After decades of under-investment in the education sector following civil war and the Khmer Rouge genocide, biodiversity conservation in Cambodia was severely hampered by a shortage of trained biologists and reliable biodiversity data, making it difficult to effectively safeguard Cambodia’s rich natural heritage.
Addressing this issue head-on, FFI joined forces with the Royal University of Phnom Penh in 2005 to establish the country’s first masters degree in biodiversity conservation, thereby equipping a new generation of Cambodian scientists with the knowledge base required to ensure a sustainable future for their country.