People living in both of these areas value the support they receive to develop their capacity to manage and preserve their natural resources. Methods to monitor and track animal species are common, as are many of the challenges – from the ‘man-made’ deforestation, the trapping of wildlife, and illegal use of fishing equipment, to the global effects of climate change: droughts, floods and wildfire also constitute a challenge to biodiversity and reduce the access people have to the natural resources they rely so heavily on.

For these reasons, WWF-Cambodia is also working with the public and private sector, building partnerships showing that development can be positive – lifting people out of poverty without damaging natural resources. For instance, while empowering communities to use natural resources sustainably, WWF-Cambodia has also engaged with giant retail chains such as H&M on subjects includ- ing renewable energy and energy efficiency. The intro- duction of the AI app, which can identify wood species, ensures that the H&M Group source their power genera- tion from renewables such as mangoes and cashew, which are far less likely than precious timber resources to contribute to deforestation.

Other examples include WWF-Cambodia support for stronger supply chains that can, for instance, supply bamboo and rattan to huge companies like IKEA from sustainable crops. Such supply chains – which also include rubber – provide much-needed income for farmers who now have access to international markets, while causing very minimal damage to the environment.