reality they are stupid. Only the forest is superior,” he said. (Deutsche Welle)
According to Ven. Buntenh, 30 yers ago, jungles and centuries-old trees provided shade and shelter to wild animals, the air was clean, and nature provided local residents with considerable resources to live on. The forest near Ven. Buntenh’s childhood village was once filled with wild pigs. “We were hunting them. During my youth, there was nothing as tasty as the meat of a wild pig,” Ven. Buntenh recalled, laughing. (Deutsche Welle)
Activists carry confiscated chainsaws as part of a protest in front of Forestry Administration office in Phnom Penh, on 6 July, 2015. Photo from Rfa.com
Today, the forests of Ven. Buntenh’s youth are long gone, and their loss grieves him. He urges local residents to put an end to illegal logging in Cambodia during the frequent occasions when they come to the forest and listen to the monks talk about the effects of deforestation. “We must speak out when someone is abusing our rights,” he told a crowd on 7 July.
“The authorities think bad about us, but we are the ones that help you to save the forest. Do you know how Facebook works? You have to use it to tell what’s happening here.” (Deutsche Welle)
Yet the situation may not be completely hopeless: “In Cambodia, where over 90 per cent of the population is Buddhist, monks enjoy great respect. Their orange and red robes offer them protection that other activists lack. The authorities are also unlikely to easily use force against them, and the monks use this freedom to collect images and videos of, for example, illegal logging and brutal police violence. These are then spread through social media.” (Deutsche Welle)
However, Ven. Buntenh has accused prime minister Hun Sen, who has governed Cambodia since 1985, of delaying promises to halt deforestration. Over the past few years, several activists and journalists have been intimidated or even killed for reporting on illegal logging. Similar threats were made on Ven. Buntenh’s life some time ago.
“I don’t think I’m a good monk, because I am mean to the police and to the military,” he said. “But I’m ready to give everything for my people and the forest. If I have to give my life for it today or tomorrow, then I’m willing to make that sacrifice.” (Deutsche Welle)
See more:
- How Buddhist monks are battling deforestation in Cambodia (Deutsche Welle)
- Cambodian Activists, Monks Urge Lawmakers to Save Endangered Forest (Radio Free Asia)
Source: http://www.buddhistdoor.net/news/buddhist-monks-working-to-tackle-deforestation-in-cambodia
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Cambodia is rich in biodiversity. It is home to the third-largest lowland dry evergreen forest in Southeast Asia. However it’s very sad to discover, this beautiful mother nature country has the worst deforestation rates in the world and serious threats to preserving precious natural resources.
I do sincerely admired Ven. Buntenh braveness, his dharma contribution and his abilities to fight against the government in the name of preserving the nature and our environment. Thank you for the article sharing.
Deforestation is a major environmental threat in Cambodia. Cambodia’s largest and oldest evergreen woodlands, Prey Lang, is under threat. The Prey Lang Forest, also known as the Prey Long Forest, is a nature reserve forest in Northern Cambodia. The forest is a biodiversity hotspot, which is home to many endangered species of animals and plants. It is the largest remaining lowland evergreen forest on the Indochinese is under threat from a variety of sources . From illegal loggers to deforestation spiking which the same year a wildlife sanctuary was declared. Buddhist monks and activists battling to save the last of Cambodia’s forests. Cambodia, monks regularly put their lives in danger in fighting illegal logging operators. The monks got doing a good job indeed, going round the village explaining the effects of deforestation. Sad the government are not on the monk side in fighting against those illegal loggers. May the government work hand in hand with the monks and activist to fight deforestation . If not more harm will be done and in no time those forest will be gone.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this news with us. It is very rare to see monks getting involved in environmental issues. These monks in Cambodia could not bear to see how the forest is being destroyed so they become the ‘activists’ to protect the forest.
Even though they are monks, they put technology to good use. They make use of social media platforms such as Facebook to share information and educate people about illegal logging. They also plant new trees to combat the deforestation issue. In addition, they also deal with the government to remind them of the promise they have made to the people.
I think in a conservative society like Cambodia, it must be very unusual to see monks working with the public to solve an issue. In my opinion, it is a good way to spread Buddhist values to the lay people. It is a way to demonstrate to them how Dharma is so closely related to our daily lives and how we can apply it.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. Monks were not suppose to interfere or participate in lay people’s activity but in this case they were force be involved in stopping the deforestation that is happening in Cambodia. Saving the earth is not the responsibility of the Sangha but everyone in this planet. Everyone has their part to give back to the mother nature.
With folded palms,
Vivian
This is very good work by the monks in Cambodia, how they put themselves forward to preserve the environment. They are also displaying deep wisdom and insight, as we are interdependent to our environment and the animals living within it. How can destroying the jungles bring about a better future?
