Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN)

Working to protect a 500,000-hectare forest in the Cambodian lowlands – the largest primary lowland evergreen forest remaining in the country – Prey Lang Community Network is an alliance of indigenous Kuy communities that is using communications technologies to document forest crime. Since 2007, the network has advocated against illegal logging and large-scale, government-sanctioned land grabs for mining, agribusiness, and logging concessions. With an emphasis on non-violent actions and peaceful dialogue, the network has engaged civil society, indigenous associations, commune and district authorities, NGOs, and research institutions in a joint movement for environmental justice and sustainable development with the goal of improving the livelihoods, food security, and health of the 200,000 people living adjacent to the forest. The network uses forest patrols and smartphone technology to georeference, document, and upload information about forest health, illegal logging, and wildlife poaching. As a result of their work, the Government of Cambodia drafted a sub-decree to make Prey Land a protected forest. The network has become the primary source of reliable on-the-ground data about the forest, information that is now used by a range of stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts on continued protection of Prey Lang.

Case Study