Sansom Mlup Prey Cambodia https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia RSS feeds for Sansom Mlup Prey Cambodia 60 https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia/About/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1426/Peter-Olszewski.aspx#Comments 0 https://programs.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=10558&ModuleID=23341&ArticleID=1426 https://programs.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1426&PortalID=145&TabID=10558 Peter Olszewski https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia/About/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1426/Peter-Olszewski.aspx The Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa report that it providedfree diabetes screening for all it employees 25 years old and above, through theCambodian Diabetes Association-Siem Reap, For the ones who unfortunately testedpositive, the association gave them support, advice and directed them totreatment. schiek Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1426 https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia/About/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1420/K-Tom-Farmers-to-Help-Conservation-Biodiversity.aspx#Comments 0 https://programs.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=10558&ModuleID=23341&ArticleID=1420 https://programs.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1420&PortalID=145&TabID=10558 K Tom Farmers to Help Conservation Biodiversity https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia/About/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1420/K-Tom-Farmers-to-Help-Conservation-Biodiversity.aspx A Program offering farmers premium prize for their rice crop in return for helping to protect local wildlife has been extended to a second province, the NGO in charge of the project said Monday. The 10 farmers in Kompong Thom province's  Kompong Veang village who have signed up for the wildlife-Friendly Ibis Rice Project must agree to not hunt wildlife, to limit the areas of wetlands they clear for cultivation and to use only natural fertilizers. As an incentive, they receive training on how to maintain rice quality  and a higher price for the pkah malls, or jasmine, strain than traders offer. The Wildlife Conservation Society, in partner-ship with the Ministry of  Environment and the Forestry Administration, runs the project which has already been implemented successfully in Preah Vihear since 2008, with 86 farm families selling their rice for a premium of 23 percent in December 2009 and January 2010. " The villagers are getting a better price for their rice." Said Karen Nielsen, Enterprise Planning Advisor for WCS in Cambodia, "[and] it brings awareness to the conservation issuers to protected areas" (Lucy Jorndan)  schiek Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:09:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1420 https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia/About/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1419/Phnom-Penh-Life-Bird-Food.aspx#Comments 0 https://programs.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=10558&ModuleID=23341&ArticleID=1419 https://programs.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1419&PortalID=145&TabID=10558 Phnom Penh Life: Bird Food https://programs.wcs.org/smpcambodia/About/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1419/Phnom-Penh-Life-Bird-Food.aspx Birdsbrought her to Cambodia, and a rice project to protect them is making her stay.Meet Karen Nielsen, a birdwatcher by association who is bringing wildlifefriendly rice to the Kingdom. Words by Nora Lindstrom. KARENNIELSEN’S STORY of how she ended up in Cambodia follows the usual path. She andhusband Howie quit their respective accountancy and dentistry jobs in the U.S.,went travelling, and were on a badly timed birdwatching tour in Cambodia. Withno birds to be seen and three weeks left on their visa, they approached theWildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to offer their skills. Though initiallyhesitant, the organisation took them on. Three and a half years later, they arestill here. Karen now works as an enterprise planning advisor for WCS, whileHowie is active training local guides for the Sam Veasna Centre for WildlifeConservation. “I’ve come to wildlife through my husband,” Karen says. “I’vealways done backpacking and hiking and things, but he’s the birder, so byassociation I became a birder.” Initially based in Siem Reap, Karen worked withsetting up WCS’s ecotourism project in Tmat Boey and creating a business planfor the associated Sam Veasna Centre. Located in Kulen Promtep WildlifeSanctuary in Preah Vihear, Tmat Boey is a small village in a remote area. Itssignificance lies in that the area supports globally important breedingpopulations of two critically endangered ibis species, the giant and thewhiteshouldered ibis. The ecotourism project aims to link the demand to see themythical birds with conservation and community development work. For locals inthe area, linking birds with tourism was not immediately obvious when theproject started in 2005. “In that area, when people thought about tourism they thoughtonly about the temples,” Karen says. Over time however, as visits bybird-watchers increased, the villagers have come to take pride in the birds. Thoughtourism activities have brought an income to the area, Karen says that in orderto better protect the birds and their habitat, there is a need to involve morevillages by diversifying the activities on offer. “The problem is that somevillages don’t really have the species that people want to see, so we’re tryingto find a way of getting more of the people in the protected areas involved,”she explains. One such initiative is Ibis Rice. The first step was the developmentof a land-use plan, which delineated wetland areas permitted to be cleared forrice paddies. The target communities also agreed to a no-hunting policy,enforced by a locally elected committee. In return, participants were offered apremium on their rice, which is then processed, packaged and sold under the brandname Ibis Rice. “It’s fair trade with a small ‘f ’,” Karen says. “[The villagers]come up with the price themselves, so I assume it is fair to them,” she adds,noting that this set-up is the complete opposite to the usual practice ofprices being set by the market. Certified by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network,the rice is promoted as contributing to the protection of wildlife in theparticipating villages. “Already we know that the price we pay for the rice is25 percent higher than what they traditionally get,” says Karen. “We know theirincome is going up.” She adds that in a developing country such as Cambodia, financialincentives for conservation are key, as otherwise poverty can make basic needsclash with vital conservation work. Though Karen admits the Ibis Rice projectkeeps her more indoors than out, she continues to share her husband’s passion forwatching the birds she helps to protect. “Other than getting you into veryinteresting and remote places sometimes, you can be in the middle of Phnom Penhand look up to see a falcon or an osprey,” Karen says. Beingout on a dry, hotplain, waiting for birds to appear can sometimes be tiring, but she enjoys thehunt. “One of the funnest trips in Cambodia is going on the river in Kratie tosee the dolphins and then the Mekong wagtail,” she says. Alas, locals showlittle enthusiasm for birding. “It’s something that hasn’t really caught on,and I’m not really sure how you can push that.” Going out with her husband mightbe the answer. “Birding is infectious,” she says. “If young students have someinkling, they should go out with Howie.” After all that is precisely the wayshe got hooked. Ibis Rice is available for purchase at the Food Pantry. Formore information about birdwatching opportunities in Cambodia, visit www.samveasna. org. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:06:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1419