Hear from community members about the positive impact REDD+ has had on their forests and livelihoods, and what life would have been like without it.
The Keo Seima REDD+ project’s theory of change is built on the understanding that to achieve the project’s goals, it must deliver positive benefits to local communities and Indigenous peoples. A vital component of this approach is the deep connection between the Indigenous Bunong people and the forest, which has thrived for generations under their stewardship. The Bunong people possess a unique and intimate bond with the forest, deeply rooted in their cultural and spiritual beliefs.
“If we lose the forest, we will also lose our traditional beliefs. The existence of the forest and our beliefs are intertwined; the forest’s presence allows our beliefs to persist.” -Ly Sareoun, Indigenous Bunong Community Member
“What I want to share with other young women in my community is to stay motivated and believe in yourselves. Whatever men can do, women can do.” -Yorn Sordet.
KSWS is home to more than 950 wild species, including 75 globally threatened species and plays a vital role in the preservation of the region’s important and vulnerable wildlife, including the world’s largest populations of endemic primates.
At the age of 34, she is the REDD+ Community Chief of the Sre Lvi village and is a role model for young girls in her community.
Phyee Ruonh works tirelessly to improve his community’s livelihood, to protect the spiritual forest and his ancestral land.
Nested between two important ecoregions within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot – the Annamite Mountains evergreen forests, and the lower Mekong dry forests – the 167,000 hectare Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS) is home to more than 950 wild species, including 75 globally threatened species, and is the ancestral home of the indigenous Bunong people. The Project has defended the traditional rights of over 12,000 Indigenous Bunong and Stieng people from 20 villages within the Project Area by helping the indigenous communities to secure the first Indigenous Community Land Title in Cambodia.
Parents living in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary REDD+ Project zone help send their children to school through their involvement in forest protection