Kampong Speu province has kick-started the planting of some 700 rare hardwood trees at the province’s Chambok protected area to further boost its community-based ecotourism potential.
About 300 officials from the Ministry of Environment, provincial departments and administration; staff and students of Mekong University of Cambodia; volunteers from the Cambodian Red Cross and other youth associations; and the community people joined the event launched on Aug. 21.
Addressing the opening of the tree planting campaign, H.E. Neth Pheaktra, Secretary of State and Spokesperson at the Ministry of Environment underlined the inseparable connection between nature, life and economy.
Thanks to peace, Cambodia has reached another turning point of generating income from natural resource conservation through the sale of carbon credit, he said.
The revenue from the sale, he continued, has enabled local infrastructure rehabilitation and development and supported other conservation activities fostering ecotourism potential and improved local economies.
Chambok protected area is located in Thmey village, Chambok commune, Phnom Sruoch district of Kampong Speu province, stretching on a total land area of 3,451 hectares home to more than 600 family members.
The protected area is one of Cambodia’s most visited community-based ecotourism sites with increasingly better services such as accommodation, food, sightseeing and beyond.
The secretary of state also encouraged the community to pilot tree planting tourism in areas with degraded forest that will give opportunity for visitors to engage in local natural resource conservation.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press