Keo Sopheak
Keo Sopheak is the project officer for WWF's Srepok Wilderness Project in Cambodia. As an employee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, he has served as the project's government counterpart for the past year.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Phnom Penh but during the time of Pol Pot, when I was very young, my family fled to Vietnam. We only returned when the Vietnamese invaded in 1979.
Did you always want to be a conservationist?
Well, actually, when I graduated from high school, I took three exams: one to study medicine, the second to study law and the third to study forestry. I didn't pass the first two exams so I went to the Royal University of Agriculture to study at the Faculty of Forest Services.
What did you do when you left university?
I worked for a forest concession, monitoring the cutting and controlling logging.
Do you like working in conservation?
I like to protect the forest and the wildlife because in my country people are poor and they don't protect the forest. That is why it is important for me to protect the forest.
Do you like working for an international organization like WWF?
I like it because I can do the job and also because I am learning a lot from the project advisory. This is a good project because if we protect the animals, the tourists will come to see them.
What is the best part of the job?
What I like best is collecting samples of plants - leaves, seeds, flowers and fruits. Right now, I am building a collection of plants from the Dry Forests so that we can study and record the biodiversity. One day I would like to develop a nursery for plants to rehabilitate the forest. I did this while working for the forest concession.
What is the worst part of the job?
Although I think staying in the forest is good for me, it is difficult being away from my family. I often spend three weeks at a stretch in the forest, while my family lives in Phnom Penh. I have two sons and they miss me.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to do your job?
They should go and study conservation and about wildlife because nobody in Cambodia wants to work in the field. There are less than 20 students enrolled in the first year of forestry while there are hundreds of students in other courses. People are afraid of the forest.
