PHNOM PENH, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Forests currently covered approximately 8.5 million hectares, or 46.86 percent of Cambodia's land area, Ministry of Environment's secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra said on Tuesday.
"Of the total forest cover, some 7.3 million hectares, equivalent to 41 percent of Cambodia's land area, are protected areas and biodiversity corridors," he said during a press conference.
The Southeast Asian nation has 76 protected areas and biodiversity corridors, in which about 100 locations are ecotourism destinations, Pheaktra said.
The spokesman stressed that the government is committed to protecting and managing natural resources, replanting trees, and cracking down on forest crimes.
Cambodia's forest cover stood at 73 percent in the 1970s, but was gradually decreased due to over-logging since then. ■
