Ancient forests are being lost at an "unprecedented" rate from protected lands in Cambodia, according to a new report from the group Forest Trends. The Cambodian government has in recent years granted what are termed Economic Land Concessions (ELC) to large agri-business companies who want to develop the land. Under the guise of creating a rubber plantation for instance, the trees are cleared and exported. With an ELC licence, companies can clear cut the forest stating that they will plant something but on many occasions, the plantations never materialise.
Read article at: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33702814
