Tree Survival Survey

A drone’s eye view of the Restoration Survival Survey getting underway at the Takhes Meanchey site.

We have always maintained healthy partnerships that leverage our model of community-led development. In April 2023, the project team from the International Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM) — an independent technical service centre that assists government, private sector and communities to define and implement policies for sustainable development — joined us in collaboration with the Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) on a mission to restore five sites in the headwaters of the Sangker River Basin, Battambang Province in Cambodia.

The mission included an assessment of newly planted seedlings, an evaluation of water supply and soil erosion at each site and the establishment of locally managed plant nurseries. Local community members, forestry officers, rangers and the MJP field team collaborated with the project team in field surveying and information collection.

Using drones, the team employed an aerial survey as well as on-the-ground field observations to assess the growth and survival of seedlings and site conditions.  Poor access to adequate water supply and weeds were found to be the main obstacles to planting success. Hydrological patterns were studied and mapped to determine the best locations for water storage infrastructure.  Water tanks were designed, and a watering regimen defined to ensure adequate supply at each restoration site during the dry season.

The assessment of plantings and management to date found a high survival rate ranging from 71% to 94% across the community forest sites. Where seedlings were lost the team noted the conditions and revised the planting plan to cover replacement of seedlings.