We are dismayed that Mongabay chose to present a misleading picture of the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary REDD+ Project that largely ignores what the project has achieved for local Bunong people.
Although Mongabay reports that “Bunong leaders in Keo Seima were quick to note that investments [from the project] had made meaningful impacts for their communities”, the articles fail to explain how these meaningful impacts have benefitted the 12,000 community members the project serves. Instead, Mongabay seeks to blame the project for the profound challenges rural communities face across Cambodia. In truth, the situation for local people is much improved because of the project’s work.
WCS (who co-manage the project) provided Mongabay with extensive, independently verified data and local context; we encourage everyone to review the full facts and come to their own conclusion.
You will then see why we stand 100% behind WCS and their incredible work in a highly challenging environment.
