Almost 6000 hectares as multi use area in Cambodia

The Government of Cambodia, at the request of the Ministry of Environment, dated November 28, has issued two sub-decrees on the establishment of the "Lion Pillar" and "Neang Kangrei Mountain - Touk Meas Mountain", a multi-use area of nearly 6,000 hectares (5,902) under the control of the Ministry of Environment.

Many areas of use "Neang Kangrei-Touk Meas Mountain" covers an area of 5063 hectares in the commune of Traengil Commune, Pou Khum Commune, Chrornouk Commune, Dar Commune, Svay Rompea Commune, Kampong Leng District, Kampong Chhnang Province. Particularly, multi-use area of Lion Pillar has its total land 839 hectares at Sambor district, Kratie.

These two multiple use areas’s aims are (1)- to ensure maintenance of habitats and stabilize ecosystems of natural environment include wildlife and plants (2)- environmental protection and conservation of natural resources and contribute to reducing climate change and natural disaster risk (3)- to encourage the participation of the local community as well as those involved in the protection and conservation and sustainable use of natural resources (4)- to increase the role ecosystems protected areas for the benefit of society and (5)- generation of natural products and services for the needs of the community.

Sub-Decree with the signature of Samdech Techo Hun Sen emphasized that the Ministry of Environtment competent to organize and manage these two multi use areas in collaboration with relevant ministries and institutions competent provincial administration and the armed forces to ensure environmental protection, the conservation of ecosystems, biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Read More

Chreav Waterfalls (small but potential for local people)

Kompong Speu is home of tourist destinations in Cambodia. Located at the west of Phnom Penh, it is rich in natural beauty such as Aoral (the highest mountain in the kingdom), Kirirom national park the largest pine forest, Chambok waterfall the community based tourism, Te Tik Pos the natural phenomenon to the villagers, Chreav waterfall the famous hotspot for national tourists.

Jump in Rock-Bowl

Travel around 115 Km north-eastern the capital you can escape the noisy city and breath-in fresh air as well as enjoy swimming in the rock-bowl produced by waterfalls. In addition to its beauty, I bet, you could feel amaze with the sceneries of lakes, rice field and villagers’ houses. All of those are the evidences of people lives who are not yet run into any industrial revolutions as we are currently in the fourth of the revolution. These are the materials of the Kingdom of Wonder.

Cloudy Day at Chreav Waterfall

Read More

Protected areas

Protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation.

They are the cornerstones of virtually all national and

international conservation strategies, set aside to maintain

functioning natural ecosystems, to act as refuges for species

and to maintain ecological processes that cannot survive in

most intensely managed landscapes and seascapes. Protected

areas act as benchmarks against which we understand human

interactions with the natural world. Today they are often the

only hope we have of stopping many threatened or endemic

species from becoming extinct. They are complementary

to measures to achieve conservation and sustainable use of

biodiversity outside protected areas in accordance with CBD

guidelines such as the Malawi and Addis Ababa Principles

(CBD VII/11–12). Most protected areas exist in natural or

near-natural ecosystems, or are being restored to such a state,

although there are exceptions. Many contain major features of

earth history and earth processes while others document the

subtle interplay between human activity and nature in cultural

landscapes. Larger and more natural protected areas also

provide space for evolution and future ecological adaptation

and restoration, both increasingly important under conditions

of rapid climate change.

Protection Areas (Cambodia)

Such places also have direct human benefits. People – both

those living in or near protected areas and others from further

away – gain from the opportunities for recreation and renewal

available in national parks and wilderness areas, from the

genetic potential of wild species, and the environmental services

provided by natural ecosystems, such as provision of water.

Many protected areas are also essential for vulnerable human

societies and conserve places of value such as sacred natural sites.

Although many protected areas are set up by governments, others

are increasingly established by local communities, indigenous

peoples, environmental charities, private individuals, companies

and others.

There is a huge and growing interest in the natural world,

and protected areas provide us with opportunities to interact

with nature in a way that is increasingly difficult elsewhere.

They give us space that is otherwise lacking in an increasingly

managed and crowded planet.

Protected areas also represent a commitment to future

generations. Most people also believe that we have an ethical

obligation to prevent species loss due to our own actions and

this is supported by the teachings of the large majority of the

world’s religious faiths (Dudley et al., 2006). Protecting iconic

landscapes and seascapes is seen as being important from

a wider cultural perspective as well, and flagship protected

source: IUCN

Read More

Cambodia's Ecotourism Policy seeking for final draft

The final draft of eco-tourism policy will be completed by August. When the second national forum on National Resources Preservation and Protection is held. Ministry of Environment's spokesman SAO Sopheap said the two ministers met for the first time in July to discuss the policy  which was initiated by ministry of tourism and was designed to promote eco-tourism in Cambodia.

