Raise Awareness to Protect Wildlife in Cambodia

I think we can all agree about what a long, strange trip it has been this year! In these tough times it is important to find blessings where you can, and despite incredible difficulties the Kouprey Express (KE) team faced we definitely found some silver linings. As described in our previous report, in May the KE developed a new strategy to bring environmental education to the masses in light of school closures and ban on events and public gatherings – by bringing the message directly to their homes. This tactic continues to be extremely well received and much more impactful, particularly in reaching adults. We have streamlined it into KE’s core programming, especially because COVID-19 will continue for the foreseeable future. In Cambodia, even after initial reopening of schools in October/November, recent outbreaks have caused two subsequent bouts of school shutdowns and event bans.

This quarter was a busy one for the KE. Since October 1, we have reached 5,222 people (4,777 youth and 445 adults, over 50% of whom are female) in the provinces of Kandal, Kompong Speu, Siem Reap, Koh Kong, and Mondulkiri, as well as the capital of Phnom Penh. We also distributed 11,445 wildlife notebooks, pens, t-shirts, and backpacks and 9,475 wildlife rescue hotline stickers and posters.

The door-to-door approach allows us a unique insight into people’s lives that we would not normally get through our school lessons and large-scale events. It also creates a much more personal connection and deeper understanding of just how personal environmental protection really is. This sentiment was echoed by Mr. Sang Sienghai, the village chief of Trapieng Cheutrav village in Kampong Speu province. According to Mr. Sang, “it is really fantastic to have the team come bring awareness and education on wildlife and forest conservation to the people in our village here. This way they will have an understanding that wildlife is not for us to kill, or to hunt, or to keep as pets. Wildlife and forests are so important for Cambodia because they can attract tourists to help rural communities earn an honest income, and forests are vital for our health to absorb CO2 and help balance the climate”.

The KE looks forward to continuing our outreach efforts, both for wildlife protection and human health, in 2021.