Ministry of Environment plans Bokor eco-tourism

Ministry of Environment plans Bokor eco-tourism

The Ministry of Environment on Monday has approved five small-scale eco-tourism development plans in Preah Monivong Bokor National Park. These new eco-tourism projects in Kampot province’s Prek Tnort commune will create more employment opportunities for the local population, offering sustainable livelihoods and improving the local economies.

Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra told Khmer Times yesterday that these five small-scale projects are part of a total of 40 ecotourism projects planned for the Preah Monivong Bokor Park that have been provisionally approved by the government to develop the park’s small eco-tourism sector.

He added that the plans for these projects covered 10 hectares of land and companies interested to develop these areas must submit their master plans, detailing how they intend to carry out their developments to ensure that they minimise any impacts to the environment or conservation efforts in the area.

“Their master plans must apply the principles of environmental stewardship set by the ministry. They must have clear plans to manage both solid waste and liquid waste in the projects’ planned areas, and must ensure that there are no negative effects to the unique environment in the national park,” said Pheaktra.

He added that any structures in the master plans must follow environment-friendly (eco-friendly) design and construction methods, both to promote the potential of the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park and conserve the natural resources.

He said that the ministry will not allow them to construct modern architecture that is not appropriate for an eco-tourism site.

“These small-scale ecotourism investment projects will contribute to creating more tourism potential and will give us more options to create jobs and improve the livelihoods of people around the area. For example, they can sell their own products as souvenirs,” said Pheaktra.

He added that ecotourism is an important part of Cambodia’s tourism sector and that it can be established within well-protected nature reserves and conservation areas. It plays a particularly important role in promoting domestic tourism during the Covid-19 outbreak.

He also said that in recent times, Cambodians have travelled a lot to eco-tourism sites in other provinces in the country during their holidays, which made a strong economic contribution to local families.

He added that the eco-tourism industry also contributes to the protection and conservation of natural resources in the area.

He noted that Khmers place great value on the natural tourism locations in the country and they are proud of Cambodia’s natural resources.

Pheaktra said that photographs of the beautiful landscapes of these areas are widely shared and admired through social media, which has been a valuable tool in cultivating people’s love of the natural environments with which Cambodia is blessed. Phnom Penh Post