Founded | 2002 |
---|---|
Type | Cambodian Non-governmental Organization |
Focus | Environmental Conservation |
Location |
|
Key people | TEP Boonny, Executive Director |
Website | cambodiaswildlife.org |
Save Cambodia's Wildlife (SCW), founded in 1999 and registered in 2002, is a national NGO (non-government organization) working for the protection and conservation of natural resources and wildlife habitats throughout Cambodia. The organization aims to raise awareness on climate change, wildlife protection and environmental issues in general. [1] SCW has its head office in Phnom Penh and operates with three field offices in Banlung (Ratanakiri), Kratie (Kratie) and Siem Pang (Stung Treng).
The work approach is "Conservation through Education" as means of empowerment and change, using book publications, teaching programs and awareness campaigns to reach all levels of society. [2] [3] As of 2019, [update] the NGO has supported fifteen projects in eight Cambodian provinces, contributing to the conservation of more than 760,600 hectares of forest and wildlife habitat. [4] [5]
The focus of SCW's work is sustainable Natural Resource Management [including the setup of Community Protected Areas (CPAs) [6] [7] and Community Fisheries (CFis)], climate change and renewable energy, [8] environmental education [9] [10] [11] as well as alternative livelihood options [12] and Social Business, in order to face Cambodia's main environmental challenges, which are deforestation, illegal logging, poaching and destruction of wildlife habitats.
SCW was started as Wildlife Rescue Initiative in 1999 by Ms. Kit WHITNEY, a US-American teacher, and officially registered with the Ministry of Interior on 29 July 2002 (Registration No. 728). In the first years, SCW’s work focused on training animal keeps and educating society on environmental awareness, collaborating with Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre and Kampot Zoo. From May 2002 until June 2006, Ms. LIM Solinn [13] lead SCW as Director, focusing on book publications and further teaching projects.
In July 2006, Mr. TEP Boonny was appointed Executive Director, guiding SCW to continuously adapting and improving its operation. He initiated the acquisition of international donors and partners, to allow the organization to further grow. By initiating Youth Debates in 2002 and milestone publications like the Atlas of Cambodia in 2014, the NGO has become an important actor for change in Cambodia [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] to improve the country's environmental future.
2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Save Cambodia’s Wildlife, and represents a turning point for the organization towards financial independence, driven by Social Business. In 2018, SCW's own income passed the 20% mark. [19]
SCW has entered long-term partnerships with Johanniter International [20] in 2013 and in 2011 with Welthungerhilfe, [21] in order to implement projects as local partner in the Northeast of Cambodia.
The second edition of the SCW's atlas of Cambodia, [22] [23] published in 2014, reflects recent developments in Cambodia and provides up to date knowledge and analysis of the changing spatial structures of Cambodia as well as its economic and social patterns, especially linked to natural resources and environmental management, such as biodiversity, climate, health, education, agriculture, ethnic minorities and economic development. Produced in cooperation with GIZ, The Asia Foundation, Oxfam [24] [25] and ForumSyd, [26] in partnership with Open Development Cambodia. [27]
Since 2002, SCW published several children's story books - among them Samnang and the Giant Catfish, [28] published in 2006 and updated in 2017. The children's story books feature environmental topics in English and Khmer, and are prepared in a child friendly way with colorful illustrations.
SCW’s Strategic Direction 2017-2021 focuses on increased community ownership, part of which is Social Entrepreneurship. Since 2018, SCW launched its first Social Business product, pure Cambodian honey save wildlife to save wildlife, as well as natural beeswax and pollen propolis. This pure honey from Cambodia and the other bee products support local farmers to improve their livelihood and helps to protect wildlife habitats. [29] [30] [31]
SCW established and to-date supports two Eco-Tourism-Projects in Mondul Yorn [32] and Prek Thnout. [33] The Community-Based approach ensures an alternative source of income instead of poaching or illegal logging in protected areas. Furthermore, cultural exchange between the community and tourists raises awareness on local issues and encourages personal growth. [34]
Cambodia is a country in mainland Southeast Asia. It borders Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and covers a total area of approximately 181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi). The country is situated in its entirety inside the tropical Indomalayan realm and the Indochina Time zone (ICT).
Articles related to Cambodia and Cambodian culture include:
Kampong Speu is a province of Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Pursat and Kampong Chhnang to the north, Kandal to the east, Takéo to the southeast, Kampot to the south and Koh Kong to the west. Its capital is the town of Chbar Mon.
Kratié, alternatively spelled Kracheh, is a province of Cambodia located in the northeast. It borders Stung Treng to the north, Mondulkiri to the east, Kampong Thom and Kampong Cham to the west, and Tboung Khmum, and the country of Vietnam to the south.
Battambang is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia.
