Park Protection
and Management
Virachey National Park is home to a wealth of biodiversity
including key populations of endangered species such as tiger, elephant,
gaur and rare primates, and harbours large areas of unspoilt habitat
and evergreen forest. These, and other natural resources, need to
be effectively managed and protected
to ensure the sustainable provision of ecosystem goods and services.
The ecosystem goods and services provided by the
park are threatened by the increasing pressure of illegal activities
such as hunting of endangered wildlife, logging, and mining. In
order to conserve this unique area, the Park Protection Component
aims to ensure effective and efficient protection and management
of the biodiversity within the park. The Park Protection Component
develops, tests and implements initiatives which directly support
the management needs of the park.
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Management Plan
A key element for the effective management of Virachey
National Park is a comprehensive
management plan. The management plan for the park was developed
by BPAMP in 2003, following a
1-year participatory process which involved extensive consultations
from village to the national level.
The process is documented in a manual
for the participatory development of management plans.
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Ranger Patrols
The Park Protection Component comprises 60
rangers based in 3 ranger stations (Taveng, Veunsai, Siem
Pang) and 9 outposts. From each of these ranger stations,
an average of 3 patrols are deployed every month to target
offenders operating
within the Park. |
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Each ranger patrol walks 10-15 days to check
remote habitats and search for offenders. The terrain is difficult
with thick vegetation, many leeches, mosquitoes, and swollen
rivers in the rainy season. Ranger patrols that encounter
offenders may also face dangerous situations when apprehending
suspects.
Rangers are the eyes of the park. They record
the exact geographic location of their encounters
of illegal activities and sightings of key species using hand-held
Global Positioning System units.
The recording follows a standardised approach
called ranger-based data collection (RBDC). RBDC is the opportunistic
collection of ecological data and data on illegal activities
by rangers on park protection patrols. The data collection
procedures have been designed to meet the objective to provide
timely, reliable and up-to-date information to protected area
management for their day to day management decision-making.
A RBDC reference guide and training
manual for protected area staff has been produced. This manual
is also a contribution the tool kit
for protected area management. The observations are then entered
into a computer-based management information system MIST,
and analysed to provide timely information for management
decision-making, planning, monitoring and evaluation. Rangers
also
place camera-traps in the dry season to
survey for large mammals. |
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Operational Support
The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project
supports the work of the Park Protection Component through payment
of salaries and field-allowances for rangers, provision of equipment,
building of infrastructure, development of tools for effective management,
training and technical
advice.
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Project
Liaison Office
#48, Samdech Preah Sihanouk
Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmon
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Tel/Fax +855 (0)23 213 900
E-mail BPAMP@online.com.kh |
Virachey
National Park Headquarters
Banlung, Ratanakiri Province (click
here to see a map)
Kingdom of Cambodia
Telephone +855 (0)75 974 176
Fax +855 (0)75 974 013
E-mail virachey@camintel.com |
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