Phnom Penh, June 2008 - Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been instrumental in anti-drug enforcement efforts in Cambodia, leading to the confiscation of 33 tonnes of sassafras oil, a raw ingredient of the drug ecstasy. The confiscated oil was burned at a special public ceremony organised by the Cambodian government and Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Tim Morris, AFP Assistant Commissioner for Border and International, said that the oil "would have produced, by our calculations, 245 million ecstasy tablets". He added that the tablets could have fetched as much as US$7bn on the street.
Sassafras oil, produced by boiling the roots of rare Mreah Prew Phnom trees, is illegally distilled in the jungles of South-West Cambodia and exported to neighbouring countries for processing into a chemical used to make ecstasy tablets. To make matters worse, the distillation process itself uses enormous quantities of fuel wood from other rainforest trees.
FFI first became involved in efforts to crack down on the sassafras oil industry in 2004, because of the damage it causes to the rainforest. Alarmed by the rate of destruction of the forests they depend upon, local villagers often approached FFI to report forest processing plants.
As a result, around 60 percent of the sassafras oil burned at the recent ceremony was originally confiscated in enforcement operations co-led by FFI. FFI has worked in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, Forestry Administration, Military Police, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Conservation International and Wildlife Alliance over recent years to successfully locate and destroy sassafras oil factories in the rainforests of Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains.
In Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary (western Cardamom Mountains), where most Mreah Prew Phnom trees remain, FFI supports 49 well-trained Ministry of Environment rangers recruited from local communities. This relatively small team has successfully closed dozens of factories over the past four years, seizing significant amounts of sassafras oil which may otherwise have been sold to make illegal drugs.
FFI Manager of the Cardamom Mountains Wildlife Sanctuary Project, David Bradfield, said: 'The rangers and their trainers in Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary have shown great courage in tackling this crime. Sassafras processing plants are frequently guarded by armed men and even booby-trapped with anti-personnel mines. FFI's primary aim is to protect threatened species and habitats in a way that also supports the needs of local communities, and we will continue to strive for this in the future."
FFI staff estimate that, at the height of the industry in 2006, there were at least 75 Mreah Prew Phnom processing plants in the western Cardamom Mountains. Recent aerial surveys indicate no active factories remain, signifying the effectiveness of efforts by FFI and its partners.
As long as Mreah Prew Phnom trees remain in the forest, enforcement efforts must be sustained to ensure this problem does not return. However, many of the ranger teams in the Cardamom Mountains are facing funding cuts and possible redundancy. FFI is calling on the Cambodian Government and international donors to recognise and support the work of rangers in the Cardamom Mountains. The forests, local people and even the global community are counting on their remarkable work.
About Fauna & Flora International (FFI) (www.fauna-flora.org)
FFI protects threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and take account of human needs. Operating in more than 40 countries worldwide – mainly in the developing world – FFI saves species from extinction and habitats from destruction, while improving the livelihoods of local people. Founded in 1903, FFI is the world's longest established international conservation body and a registered charity.
Website: www.fauna-flora.org