Cambodias economy has been virtually destroyed as a result of the Civil War (1970-1975), the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), and the Cambodia-Vietnam war (1978-1979). Despite rice being Cambodias most important crop and a staple food for the Khmer, by 1974, under wartime conditions, rice had to be imported to be consumed and the production of rubber, Cambodias most profitable export crop, fell of sharply, which was a major contributing factor in the destruction of the economy. In the years 1976-1978, many people (hundreds and thousands) died as a result of overwork, malnutrition and mistreated or misdiagnosed diseases as the proper resources needed where hard to get. When the end of the Cold War came, the revenue of timber started to cause conflict as it began to replace foreign support for the fighting factions in Cambodias long civil war. While the exploitation of timber made fortunes of military and po
litical leaders on both sides, this misuse of the timber was causes armed conflicts of its own. Some areas where timber wars have been fought Cambodia, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, the DRC, Burma and Liberia. The true severity of the impact of this exploitation of timber can be shown through the number of places that wars and conflicts have erupted. In the last 30 years, Cambodias forest cover has been said to have roughly diminished by around one-third. This deforestation has severe effects for the countrys ecology, agriculture, population survival, security and future prosperity. This deforestation has caused further implications for Cambodia as it is said to be the cause of flooding in and around Cambodia. These floods were described as the worst in 70 years: 350 people died, and thousands left homeless. These floods also had big economic issues for Cambodia and the other countries that were affected.