Sai – the celebrity Cambodian singer and environmental activist – is collaborating with the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) in Koh Kong province to organise a campaign to plant 1,000 mangrove trees in the province to inspire the further preservation of mangrove forests as well as to attract tourists.
This mangrove planting programme in Koh Kong is sponsored by ISUZU and also features Sai’s fellow star singer and entertainer Preap Sovath
They said they intend to plant 1,000 mangrove trees at the Peam Krasop Tourism Community in Mondul Seima district’s Peam Krasop commune on January 10. The programme is called “Let’s plant 1,000 mangrove trees with Sai.”
Sai, who initiated the reforestation effort, told The Post that the purpose of the program was to promote community-based ecotourism in the Peam Krasop community and to help the environment.
“Planting trees for the environment will help with biodiversity in the mangrove forest area of Koh Kong province, which has the largest mangrove forest in Cambodia and is rich with wildlife,” he said.
Sai said that this was the first project that he has done related to the planting of mangroves, but he plans to extend the project into Kampot and Kep provinces as well.
The vice-president of the UYFC in Koh Kong province, Chi Va, said that this was a good idea that contributes to the promotion of environmental conservation, protection of habitat and increases the size of the mangrove forests.
“As we all know, the largest mangrove forest in Cambodia is in Koh Kong province, and Governor Mithona Phouthong pays close attention to the cultivation and maintenance of this mangrove forest and has held a series of planting activities with mangroves in the past,” she said.
She pointed out that mangrove forests support the biodiversity of marine animals in the Kingdom such as fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters and squid, and thus they are an important ecosystem.
In addition to all that, the mangrove forests help to prevent landslides caused by wave erosion of the coastline as well as helping to purify the sea water and the coastal atmosphere.
She said that the mangrove forest was also one of the things attracting national and international tourists to visit Koh Kong province.
“I would like to appeal to tourists to take care of this mangrove forest. If we throw bottles or plastic into the water it will kill the forest and the animals that use it for shelter, so please dispose of all garbage in the proper receptacles,” she said.
