Preah Vihear – His Excellency Neth Pheaktra, Secretary of State and Spokesman of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) led an MoE delegation and a group of local journalists to visit Kulen Promtep and Chheb Wildlife Sanctuaries in Preah Vihear province and the Bengal Florican Conservation Area in Kampong Thom provinces Stoung district June 9 – 10, 2020.
While in Preah Vihear the delegation met with local communities to learn about organic and wildlife-friendly rice production, community-based ecotourism, and the conservation of critically endangered mega bird fauna, including Cambodia’s national bird, the Giant Ibis, in Preah Vihear’s protected areas. In Kampong Thom the delegation visited the Bengal Florican Conservation Project and discuss how agriculture and conservation activities are being jointly implemented. These activities are being jointly implemented by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the USAID Greening Prey Lang Project (USAID GPL) in collaboration with MoE.
During the visit the delegation participated in a signing ceremony of grant extension provided by USAID GPL to Sansom Mlup Prey (SMP), a local Cambodian sustainable agriculture organization that works to protect the environment and wildlife by promoting wildlife-friendly agriculture in communities living in and around Cambodia’s protected areas.
“We are pleased to continue our support, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” noted Ms. Veena Reddy, USAID/Cambodia Mission Director. “We will help to create jobs, improve livelihoods, and conserve Cambodia’s natural and cultural heritage in and around Cambodia’s protected areas by supporting organic and wildlife friendly rice production and community-based ecotourism.”
Ministry of Environment spokesman, His Excellency Neth Pheaktra, stated “On behalf of the Ministry of Environment I would like to express my appreciation for the achievements made on the conservation of natural resources in the Kingdom of Cambodia thanks to the cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and its partners. I would like to thank all our NGO and donor partners, and especially USAID, for their continued support to the conservation of Cambodia’s biodiversity and wildlife our next generation.”
Ken Sereyrotha, Country Program Director for WCS Cambodia said, “With continued support from our donors, WCS has made significant conservation achievements in recent years. We are proud these efforts and are grateful for the support provided by MoE, Provincial Department of Environment and local authorities to achieve our shared long-term conservation and community development goals.”