Mondulkiri Protected Forest, Cambodia

Participatory 3D Model of the Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia

This 1:15,000 horizontal scale (2x vertical exaggeration) 3D model of Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia was completed in June 2006. The model covering a total area of 4,800 sq km was built to as part of a capacity building exercise.

Depicted data reflect the cognitive maps of community representatives from the villages around the two protected areas, community rangers and police working for the two PAs, provincial and national staff of the Forestry Administration and Ministry of Environment, NGOs.

The Eastern Plains has high potential for sustainable wildlife tourism. Due to the intact nature of the Dry Forest habitat, WWF, in partnership with Cambodia’s Forestry Administration, has recently initiated a pilot project that aims to develop wildlife tourism similar to the safari-style tourism in parts of Africa. Income generated from the project will pay for ongoing conservation initiatives, as well as provide income for local communities and the government.

The two protected areas — Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary and Mondulkiri Protected Forest — form part of one of the largest complexes of connected protected areas in Southeast Asia, covering more than one million hectares in a region referred to as the Eastern Plains.

Recommended Reading:

Kirsten Ewers Andersen. 2011. Communal Tenure and The Governance of Common Property Resources in Asia: Lessons from Experiences In Selected Countries, Land Tenure Working Paper 20, FAO, April 2011

Maling A. 2006. Mapping the Forest in three Dimensions; the WWF Cambodia Newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 2, Page 3; April-June 2006

Maryann Greig-Gran, James MacGregor and Nick Cox. 2007. Sustainable tourism supporting species conservation in the Srepok Wilderness, Cambodia. Newsletter of the UK Darwin Initiative, Issue 10, December 2007, page 10

_______ 2008. Management of Mondulkiri Protected Forest by Forestry Administration, WWF