From loggers to protectors

Community-based ecotourism has become a popular tool for promoting inclusive growth and creating new sources of income for villagers that can also help to protect natural assets such as forests and biodiversity, writes Chea Vannak.

Ecotourism in Cambodia involving communities, with areas of outstanding natural beauty and special interest such as forests, waterfalls, rivers and wildlife as popular travel destinations, has grown rapidly over the past decade. It is a form of ecotourism that does not damage social, environmental and cultural systems of the community.

Chambok commune, located in Phnom Sruoch district, Kampong Speu province is the poster child of community-based ecotourism in the country with its homestay for tourists who want to visit the spectacular, more than 40-metre high, waterfall located in an old-growth forest and visit bat caves in the area. This commune is adjacent to Kirirom National Park, one of the popular national parks in Cambodia, and comprises Krang Chek, Beng, Thmei and Chambok villages. Farmer Hout Khem, in Beng village, is one of those villagers who have opened up their homes to tourists.

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