Ecotourism helps stem deforestation; contributes to economic community development

In their bid to save their environment, residents of the Tabous village in the Prah Vihea province have turned to ecotourism to provide an alternative way of making money, as many of the villagers had relied heavily on logging.

Ben Davis, the founder of the BeTreed ecotourism project, said BeTreed is a nature tourism site and that it is run and maintained by environmentalists and the local communities.

It seeks the conservation of wildlife and forests.

Davis leads the residents of the village to protect the surrounding forests and wildlife, as the area now is transformed into an eco-tourist site where local and international tourists come for adventure, surrounded by a beautiful forest and mountain.

This also provides a way whereby villagers can work as tour guides and stop illegally cutting down trees and hunting animals to generate income.