So far this year, three nests of the Critically Endangered White-shouldered Ibis (Pseudibis davisoni) have been located in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, of the Northern Plains of Cambodia. WCS employs local community members to protect these nests and attaches “predator exclusion belts” to White-shouldered Ibis nesting trees to reduce egg predation.
In Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, monitoring of ibis nests is paid for by a community fund raised by Tmatboey eco-tourism in collaboration with WCS partner, Sam Veasna Centre, providing sustainable finance for the conservation of one of Cambodia’s most enigmatic and threatened birds.
Some of these nest protectors were previously hunters, but the alternative livelihoods provided by the nest protection programme incentivises local communities to protect the threatened birds and habitats that are integral to the livelihoods of both the wildlife and people who rely on the Northern Plains.