WWF Greater Mekong Cambodia Country Programme Ecotourism feasibility study

Srepok Wilderness Area Project Technical Paper Series No.3

WWF has embarked on a project to develop conservation and~ecotourism initiatives in collaboration with local communities,~with the aim of protecting the landscape and generating new,~alternative jobs for local people to replace hunting and commercial logging that threaten the forest. The Srepok Wilderness Area Project, aims to: "restore the once abundant populations of large mammal species in the Srepok Wilderness Area (SWA) through community based natural resource management and by developing ecotourism as a source of income for local communities". In particular, high-value, low-impact wildlife ecotourism has been identified as a means of securing the future of these species and their ecosystem through generating financing for conservation activities, supporting local livelihoods, and to ensure the financial sustainability of the protected area. This paper looks at the feasibility of community-led tourism in the area and potential approaches towards implementation.