UNESCO and Ministry of Environment discuss cooperation on the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, and promoting Natural Heritage in Cambodia

On 4th February 2021, Minister of Environment, H.E. Say Samal, and UNESCO Representative to Cambodia, Mr. Sardar Umar Alam, met to discuss cooperation on the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, and on-going efforts for promoting natural heritage in Cambodia.

Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in South-East Asia, was enlisted as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997, and enforced through Royal Decree of the Royal Government of Cambodia in 2001. Biosphere Reserves aim to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments, as part of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, an intergovernmental scientific initiative.

H.E. Say Samal appreciated UNESCO’s on-going efforts to strengthen cooperation for conservation and sustainable development of the Tonle Sap. UNESCO and the Ministry of Environment are working to strengthen the sustainable management of the Biosphere Reserve. To promote and strengthen natural heritage and environmental sites in Cambodia, UNESCO is providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Environment, to update the Tentative List of UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites in Cambodia.