First profile highlighting the treasures of Cambodian wildlife in the Mondulkiri Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary launched

Posted on July, 21 2016

The USAID funded Supporting Forests and Biodiversity Project (SFB), implemented by Winrock International, WWF-Cambodia; and the Ministry of Environment (MoE), launched a comprehensive profile of the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary (PPWS), located in Mondulkiri Province, today at the Ministry of Environment. This 76 pages long profile is a summary of the significant species living within the PPWS and highlighting them with beautiful pictures and also describing the conservation work conducted to preserve the protected area for future generations.

“With this profile we want to promote the importance of the biodiversity resources of Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary to the Cambodian public, especially to young Cambodians, to make them understand the uniqueness of the sanctuary’s values and the urgent need for conservation”, said Chhith Sam Ath, Country Director of WWF-Cambodia.

PPWS hosts an impressive array of wildlife species and rich habitat diversity, including 18 endangered and critically endangered species. Whilst PPWS is an important habitat for wildlife, it is also of great social, economic and cultural importance to the local communities who live there. Those people need the natural resources of the forest that provides much needed income for their livelihoods.

Forests and wildlife in PPWS are under threat due to habitat loss, hunting, poaching and illegal logging. The USAID-SFB project is collaborating with the Ministry of Environment, General Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP) to protect and conserve this landscape.

“We support the work of USAID, WWF-Cambodia, Winrock International and the relevant line departments of the Ministry of Environment who have been working closely together to produce this great piece of work. We hope it can serve to raise awareness on the majesty of the Sanctuary and its importance in the world”, said H. E. Say Samal, Minister of Environment.

PPWS lies between Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) and Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) and covers an area of more than 2,000 km², located within the heart of the Eastern Plains Landscape (EPL). The Eastern Plains Landscape, which straddles two countries, is a vast network of contiguous protected areas and is considered an internationally important area for a large number of globally threatened species.

The launch of the profile is organized by WWF-Cambodia in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, General Department of Administration for the Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP) and the generous funding of the USAID “Supporting Forests and Biodiversity” Project.
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