The National Television of Cambodia is the national television station of Cambodia. It is owned and operated by the government of Cambodia in Phnom Penh together with the national radio station, National Radio of Cambodia. TVK is member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).
Barsedth is a district (srok) in the south of Kampong Speu Province, in southern Cambodia. The district capital is the town of Barsedth located some 50 kilometres south of the provincial capital of Kampong Speu by road. The district shares a border with Kampot and Takeo provinces to the south. National Highway 3 forms the eastern district boundary. The district is made up of flat farmland and supports extensive agriculture and a large population.
The Ream National Park, officially the Preah Sihanouk Ream National Park, is a national park of Cambodia located 18 km (11 mi) from the city of Sihanoukville in the Sihanoukville Municipality of the Sihanoukville Province in southwestern Cambodia. It was established in 1993, as the Cambodian government began to take action for the protection of the country's threatened natural resources. The national park's biological value is defined by its combination of rivers, forests, mangroves, estuaries, beaches, coral reefs, wildlife, and marine life.
Deforestation in Cambodia has increased in recent years. Cambodia is one of the world's most forest endowed countries, that was not historically widely deforested. However, massive deforestation for economic development threatens its forests and ecosystems. As of 2015, the country has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world.
Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in western Cambodia, bordering Thailand. The sanctuary was established in 1993 and covers 3,307.56 km2 (1,277.06 sq mi). It is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA).
The Sambor Dam is a proposed dam and hydroelectric power station on the Mekong River south of Sambor village in Prek Kampi District, Kratie Province, Cambodia. If built, it would be the lowest dam of the Mekong's mainstream dams, and largest in Cambodia.
The Lower Se San 2 Dam is a hydroelectric dam under development on the Se San River in Stung Treng Province, northeastern Cambodia. The Se San River is a major tributary of the Mekong River. The dam site is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of the provincial capital, also named Stung Treng. The first turbine began producing electricity in November 2017. The dam was officially opened on December 18, 2018.
Sihanoukville, also known as Kampong Saom, is a coastal city in Cambodia and the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, at the tip of an elevated peninsula in the country's south-west on the Gulf of Thailand. The city has a string of beaches along its entire coastline and coastal marshlands bordering Ream National Park in the east. The city has one navigable river, the mangrove-lined Ou Trojak Jet, running from Otres Pagoda to the sea at Otres. Several thinly inhabited islands, under Sihanoukville's administration, are near the city.
Chbar Ampov is a district (khan) in central Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Hun Sen Cup was the main football knockout tournament in Cambodia. The 2016 Hun Sen Cup was the 10th season of the Hun Sen Cup, the premier knockout tournament for association football clubs in Cambodia involving Cambodian League and provincial teams organized by the Football Federation of Cambodia.
Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary is a 2,926.9 km2 (1,130.1 sq mi) protected area of mixed seasonal tropical forest in eastern Cambodia, located in Mondulkiri and Kratié provinces. The area was first established as Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in 2002, later becoming Seima Protection Forest in 2009, finally becoming Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016. The site is of national, regional, and global importance for a range of biodiversity, with more than 950 species recorded within the protected area. It is also the ancestral and contemporary home of a large number of the Bunong ethnic group.
Roneam Daun Sam Wildlife Sanctuary was a protected area located in western Cambodia, created in 1993 by Royal Decree, originally covering 178,750 hectares, reduced to 39,961 hectares following several PADDD events. The sanctuary was dissolved in February 2018 by a royal decree. Sao Sopheap, then-spokesman for the Ministry of Environment said “Families of soldiers under the Khmer Rouge went to occupy areas of the Roneam Daun Sam Wildlife Sanctuary, and later during integration in 1998, the government decided to give people the land that they were occupying, and continuously provided land titles to them. So, those areas have lost function or are no longer used as wildlife sanctuaries.”
Sambor Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in eastern Cambodia created in 2018, covering 50,093 hectares. Neth Pheaktra, Ministry of Environment spokesman said that the sanctuary was established to protect the ecosystems, maintain environmental equilibrium by protecting and conserving natural resources, and mitigate climate change and natural disaster risks. “Another aim is to encourage the participation of local communities and stakeholders to protect, conserve, preserve and use natural resources sustainably” he said. World Wide Fund for Nature stated this area, along with Prek Prasab Wildlife Sanctuary created in the same sub-decree, "support the most intact forests and riverine habitats in the area with the lowest human densities. A total of at least 11 large mammal species, 56 species of amphibians and reptiles, 683 species of plants, at least 15 bird species and 223 native fish species were recorded during surveys in 2006-2007."
The Funan Techo Canal, officially known as the Tonle Bassac Navigation Road and Logistics System Project is a 180 km long canal under construction in Cambodia, connecting Phnom Penh Autonomous Port with Kep and the Gulf of Thailand.