Posted on August, 08 2025

Every morning, long before the sun pierces through the misty canopy of Sambo Wildlife Sanctuary, Veas Ran sets out with a hammock, a packed lunch from his wife and a mission – one that has quietly changed the fate of endangered birds and the heart of a community. 

Veas Ran, a 32-year-old father of two daughters, is a member of the Bunong ethnic minority group in Ou Kok village, Kratie province. Like many in his community, Ran grew up farming, selling household goods and relying on the forest for survival. But 13 years ago, he answered a call that would reshape his life. 

“I heard an announcement in the village,” he recalls. “WWF-Cambodia was looking for people to guard bird nests. I had never thought of myself as someone who could protect wildlife, but the job was close to home, and the forest has always been part of my life.” 

Read the rest of this story to learn about the impact of WWF-Cambodia’s SCALE-UP II project by downloading the PDF below.