Chi Phat ecotourism community

He said that Cambodia's 7.5 million hectares of protected areas represent a "great potential for ecotourism", which will help Cambodia diversify its tourist destinations for both national and international visitors, as it contributes to the conservation and protection of natural resources, as well as to promote local economy and national economy.

Leaders from the two ministries suggested establishing a joint working group to review the development of the entire Eco tourism in Cambodia, the spokesman said.

His Excellency TITH Chantha, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Tourism, did not respond to a request for comment. The draft is not yet public until the final draft is finalized. The policy on the latest tourist attraction will submit to Prime Minister Hun Sen and announced in an environmental forum scheduled for August.

Read More

Asthma attacks reduced in tree-lined urban neighborhoods

People living in polluted urban areas are far less likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma (ជំងឺហឺត) when there are lots of trees in their neighbourhood, a study by the University of Exeter's medical school has found.

The study into the impact of urban greenery on asthma suggests that respiratory health can be improved by the expansion of tree cover in very polluted urban neighbourhoods.
The study, published in the journal Environment International, looked at more than 650,000 serious asthma attacks over a 15 year period. Emergency hospitalisations were compared across 26,000 urban neighbourhoods in England.
In the most polluted urban areas, trees had a particularly strong association with fewer emergency asthma cases. In relatively unpolluted urban neighbourhoods trees did not have the same impact.
In a typical urban area with a high level of background air pollution -- for example, around 15 micrograms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) per cubic metre, or a nitrogen dioxide concentration around 33 micrograms per cubic metre -- an extra 300 trees per square kilometre was associated with around 50 fewer emergency asthma cases per 100,000 residents over the 15 year study period.
The findings could have important implications for planning and public health policy, and suggest that tree planting could play a role in reducing the effects of air pollution from cars.
Over 5.4 million people receive treatment for asthma in the UK with an annual cost to the NHS of around £1 billion. 18 per cent of adults report asthma in the previous 12 months, and a quarter of 13-14 year olds report symptoms. Asthma causes over a thousand deaths a year.
The study led by Dr Ian Alcock, research fellow at the University of Exeter's Medical School, found that trees and green space were both related to a decrease in people admitted to hospital with asthma.
Dr Alcock said:
"We wanted to clarify how urban vegetation may be related to respiratory health. We know that trees remove the air pollutants which can bring on asthma attacks, but in some situations they can also cause localised build-ups of particulates by preventing their dispersion by wind. And vegetation can also produce allergenic pollen which exacerbates asthma.
We found that on balance, urban vegetation appears to do significantly more good than harm. However, effects were not equal everywhere. Greenspace and gardens were associated with reductions in asthma hospitalisation at lower pollutant levels, but not in the most polluted urban areas. With trees it was the other way round. It may be that grass pollens become more allergenic when combined with air pollutants so that the benefits of greenspace diminish as pollution increases. In contrast, trees can effectively remove pollutants from the air, and this may explain why they appear to be most beneficial where concentrations are high."
Co-author Dr Rachel McInnes, Senior Climate Impacts Scientist at the Met Office, added: "This finding that the effects of different types of vegetation -- green space and gardens, and tree cover -- differ at both very high and very low air pollution levels is particularly relevant for public health and urban planning policies. We also know that the interaction between pollen and air pollution, and the effect on health and asthma is highly complex and this study confirms that more research is required in this area. Large collaborative research projects, like this from the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health are a very effective way to carry out this type of cross-disciplinary work."

source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/

Read More

Transforming greenhouse gases: New 'supercatalyst' to recycle carbon dioxide and methane

Air pollution from industry. Scientists have developed an advanced nickel-based catalyst strengthened with tin and ceria, and used it to transform CO2 and CH4 into a synthesis gas that can be used to produce fuels and a range of valuable chemicals.

