Cambodia: the kingdom of wetlands
Cambodia is one of the most wetland dependant countries in the world. More than 46% of its people live and work on these vital resources and 80% of the population rely on them for food.
Yet over the past 15 years half of Cambodia’s wetlands have been lost, depriving local communities and devastating wildlife. WWT is working with local partners to preserve two of the last remaining wetland areas in the Cambodian lower Mekong Delta.
Saber Masoomi is coordinating WWT’s work in Cambodia and we caught up with him on a recent trip to the UK to find out more.
I live in Phnom Penh but spend most of my time out in the field working with communities. We’re currently working across two sites in Cambodia, Anlung Pring and Boeung Prek Lapouv. Both face devastation from unsustainable farming practices, over use of natural resources and pollution. The aim is to support local people to live in a more productive and environmentally sustainable way. We do this with education about their environment but also by creating opportunities to improve community fisheries and rice farming practices. We also run a successful eco-tourism project in Anlung Pring which creates employment opportunities and income – providing real benefits from protecting healthy wetlands.
