The SVC Model

Making contributions to wildlife and communities across Cambodia

Revenue generated from our tours is used in many unique ways to conserve Cambodia’s threatened wildlife and help to promote sustainable community growth.

Read about our projects and where your contributions go.

Wildlife Protection

Cambodia is home to 7 Critically Endangered, 28 Globally Threatened and 2 Endemic bird species. SVC work with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and local communities to protect these species through the Bird Nest Protection Program.

Supporting Communities

During the off-season, SVC teach communities skills needed to maintain high tourism standards- cooking hygiene, housekeeping training and local guide training. This provides supplementary income for individuals and helps to show the value of tourism and how important it is to protect their unique birdlife.

Attracting Tourism

These endangered species attract birders and wildlife enthusiasts from around the globe. Since SVC’s inception, to date, we have guided 6,500+ tours and 10,000+ tourists to discover the amazing diverse range of species that Cambodia has to offer.

Fees and Donations

Every visitor to the nine communities we work with pay a ‘Conservation Contribution’. This fee goes towards projects that build infrastructure for some of the poorest communities in Cambodia. Since 2015, visitors to SVC have contributed over $500,000 to local communities.

Donate To Our Projects Today

WILDLIFE PROTECTION: Nest Protection Programme

SVC supports a major bird nest protection program in Preah Vihear. Since 2015, SVC has been working with Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia (WCS) on this vital project to protect large critically endangered birds. This program has shown significant success:

Up to 500 nests of threatened birds protected by local people annually in the northern plains, including Giant Ibis and Sarus Crane. Success rates of protected nests are more than twice that of unprotected.
Bengal Florican populations have remained stable at Stoung-Chikraeng, the site SVC visits, in contrast to declining populations everywhere else.
Rapid recovery of the water bird colony at Prek Toal: now 25,000 nests of nine species are protected annually by community Rangers.
Population stability, and in some cases growth of White-shouldered Ibis.

We are a Non-Profit Organization. We believe that it is necessary to provide alternative livelihoods in order to achieve sustainable conservation. By choosing to see Cambodia’s spectacular wildlife with us you are giving local communities those alternatives.

TOURISM: Access to the endangered

Our partnerships and work within local communities grant SVC access to some of the most endangered birds in the world. These species include:

Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea (Critically Endangered),
White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni (Critically Endangered),
Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris (Critically Endangered)
Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus (Critically Endangered),
White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis (Critically Endangered),
Black- necked stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus (Near Threatened)
Asian Woolly-necked stork Ciconia episcopus (Vulnerable)
Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius (Endangered)
Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus (Vulnerable)
Bengal Florican, Houbaropsis bengalensis (Critically Endangered)
Sarus Crane Antigone Antigone (Vulnerable)

FEES AND DONATIONS: Where does your money go?

All proceeds are divided up into the following three categories:

Employment: Directly to community members through salaries for Committee members and service provision for guides, cooks, housekeeping, site manager.
Other services: To other members of the community for supplying produce, drinks, and other tourism-related services.
Village Development Fund: the whole community through the village development fund, which is used to fund projects such as road improvements, well and bridge construction, and to support the local school.

From 2015 to 2017 we have achieved:

$89,500 in earnings for the communities
$29,000 in Community Conservation Contributions – funds spent by the communities, for the communities
$123,300 Investment in infrastructure and development to improve tourism value at communities
$138,000 in supporting direct conservation activities

COMMUNITY: SVC in the community

Over the last ten years we have seen stronger communities with an organized voice and paths by which to speak about unsustainable activities, conservation issues and community issues in their areas.

During the rainy season SVC guides are passing on their identification skills to local guides at the sites we visit to ensure the best chance of locating target species when we visit by using up-to-date local knowledge.
The SVC guides also train the villagers in western hygiene, cooking and guest house management so that tourism provides the village with a livelihood and helps to improve living standards.

Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation, now Sam Veasna Conservation Tours, was started in memory of the pioneering Cambodian, Sam Veasna, to promote conservation throughout the country and find ways to continue his work protecting the endangered species of the country.

Have something else in mind?

We offer custom tour packages which gives you the opportunity to create your perfect experience. If you would like to find out more about putting together a custom tour, please head over to our information page.

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