In a study published by the Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, scientists have described how they created an advanced nickel-based catalyst strengthened with tin and ceria, and used it to transform CO₂ and CH₄ into a synthesis gas that can be used to produce fuels and a range of valuable chemicals.
The project is part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Global Research Project, which is looking into ways to lessen the impact of global warming in Latin America. The study has led the University of Surrey to file a patent for a family of new "supercatalysts" for chemical CO₂ recycling.
According to the Global Carbon Project, global CO₂ emissions are set to rise in 2017 for the first time in four years -- with carbon output growing on average three per cent every year since 2006.
While carbon capture technology is common, it can be expensive and, in most cases, requires extreme and precise conditions for the process to be successful. It is hoped the new catalyst will help make the technology more widely available across industry, and both easier and cheaper for it to be extracted from the atmosphere.
Dr Tomas R. Reina from the University of Surrey said: "This is an extremely exciting project and we believe we have achieved something here that can make a real impact on CO₂ emissions.
"The goal we're all chasing as climate scientists is a way of reversing the impacts of harmful gases on our atmosphere -- this technology, which could see those harmful gases not only removed but converted into renewable fuels for use in poorer countries is the Holy Grail of climate science."
Professor Harvey Arellano-Garcia, Head of Research in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Surrey, said: "Utilising CO₂ in this way is a viable alternative to traditional carbon capture methods, which could make a sizable impact to the health of our planet.
"We're now seeking the right partners from industry to take this technology and turn it into a world-changing process."

source:https://www.sciencedaily.com

Read More

'Keep it local' approach more effective than government schemes at protecting rainforest

Conservation initiatives led by local and indigenous groups can be just as effective as schemes led by government, according to new research. In some cases in the Amazon rainforest, grassroots initiatives can be even more effective at protecting this vital ecosystem. This is particularly important due to widespread political resistance to hand over control over forests and other natural resources to local communities.

Read More

ARENG Valley, The virgin rainforest

Tune to 16 years ago, I was a teenager in high school, grade 11. I like football and often spent time with it. Beside this outdoor sport, I found myself was interesting in hiking, I felt in love with nature, especially mountains and forest. At that time, there were almost no activities related with hiking or camping, therefore that kind of entertainment remained in dream for youngsters like me as well as others who had the same thought.

  Central Cardamom Mountains.

In Cambodia adventure activities grew dramatically since last year. Now camping or hiking activities are widely spread among young adults. It can be clearly seen in some universities. They encourage their students to join these activities. Furthermore, some private companies or NGOs organize camping tour as inducement for their staffs during holiday. Not only for those big groups but also small groups who share the same desire often arrange event by themselves. My gang is one of that small groups.

We will share our moments of Areng Valley adventure which is absolutely stunning when talking about ecotourism. Saturday June 17 2017 around 8:00 O’clock in the morning, we departed from the Phnom Penh. The trip took for 2 hours before we arrived Pich Nil. Generally, it is one of most famous sacred place where everyone always pray for their safety travel when they pass by this area. Lok Yeay Mao (Granny Mao) is believed to be a holy spirit who controls and protect the coastal and mountainous area in Cambodia. Usually, prayers use a bunch of banana with incense sticks to show their loyalty to Lok Yeay Mao. But for some people they only pray in their mind, when they passed by. Located on a half way between Phnom Penh and Sihanouk province, it offers a variety of foods and drink to refill your energy. Over there, we were not only entreated for her blessing but also, grabbed a cup of coffee each and continue our journey at 9:20 AM.

A man in sunglasses is gangs leader was waiting for a coffee.

On a Landcruiser old enough to be mid-classic, with music and cold beers (normally, we bring all those stuffs along) to kill time before we arrived Areng community. On national road N⁰.48, we reached Veal Pi around 1:10 PM where we had lunch (Koh Kong style foods called KENG= ឆាកែង). It was a good deal and delicious, cost us only 38,000 Riel for six people. This place is the turning point between Khemara Phoumin city and Thmor Bang district, Koh Kong province as well as lead us to Areng valley.

 A sexy man was waiting for lunch at Veal Pi.

After lunch, we headed east from highway and moved toward the jungle. On a 54 Km unsealed formed road with the small of beautiful nature we could not run fast. We spent approximately 40 minutes to reach Areng community, home to indigenous Chong people.

 Areng community member's introducing Areng's hotspots.

Car stopped right in front of Areng community office. My friends roughly, grabbed their camera and took photos at the community gate to indicate that we’ve been there. Instead of photo taking, I was running to the office listening to the community staffs described briefly about all interesting places in Areng valley. All those places we need to spend two weeks at lease to see all beautiful features of central Cardamom mountains, said a staff. Due to time limit, we only asked for camping ground, where is Chhay Ta Hing was recommended. Immediately, we moved អា សំណព្វ to Chhay Ta Hing where we camped and had our dinner as well as cool beer (crucial drink that never left behind). Not far from the village, we heard the beautiful sound of river hopping the rocks, smelled the combination of nature from stinky swamp to freshness, we felt so relaxing.

Only 5 Km from the village, we arrived Chhay Ta Hing. Overthere, we setup our tents, prepared food s for dinner and beer. We all have fell in love with the river, so we jumped in with a beer each. The water was petty cool that we can see each other’s bodies were shaking.

We enjoyed the night unforgettably.

 

 

 

Read More