Deforestation is most reprehensible and it is good that a group of the Sangha in Cambodia, under the leadership of Venerable Buntenh, is actively campaigning and protesting against the destruction of of the Cambodian jungle(a whopping 14.4 % of Cambodian jungle has been destroyed!), home to a diversity of wildlife. A group of monks from the Independent Monk Network for Social Justice is battling to save these forests by lobbying lawmakers to protect them and by publicly exposing illegal logging.
The monks teach the local folk to use social media to expose illegal loggers and to raise awareness of illegal logging by uploading photos on Facebook, posting videos, and writing articles. They also teach locals how to halt deforestation.
According to Venerable Buntenh ,30 years ago, the land was covered with jungle; and centuries-old trees provided shade and shelter to wild animals. The air was clean, and nature provided local residents with considerable resources to live on. Today, with the jungle being callously destroyed , through deforestation, especially by illegal logging , the homes of many animlas and birds have disappeared.It creates serious adverse effects in the long run.
It is good that the sangha has spoken up and is taking bold steps to address this grave environmental problem!
Forest is an integral part of the ecosystem however, we human because of greed has ignored the importance of maintaining the balance of ecosystem and just destroying everything for the profit and wealth.
I admired Ven. Buntenh for being very brave to stand up and fight against the government in the name of preserving the nature and our environment. I am sure his fight is not easy as there are so many illegal loggers, governments and militarist involved.
I like his effort in creating awareness to the residents to fight against illegal loggers. It is by having knowledge that this unscrupulous activity can be stop.
May Dorje Shugden bless his effort in tackling deforestation and he will get all the supports from the local authority.
Whether we realise it or not, it is inevitable that humans survive by consuming resources of this planet. I recall reading somewhere that many civilizations come to an end because they do not treat their environment responsibly. This detrimental pattern occurs again and again throughout history as humans continuously plunder the earth resources to satisfy their greed without ever thinking about the consequences until it is too late.
Thus, it is good that there are people currently working hard to not only spreading awareness about deforestation and environmental issues but also even taking proactive action to preserve it. With globalisation, the consequences of our ecosystem being totally destroyed and natural resources exhausted would be way more severe than the ones in previous generations as it is no longer contained with a local community. Such collapse would affect all as with globalisation, the whole world is linked together much closer than before.
That being said, it is rather sad that the sangha/monks are left with no choice but to get involved in worldly affairs to take up such cause (since no one else has stepped up) instead of being able to truly just focus on advancing their practice. Nonetheless, it also goes to show the sangha/monks’ level and dedication to their practice in that so long as it benefits other sentient beings (be it humans or otherwise) they will get involved regardless of the nature of such actions.
Honestly, the good motive is there, they are doing a good thing and deforestation is a major problem. But I honestly think that there are too many people just ‘spreading awareness’ while there are few that do things because of the awareness spread. I feel the world has become people complaining to the nobody that will do anything about it. I am not saying what people are doing is bad, I am just freely speaking here, we need more do-ers. I do not mean to sound like a bad person here. If I have offended anybody, just know my message has come from a good place.
It is undeniable that global deforestation has been a major problem contributing to global climate changes; the El Nino effect is one result of this; loss of livelihood, loss of lives and a major source of unethical practice especially in less developed countries in Asia, Africa and South America.
While the rate of deforestation has slowed down, especially in the West, this is still a problem for the above mentioned continents and for emerging economies like Cambodia. The obvious cause is greed and unethical government practice.
It is interesting that in Cambodia where 90 percent of the population are Buddhist where the Sangha (monks and nuns) are revered as one of the 3 Jewel of Refuge, the Sangha is leading the challenge to stop deforestation. For once, I think mass movement against government inefficiencies and policies may work because of the Sangha factor.
A big problem that a lot of countries are facing is deforestation. Trees are being cut down at a very fast rate and very little is being done to replant new tree saplings or slow down the rate at which trees are being felled.
I admire the hard work that the monks from The Independent Monk Network for Social Justice is doing towards spreading awareness on deforestation as well as trying to slow down deforestation.
Lay people should follow the example of these monks who are doing a wonderful job.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing!
It is a really inspiring news to know that Cambodian monks took the initiative to raise the public awareness in curbing deforestation issue. Deforestation is also a regional issue affecting Indonesia & Malaysia too. In recent years, Malaysia and Indonesia are constantly affected by haze which is caused by the forest burning in Indonesia. We understand that most of this forest fire occurs within land owned by palm oil, paper and logging companies. We can easily hold these companies responsible for posing the threat to the environment but we consumers who buy palm oil & paper products from this slash-and-burn technique are actually paying money to make the haze worse.
But the question is who can bring about change, to stop the deforestation, the elimination of animals and plants habitats and the haze issue? Who could be the pioneers coming up with radical solutions? Who are the politicians most able to make decision to formulate rules and regulations to enforce society and industry to do things differently? What can public do in daily life to stop deforestation?
