By: HIM Sokunthea
Economics Today Magazine
In biological term, Cambodia is one of the richest countries in the world.
The kingdom boasts a dizzying diversity of flora and fauna, with more than 1,000 species of fish and approximately 11 million ha of forest cover. Natural resources are the mainstay of Cambodia’s economy: more than 80 percent of Cambodians depend directly on natural resources for subsistence and income. However, development and a rapidly growing population are increasing pressure on biodiversity and the environment; Camnbodia risks losing much of this natural wealth to the detriment of present and future generations.
It may sound batty, but the future of Cambodia’s biological wealth may well be in the hands of people like Va Vuthy, a master Biodiversity Conservation graduate. He said that a course in Environmental Science at the Royal University of Phnom Penh sparked an interest in the natural world, a passion that grew as he engaged in environmental activities in locations across Cambodia.
The understudied area of the order Chiroptera – bats to the layman – were the subject of Va Vuthy’s special thesis project, and the dismissive attitude on many to this undervalued creature can get him in a flap. He said that bats provide multiple benefits to the environment, although “bat study is a blank page in Cambodia.”
“Bat dropping area are a good fertilizer, that eat other insects which cause trouble to people, they can pollinate flowers and plants,” he said, listing some of the benefits of bat populations. “If there are no more bats, it could cause many trouble for many people,” he warned, nothing that bats are instrumental in pollinating durian trees, the fruit of which is a major cash crop in Cambodia.
Bat usually live in remote areas in Cambodia, Saveng said. In his thesis, he examines 44 populations of bats samples. “I have been to Steng Treng province, Pursat province and in a National Park in Thailand. It was quite hard working with bats because I had to go to remote places, particularly n the forest. I had to work at night time since bats are only active nocturnally,” he said.
The Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary in Pusat and another in the Seima Biodiversity Conservation area in Mondulkiri provided useful data, Va Vuthy Said. Still, a lack of clear information and he conditions unforgiving wilderness made for major difficulties during his studies, though Va Vuthy said he was happy to be adding to a body of knowledge that is far from comprehensive.
Another recent addition to the kingdom’s eco-warriors is 28 year-old It Saveng, a recent master’s graduate in Biodiversity Conservation now working as the Curator of Natural History Museum at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. With his inborn-interest in natural environment and wildlife and the outlook of job market available, Saveng said he decided to pursue master degree in Biodiversity Conservation, a course which only began to be offered in 2006.
It Saveng said he hoped that going against the flow of degrees in management and accounting would pay off. “It is a new subject so I think the job market will become broader,” he told Economcis Today. However, he added that conservation is a tough topic, especially as the course demands fluency in foreign languages and incorporates complex concepts. Appearently, 90 percent of lecturers are foreign, and internet access is needed for research.
It Saveng admitted that Cambodia lacks equipment and research about wildlife. “We need to take from abroad when he want to do any project about the species in Cambodia. So usually it takes a long time and a lot of effort when we plan to do any project.
Conservation in Cambodia is still a problem, with areas of virgin forest still being encroached upon. Some species are critically endangered.
Saveng was concerned that biodiversity is under threat because of lax law enforcement, and many Cambodian’s are unaware of the benefits of biodiversity. Hunting is still a livelihood in some area.
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