The Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS) REDD+ Project partners with local communities through initiatives like Cash for Communities (C4C), providing direct financial support for projects like cow-raising, chicken rearing, and aquaculture. This approach fosters economic growth and natural resource conservation, contributing to deforestation mitigation.
Spotlight Summary Free, Prior and Informed Consent The Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process has been pivotal to the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary REDD+ (KSWS) Project, laying the groundwork for community consent, participation and ownership at the project’s onset. As the initiative evolved, FPIC’s principles—transparency, respect, and mutual understanding—became integral to the project’s operations, […]
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.