There are some great examples in the world have taken steps to halt deforestation e.g. a handful of major US food processors, have adopted commitments to rid their supply chains of palm oil linked to deforestation. Some celebrities from certain countries have also become the crucial figure in leading next generation in combating environmental issues too. And in this article we notice that Ven. Buntenh and Cambodian monks have definitely demonstrated a great model in taking the lead to raise public awareness in deforestation issue. Each of us should emulate them and treat the environmental conservation issue as our responsibility and take every step we can to save our planet.
I think deforestation is a problem faced by many countries as trees had become a precious commodity due to the ever growing lack of supply. A forest takes hundreds of years to grow and greedy humans cut them down so easily without care or consideration for the lives within and dependant on the forest. Ven. Buntenh and the monks’ courage are admirable and good examples for the lay people to follow. As mentioned, being in a Buddhist majority country, the monks command high regards and have higher freedom for actions in promoting awareness. I do hope that the Government will take actions swiftly against the culprits illegally cutting down the trees before its too late.
本人非常赞同Venerable Buntenh所看重的一点，那就是当权利被践踏时,我们必须站出来大声疾呼，反对砍伐森林。Venerable Buntenh尽他所能来抢救這片森林綠地，因为他相信如果长久下去砍伐森林会严重破坏生态平衡,影响人类和动物的生存以及气候的变化。
Venerable Buntenh呼吁和教导当地人上网在面子书上分享有关当地非法砍伐森林的事件。他的行为是值得鼓励。因为他提醒了我们不要为了自身的名誉与利益而选择做出带给别人的伤害。
感谢仁波切的分享。
Some might said sangha of Cambodia and Thailand seem quite involved in politics, not matching with what many think Buddhism or Buddhists, especially sangha are people who meditate in the cave or monasteries. From information on internet I learned that sangha from Cambodia and Thailand are quite involved and active in social movement. In history, we can see some of the sangha involved in social movement in non-violence way in environment issues such as deforestation, racism, injustice and inequality and etc. They recognise it’s equally importance to free our society as to free our mind.
Thus, sangha engaged in social movement to create awareness to environment issues, animals rights or religious freedom is no difference from spreading the Buddha’s teachings. They are all doing with the motivation of care and love, to not doing harm to ourselves and others, including animals in this case.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing 🙂
I found a commentary on Cambodia sangha go on street or engage in social movement: http://www.inmediahk.net/node/263105
Dear Rinpoche,
As you had said, monks will not involve themselves in secular things unless it will bring many benefits. Monks in Cambodia had even joined in protests to raise awareness of the severity of illegal logging in Cambodia. Deforestation can really leave a negative impact on the environment and all the humans and animals that lives around it. If it continues without any limitation, surely the people and animals will suffer. I believe this is why the ordained community in Cambodia had decided to get involve in this issue. With their reputation and respect from the community they have, I believe they will be able to raise awareness from the government and community.
Humbly,
Chris Chong
Illegal deforestation in Cambodia is a serious issue as it is a land where over half of the country is covered with forest that provide natural resources for the inhabitants. When rapid uncontrolled deforestation happened, all the inhabitants will be under threat and it has direct impact on the ecosystem and environment. Thankfully, Ven. Buntenh is brave to step up amidst potential physical intimidation and voice out to raise awareness on the abuse on the environment. Thank you Rinpoche for this article.
Thanks Rinpoche and writers for sharing the wonderful article about Ven. Buntenh’s great works to preserve the nature.
I see a brave man who takes preserving homeland as own responsibility regardless how he was treated during the process. This kind of great person is highly needed in every part of the world to slow down the poisonous seeds of materialism to grow.
What Ven. Buntenh is doing is not a simple thing to deal with. By speaking up and getting more people to aware what’s happening which endanger the country, Ven. Buntenh willing to even sacrifice his life for it, what a great compassion.
May all his efforts bear fruits and more people inspired to be someone like him.
Thank you.
It is always sad to read of the uncontrolled exploitation of the earth and its resources. Trees form a very important part of the chain in the survival of this earth, our only home.
As Ven. Buntenh recounted, the forest near his home village is gone together with the food supply like the wild pigs, and I’m sure many other animals and vegetation. In their greed, these illegal loggers have resorted to murder to continue their activities.
So, it is timely that the monks are raising awareness on the logging and the consequences of a diminished forest. They are reaching out to the world in a very modern way too, by using the internet and facebook.
They are working for the benefit of the future generation. They are also making the Cambodians aware of their human rights. This also should make more people aware of the need to plant more trees.
These monks are moving beyond the monasteries and temples to benefit the people in more ways than one.
Thank for sharing this article and making more people aware of these Cambodian monks’ work.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful article Its all about a group of Cambodian Buddhist monks doing more than what they are doing to save their forest been destroyed. Ven. Buntenh is a brave monk trying to stop illegal logging in the forest where the locals would come to listen to the monks talk about the effects of deforestation and so forth.Do hope the authorities will do more to bring the awareness of the destruction.
As for us here i will share will with my friends to plant more green instead of cutting it. I am proud that KFR is having more greens too..a beautiful environment surrounding KFR as well.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing.