Vote Cambodia! Help save precious wetlands
The chance to help Cambodia’s endangered wetlands is open to a public vote.
In just 15 years, half of Cambodia’s wetlands have disappeared. Bergans of Norway has kindly nominated WWT’s project to save two of the last natural seasonal wetlands in the Mekong delta for funding from the European Outdoor Conservation Association.
Voting is open until noon on 22 October and WWT is urging all supporters to click on the link and vote for Restoring the Wetlands of the Lower Mekong Delta in the Ecotourism category and then spread the word.
WWT’s Head of Conservation and Development, Tomos Avent said:
Cambodia’s remaining wetlands are among the world’s most valuable ecosystems, supporting a wealth of wildlife and providing food, water and livelihoods to local people.
Each year they’re visited by flocks of the world’s tallest flying bird – the sarus crane – that gather to feed on the local wetland plants after spending the breeding season in northern Cambodia.
Sadly, this regional population of sarus crane is at real risk of extinction, and the natural resources available to local people are less secure than ever. So we at WWT are working with the local villagers to restore 200 hectares of degraded wetland and promote the value of healthy wetlands to over 1,000 local adults and schoolchildren through education and awareness events.
We’re also providing practical support to transition to more profitable sustainable livelihoods. Part of this will be through a growing community-led ecotourism initiative at Anlung Pring, creating opportunities for local people to generate incomes by providing tours, homestays, local food, and traditional Cambodian cultural experiences. This makes the benefits of life around healthy wetlands with thriving populations of the enigmatic sarus crane even more tangible.
