Most of these live in 60 villages,
some of which were located inside what is now Virachey National
Park prior to the 1970s. The reliance on natural resource
use inside the protected area is critical to the survival
of the local communities. The land use of these groups can
be broken down into the following five basic categories:
- village settlements
- swidden agriculture
- forest gathering and hunting
- wet-field rice agriculture
- conservation (Spirit Forests)
Although these uses covered a larger area prior
to the Khmer Rouge period (1970s), the majority of uses are
presently relatively close to the villages. Forest gathering
and hunting however, occurs further from the villages. The
main products harvested are rattan, bamboo and malva nuts.
Hunting for food and trade occurs in the forests of Virachey
National Park and although a consistent decline in wildlife
populations has been observed, reports still indicate that
tiger, Himalayan black bear, Malayan sun bear, guar, Sambar
deer, muntjak and civet are being hunted. Turtles, monitor
lizards and pangolin are the most commonly traded animals.
Rabbits, forest rats and other smaller animals are usually
hunted for subsistence closer to the villages. |
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