UK has pledged to fund Cambodia to implement the lower Mekong River landscape protection project development.
The decision was shared in a meeting between H.E. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, H.E. Ms. Tina Redshaw, British Ambassador to Cambodia and Mr. Robbie Celriog Hughes, Team Leader of Biodiversity Landscape Fund (BLF) here in Phnom Penh on April 28.
H.E. Ms. Tina Redshaw informed the minister that BLF plans to provide over £100 million to implement landscape protection and development projects in six target areas globally including Cambodia’s lower Mekong River biodiversity landscape region.
H.E. Thong Khon underlined the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy in promoting the development of Cambodia’s ecotourism sector paying high attention to environment, tourism, natural resource protection and climate change.
Cambodia’s tourism depends on cultural and natural tourism in line with the principles of sustainability and climate change mitigation and poverty alleviation, continued the minister.
He also laid stress on the ministry’s success in establishing ecotourism communities, including those at Chiphat, Areng and many natural tourism communities.
The move has changed the dependency of the locals, from deforestation, hunting, etc. to conservation of natural resources, forest and wildlife protection as tourist attractions.
According to H.E. Chuk Chumnor, Director of the Ministry of Tourism’s Tourism Product Development Department, BLF’s lower Mekong River landscape protection project will be implemented in Kampong Cham, Kandal and Prey Veng provinces connecting to southern Vietnam.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press