What you see is what you payProfiting from eco-tourism in Cambodia

Ross Sinclair

Wildlife Conservation Society

Cambodia Program

• Good story…

• About a solution…

• With a happy ending…

• And more to come!

• Making Tourism Work for PA’s

& Sustainable Development!

CambodiaNorthern Plains landscape

(>1 million hectares)

Cambodia

SE Asia

• Large expanse dry deciduous forest in northern plains

• Globally significant populations 25 threatened species

• Two Protected Areas – authorities limited resources

What we had in Cambodia

• Poor rural communities (unclear tenure/user rights)

• Clearance by communities widespread & unplanned

• Hunting threatened species consumption & sale

What we had in Cambodia

• Protected Areas at threat from agricultural concessions

What we had in Cambodia

2008 2012

• Populations of endangered species in decline

What we had in Cambodia

• People who cared/mandated protect – WCS, Government

• Massive tourist market – Angkor Wot, 4.5 million visitors

What we had in Cambodia

• Opportunity for Making Tourism Work for PA’s & Sustainable Development

What we had in Cambodia

• Park, people & NGO - clearly articulated & agreed process to address issues

• Land tenure &/or user rights secured for communities

– Participatory land-use plan that are official government documents

• Focus on additional Income for communities

– Conservation enterprises: eco-tourism and Wildlife FriendlyTM Ibis Rice

• Robust social institutions to manage activities & decision-making

What we did in Cambodia

• Dedicated organization for eco-tourism

• Focused a segment of market – bird watchers

– Now expanded to ‘nature lovers’

• Partnerships with business – tour companies

• Focus on service

– English speaking guides, great lodges, etc.

The business model

• Focus adding value in community

– run guesthouses, guides, service staff, etc.

• Add-ons to capture more tourist $$– donate to nest protection, etc.

• Payments - $30/tourist ONLY if see birds

• Community funds are discretionary

– strengthens committee

The business model

• Populations endangered species increasing

• Nest protection scheme - > 90% success rates

What we found in Cambodia

• Rates of deforestation declined

• Hunting of threatened species greatly reduced

Giant Ibis

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50

100

150

200

250

300

Def

ore

stat

ion

Rat

e (

ha/

year

)

Payment villages Inside PAs Outside PAs

Deforestation rates remain low in villages with Payments

2005: Protected Area started

• PA’s reduce deforestation rates

• Payments reduce deforestation rates further

What we found in Cambodia

• $30/tourist = $2,000-$4,000 (max $15,000) per village

• Employment: average $160 / year

• ~30% households benefit - employment or selling services/products

• All households benefit from social institutions & agreements

What we found in Cambodia

What we found in Cambodia

• Household & community income increased sufficiently to change behavior & generate conservation outcomes

• Households in scheme wealthier at faster rates than outside

BiodiversityPayments

AgriPayments Ecotourism

Paymentprogram

Series1 -0.19956029 0.75201459 0.71430678

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-1.5

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Chan

geinHouseholdW

ealthStatus

• Household & community inside

wealthier faster than those outside

What we found in Cambodia

Households are wealthier

Households are poorer

• Business is profitable (Cambodian)

• USD$135,000 profit last year

• USD$150,000 investment back into conservation this year

What we found in Cambodia

• Communities now patrol their Community Protected Areas

– in coordination with park authorities

• Park is now seen as a model for Cambodia

• Value of the park has been demonstrated to higher levels of government

• Political and bureaucratic support for the park is now high

What we found in Cambodia

What happened in Cambodia

Cancelled land concessions

Concessions

ProjectNo project

Conservation

• Existing tourist infrastructure & tourists

• A product (wildlife!) people will pay to see

• Direct links conservation (wildlife) to incentive ($)

• Social institutions capable of change behavior

• Generate enough $ to change behavior

What we learned in Cambodia‘Critical success factors’

• Continue to grow the sector, business & impact

• Tourism projections of 20 million into Cambodia by 2020

• Fastest growing sector in tourism

• Opportunities for impact investing

• Scalable in terms visits and sites

• New guesthouses & infrastructure

• Adding value – merchandising, etc.

Next steps in Cambodia

Bird-Watchers

Wildlife

Village

Attracts

Only pay if see wildlife

No Hunting Land-use Plan

No illegal cutting

The ‘Critical success factor’:What you see is what you pay

Acknowledgement• Johnny Orn & team - Sam Veasna Centre

• Tom Clements, Ashish John & team – WCS

• Ea Skoha & team – Min. of Environment

• Tan Setha & team – Forestry Admin.