Nature & Environment: Suy Senglim, the Cambodian who wanted to save the kingdom's birds

In the early 2000s, Suy Senglim met a French journalist who shared his passion for photography. He decided to put his new hobby to good use and launch a book project on endangered birds in Cambodia.

Since then, Suy has photographed around 100 of the 400 species found in the kingdom. He has also methodically recorded each new species he photographs, noting its common name, scientific name, identifying characteristics, and whether or not it is endangered.

Through this project, the young Cambodian hopes to raise awareness among the population about the real dangers of extinction facing certain species. It was when he saw the loss of habitat for birds in his native region, Mukh Kampul in Kandal province, that the photographer decided to set up this project. But the most important thing for him remains the preservation of birds:

“The biggest problem for birds is the loss of their habitat, with land reclamation for agricultural, economic and industrial purposes, and poaching. In addition, there are a few wealthy Cambodians who like to eat game, and some poachers have no qualms about hunting in reserves and killing protected animals to satisfy this demand.”

“In ancient times, hunting was normal; it was part of Khmer culture, but wild animal populations were much more abundant, more numerous than humans... Unfortunately, today it's the opposite; there are more people than wild animals,” says Suy Senglim.

“Educating Cambodians about the need for conservation is of the utmost importance, and in this area, education is very limited. And in terms of law enforcement, only one institution, WildIlife Alliance, has been able to carry out a series of successful enforcement operations to date, in collaboration with rangers,” says Suy Senglim.

Chhit Sam Ath, executive director of WWF Cambodia, also argues that economic concessions and deforestation are a major cause behind the dramatic decline in the number of trees that naturally serve as habitat for birds:

“We can see that Cambodia has exceptional wildlife, enormous natural resources and forests, and we also know that with the development of plantations and other activities, some of which are carried out without government approval and clandestinely, wildlife as a whole is being seriously affected.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed a few years ago to increase the number of nature reserves and forest rangers to combat poaching and deforestation in the hope that this would reverse the trend. In addition, the government also set up a special task force to crack down on illegal activities in protected areas.