Following decades of underinvestment in the education sector, biodiversity conservation in Cambodia is severely hampered by a shortage of trained conservationists and reliable biodiversity data. Located in the Department of Biology, the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) aims to respond to these challenges by providing “A national hub for postgraduate education, original biodiversity research, information dissemination and inter-agency collaboration”.

The CBC strives to provides essential knowledge, skills and experience in contemporary conservation biology and in the management and sustainable use of natural resources. To this end, the centre presently undertakes activities in four areas, as follows:

Zoological and Botanical Reference Collections

Linked to the postgraduate course, the CBC established zoological and botanical collections in purpose-built rooms at the Department of Biology in 2007. Still the only natural history museums dedicated to lesser-studied and smaller-bodied biota in Cambodia, the collections are an important step in reversing the historical pattern of biological material from the country being lodged in western institutions, which few Cambodian scholars can readily visit.

The purpose of the collections is to promote studies on Cambodia’s little known biodiversity by university staff and students, as well as researchers from other organisations. As a consequence, they have become an important national asset for cataloguing Cambodian biodiversity and are facilitating the development of much needed species identification guides and systematic revisions. The collections are also regularly used in teaching on the Masters programme and by students undertaking course assignments and second year thesis projects.

Cambodian Journal of Natural History

Cambodia’s first peer-reviewed scientific periodical was launched in 2008 by Fauna $amp; Flora International and the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Aimed at helping Cambodian scientists to share their findings and improve their writing skills, it addresses the critical need for information on the conservation status and management requirements of Cambodian biodiversity.

The journal publishes original work by Cambodian and foreign scientists on all aspects of Cambodian natural history, including species behaviour, new species records, landscape ecology, management policies and the use of natural resources. All papers are peer-reviewed by leading national and international scientists and published in English, with summaries in Khmer language. More than half of the authors are Cambodians. Guidelines for authors and previous issues of the journal can be freely downloaded at: https://rupp.edu.kh/cjnh/index.php

Current Conservation Research

In 2009, the CBC established an initiative to assist Cambodian scholars to undertake original research on contemporary scientific and conservation questions. The studies undertaken by CBC staff frequently emphasize lesser known taxa, and as the centre already provides training to the postgraduate level through its Masters programme, the initiative further assists its scholars to secure financial support for doctoral studies and applied research projects.

The CBC undertakes collaborative projects with a range of partners with the goal of “Undertaking scientific research and monitoring to provide a sound basis for managing Cambodia’s globally important biodiversity”. Projects undertaken by CBC staff include:

Current

Cambodian Journal of Natural History