My name is Buth Chanmeta, I am 36 years old and the youngest daughter in a family of four siblings. I was born in Kampong Chhnang Province and moved to Phnom Penh in 1999. In 2004, I started my undergraduate studies at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the field of Environmental Science. In 2008, I graduated from Royal University of Phnom Penh I decided to pursue my career in the field of natural resource protection and conservation because I wanted to get to know remote areas, and this profession can help me to reach them. I like the calmness of nature, and understand that there are many people who are not able to enjoy the privilege of the nature’s beauty when they do not have enough money or resources to travel to natural areas. When I started working in this field, I realized that it is in line with the goals and aspirations I had when I was a child. Moreover, I have a passion to share information and knowledge, and have skills in public speaking and facilitating, which allows me to use my talents to the fullest in a meaningful way. The part of my job that I enjoy the most is organizing small campaigns directly with community members, students, monks, and local authorities in the field because this work provides knowledge and information, and encourages people to participate in conservation activities in an enjoyable and engaging way. Campaign activities are a simple strategy to improve knowledge, increase engagement, and lead to behavioral change at the grassroots level.

I have worked for a number of conservation organizations, including as an environmental educator at the Mlob Baitong Organization. I was tasked to manage projects related to community forests, eco-tourism sites, savings groups, Environmental Club education and outreach groups in schools, and monk projects in Kampong Speu Province. In 2012, I became a field coordinator at Tonle Sap with Conservation International. Experiences I learned from living and working on the water have taught me about women’s groups, community fisheries, sustainable aquaculture techniques, fisheries resources, and the livelihoods of fishers living on the river. In 2014, I worked as an education and outreach project officer for WWF Cambodia stationed in the Mekong Flooded Forest Landscape area. In this role, I utilized my knowledge, skills, and talent to help community members access information, to have the courage to express themselves, and to become key figures in educating the next generations​ so that they can use their passion to work together to protect natural resources. In 2020, I moved to Oxfam to be a technical officer in the field of natural resources. Now, I am again working at WWF-Cambodia as a Senior Education and Outreach Officer.

Working with communities on conservation is important because communities directly depend on natural resources for their livelihoods; however, they still have limited access to information about the importance of natural resources to the whole world, the impacts of some activities, and the status of some natural resources that they use heavily. They are the most important group to educate because they can directly protect natural resources for themselves and the next generation. It is important for them to express their views and for the concerns of local communities to be taken into consideration before the implementation of any development plan. The limited level of knowledge of community members and their limited access to public services or information can make it difficult for them to adapt their practices and make decisions. Thus, working with local communities is very important to me and truly makes me feel my life is very meaningful. I am honored and happy to be a part of helping communities to protect natural resources, which is important not only for the communities themselves, but also for the current generation and the next.

Please share this post to help others learn about Chanmeta’s important conservation outreach work with communities! Follow Wonders of the Mekong to learn more about Cambodia’s Mekong Conservation Heroes. See Chanmeta’s full profile here: https://www.mekongfishnetwork.org/mekong…/buth-chanmeta/