With the support of the government, the Ministry of Environment has been engaged in creating occupational options for people in community protected areas.
This will encourage them to participate in the preservation of their traditions and customs – and the establishment of eco-tourism to boost local economies – in addition to relying on natural resources
Ministry secretary of state Mom Thany made the remarks while presiding over the October 14 opening of a training session for members of a protected area community in Kampong Thom province as veterinary agents.
“This project is run through the ministry, in collaboration with several relevant institutions, to increase the occupations available in the area. This will help community protected areas to prosper,” she added.
She said there are 190 community protected areas, 17 of which are located in Kampong Thom, in which indigenous people live.
Seng Sot, deputy head of the ministry’s general department of local communities, said that through the project, members of Kampong Thom’s protected area communities had selected nine occupations to improve their livelihoods. These occupations included agricultural development, such as animal husbandry, cultivation, and veterinarian skills.
“The community exhibition project is a support mechanism which will help develop the capacity of the people living in and nearby protected areas through training in new skills. These skills meet market needs, establish close relations between communities and development partners, encouraging cooperation, entrepreneurship and greater achievements,” he added.
Chan Dara, deputy governor of Kampong Thom province, said that the training was part of the government’s response to its strategic goal of improving the daily life of local communities, fostering national economic growth and creating jobs at the grassroots level.
He added that the project was crucial to helping the people who live in and nearby protected areas to join the ministry in protecting and preserve natural resources and their cultural heritage.
