Cambodia Protected Area Alerts System
Cambodia Protected Area Alerts System monitors near real-time forest changes and external threats including deforestation, forest fires and floods within the PreyLang Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area in Cambodia. is a key component of the Protected Area Monitoring Platform, launched recently by Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment, which integrates ground-based and remotely sensed data to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement and conservation activities.
Application Purpose
Cambodia’s protected areas contribute to the country’s economy through the sustainable use of its biological and natural resources. However, this network of protected areas is under threat. In recent years, there has been accelerated deforestation due to the rapid increase in demand for agricultural land, fuel wood, and non-timber forest products. Additionally, hydropower, urban and industrial development have exerted great pressure on these protected ecosystems. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Cambodia, through technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is developing the Cambodia Environment Management Information System (CEMIS) to collect, store, integrate, display, and share environmental data including historical and near real-time data from the Cambodian protected areas system. The near real-time forest monitoring provided by this service will enable the MOE, Provincial Department of Environment (PDoE), civil society and the private sector to take immediate action to protect and ensure effective management of Cambodia’s protected areas.
Application Uses
Cambodia Protected Area Alerts System empowers forest officials, civil society and the private sector to make data-driven decisions to promote forest conservation. This tool enables them to prioritize scarce resources for more efficient patrol planning and better protection of around 0.5 million-hectares Prey Lang protected area. It can be replicated for other USAID Missions as well as other development partners