On February 28, 2024, the article “Carbon Offsetting’s Casualties Violations of Chong Indigenous People’s Rights in Cambodia’s Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project” was posted on the Human Rights Watch website
The following are excerpts from the article, which can be read in full on the Human Rights Watch website:
This report assesses the impacts on the rights of Indigenous people of Cambodia’s largest carbon offsetting project, the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project. The project is implemented jointly by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the conservation organization Wildlife Alliance (WA).
Human Rights Watch found that the REDD+ project conducted activities for 31 months before consulting Indigenous Chong people living in the area, violating their right to free, prior, and informed consent for the project. Project activities during those 31 months included crucial decisions on the management of more than half a million hectares of land, such as incorporating eight Indigenous Chong villages into a national park.
The decisions taken without adequate consultation with affected Indigenous peoples continue to impact their rights to this day.
Note: Unfortunately, the situation of the project is much worse than stated in the report. For more information, we encourage you to read “Paramilitary Violence and REDD Mercenaries against the Chong People in the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project in Cambodia” from Cassandra’s forthcoming book CLIMATE OPIUM.