He said police suspected Cambodian border forces, who were assigned to investigate a stolen chainsaw, were responsible for the killings. Cambodia's forest cover has fallen from 73 percent in 1990 to 46 percent in 2013, according to the United Nations. The illicit timber trade thrives on weak rule of law in remote areas and with pliant forestry officials and security forces, some of whom are employed by illegal loggers for protection. But forests are also under threat through government-approved land clearance deals for everything from rubber plantations to hydropower dams. Several high-profile killings of environmental activists in recent years have underscored the dangerous work carried out by conservationists.

Source: Daily Mail January 31, 2018 05:26 UTC