A bold new chapter in Cambodia’s environmental recovery is unfolding in Mondulkiri province.
Restoring degraded landscapes
Under a comprehensive strategic plan launched in 2024, WWF-Cambodia is leading an ambitious reforestation drive across the province’s eastern plateau, restoring degraded landscapes and bolstering natural resilience.
According to the latest update from WWF-Cambodia, the organization has already planted 4,736 trees—including 514 newly raised seedlings—across 47 hectares spanning three natural protected area communities. Among the species chosen is Syzygium cumini, an evergreen tropical tree widely known as Malabar plum, Java plum, or jamun. Valued for its fruit, timber, and ornamental appeal, this drought-resistant species plays a crucial role in enhancing climate resilience and revitalizing the forest ecosystem.
The restoration plan, developed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and provincial environmental departments, aims not only to rehabilitate critical forest areas but also to strengthen local biodiversity and support sustainable community livelihoods.
“Our goal is to re-establish a thriving forest landscape that serves as a natural defense against climate change, while providing essential ecosystem services to local communities,” a WWF-Cambodia spokesperson explained.
This strategic initiative marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s efforts to combat deforestation and environmental degradation, paving the way for a greener, more sustainable future in one of the country’s most vital ecological regions.
Mondulkiri to host second of Cambodia's largest tree nurseries
Cambodia's second regional tree nursery, with a production capacity of more than one million seedlings per year, will be established in Mondulkiri province.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the nursery, initiated by Minister H.E. Dr Eang Sophalleth, will be located in O' Rana village, Sre Khtum commune, Keo Seima district in the northeastern province.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the nursery was presided over by the minister on 9 February, following the first nursery in Thbong Khmum province in September 2024.
The ministry plans to establish five such nurseries across Cambodia, with the other three in Siem Reap, Kampong Speu and Koh Kong provinces, to increase Cambodia's forest cover by 60 percent and make the country carbon neutral by 2050, said H.E. Dr Eang Sophalleth.
The effort is in line with the Royal Government's Environmental Chakra Strategy 2023-2028 to ensure the protection, conservation and preservation of the country's natural resources.
Cambodia currently has 73 protected areas covering more than 7 million hectares, or 40 per cent of the country's total land area.
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