The Ministry of Environment, in cooperation with the Mondulkiri Provincial Administration and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), planted 1,000 saplings in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday to expand forest cover and improve local community livelihoods.

The campaign, held under the Circular Strategy on Environment through the Keo Seima REDD+ Project, took place in community areas of the protected sanctuary in Mondulkiri province.

Mondulkiri Deputy Governor Yin Sovimann said the province had so far grown more than 160,000 saplings and continued distributing them to residents to promote green cover and strengthen local efforts to address climate change.

Ministry of Environment spokesman and Undersecretary of State Khvay Atitya said the campaign reflected cooperation between government institutions, subnational administrations and development partners to protect natural resources and promote environmental sustainability.

WCS representative Khorn Sophoeun said the initiative aimed not only to restore forest cover but also to improve the livelihoods of communities living in and around the protected area by linking conservation with sustainable development.

• Tags: environment, Mondulkiri