Raise Awareness to Protect Wildlife in Cambodia

Last month, the Kouprey Express Mobile Environmental Education Unit provided flipchart training to ten teachers at Prek Smach primary school. The training gave the teachers the skills to better understand environmental issues in order to integrate the curriculum into future classes. Over the course of three days, the teachers learned about weather systems, sanitation and waste management, water, energy, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood strategies. The training also provided the teachers with fun and interactive lessons to better engage their students. Afterwards, the Kouprey Express team demonstrated how to present these conservation lessons by teaching the students at the school. Developing teacher capacity is critical for the long-term success of our education initiatives, and helps integrate environmental concepts into core classroom lessons.

This was an especially important visit because this is a new village. The residents previously lived in Botum Sakor, but were evicted from their land by a Chinese company that was granted a concession to develop the peninsula. The villagers, who were previously fisherman, were relocated to the forest where they have no work opportunities or skills to survive without the ability to fish. Many have resorted to hunting and logging in order to survive. They acknowledge that what they are doing is illegal and that they do not want to engage in destructive practices but they have no alternative. This is symbolic of the situation in many rural areas, and one of the numerous reasons why the Kouprey Express’s outreach and support is needed.

Help the Kouprey Express increase awareness and combat wildlife trafficking and deforestation by making a gift today.