Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity

Travel Location Siem Reap

OVERVIEW

The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) is the first nature conservation centre in Cambodia. The ACCB contributes to the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Cambodia through wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, release, breeding, environmental education and conservation research. Join us for a guided tour of the rescue centre at 9:00 am or 1:00 pm. This is the only way to visit the ACCB as we are normally closed to the public. Tour lasts about 2 hours and requires a minimum donation of $3 USD. Please arrive on time for the tours. Late-comers cannot be accommodated.

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The first nature conservation and endangered wildlife rescue and breeding centre in Cambodia

The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), located near the famous temples of Angkor, is the first nature conservation centre in Cambodia. The ACCB aims to contribute to the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Cambodia.

About Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity

The organisations implementing the ACCB project, Münster Zoo and its partner organisation Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP), have a long professional involvement in Indochina. They were among the first conservation organisations to conduct surveys of endangered primate species in Vietnam. Both organisations, working independently and in cooperation, support conservation programmes in approximately 30 nations in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, and work with local and international partners to address conservation issues and to promote sustainable natural resource management practices. The chairmen of both organisations are members of several IUCN/ Species Survival Commission (SSC) Specialist Groups.

Münster Zoo has been implementing the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy for many years. In situ conservation is considered as one of the zoo’s main missions. Consequently, it has been the first zoo in Germany to establish a cost unit for in situ conservation as well as a permanent position for a curator overseeing overseas projects.

Major financial support for the ACCB has so far been provided by Dr. Stephan Goetz from Munich, via the German foundation Stiftung Artenschutz, a joint initiative currently comprising 50 respected zoos and nature conservation organisations.
The team on site
The ACCB permanently employs around 25 staff, most of which are Cambodian, in the fields of management, administration and conservation planning, environmental education and sustainable natural resource use, animal keeping, gardening/ site support team, and security. Additionally, temporary staff are hired as required for special projects.

The Mission of ACCB

The ACCB aspires to become a focal point for wildlife conservation and environmental activities throughout the northwest of Cambodia. The ACCB¹s aims and objectives are:

To promote the rescue of selected native Cambodian wildlife and to provide adequate rehabilitation and release facilities while ensuring the maintenance of internationally recognized standards.
To provide facilities and technical expertise for the conservation breeding of selected threatened species, and to initiate and carry out appropriate reintroduction and restocking programs.
To serve as an education and training centre for communities, wildlife officials and visitors to the centre in order to increase awareness of and build capacity for conservation and environmental protection and management, and to promote the sustainable use of natural resources while linking international to local environmental issues.
To initiate and participate in wildlife conservation and research activities in Cambodia, including in situ conservation activities, species recovery efforts, biodiversity inventories and natural resource-use assessment, and to provide information to support management recommendations for protected areas.

Background of ACCB

The initial idea to build a rescue centre for wildlife near the temples of Angkor originates from a dedicated Cambodian Biologist of international reputation, Sam Veasna. Not only did he intend to build facilities for confiscated wildlife, but he knew from his own experience about the importance of raising awareness of conservation and environmental issues and of educating villagers and forest officers.

Unfortunately, Sam Veasna died of malaria in December 1999, after an expedition in search for the last surviving Koupreys (Bos sauveli). However, despite his untimely death, Sam Veasna’s vision of a nature conservation centre persisted. Different NGOs were asked for assistance, amongst them Münster Zoo and the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP) in Germany which granted support for the project. Shortly afterwards, the director of Münster Zoo, H. Jörg Adler, travelled to Cambodia to take up first negotiations.

In August 2001 and January 2002 respectively, the project manager Kai-Olaf Krüger and the veterinarian Isabell Stich moved from Germany to Cambodia to locate a suitable site for the centre. Some 25 hectares of land could be found at the base of the mountain Kbal Spean, 40 km north of Siem Reap, and use of the premises was granted in May 2002 through a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The German nature lover Dr. Stephan Goetz decided to grant the main financial support for the project, enabling the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone and the start of construction in April 2003. At the beginning of 2004, the building of the education centre started. Furthermore, enclosures for mammals, birds and turtles, a quarantine facility with veterinary surgery, as well as two residential houses with offices and store rooms were completed.

In January 2007, the Colombian biologist Isadora Angarita-Martínez and the German biologist Markus Handschuh took over the responsibility for the operation and further expansion of activities on site. At the expiration of her contract in December 2009, Isadora left ACCB and Markus took over the function as project manager. He was supported from March 2010 until May 2012 by Alistair Mould as Deputy Project Manager.
Since May 2012, the project is managed on site by David (Dave) Ware, who is supported by the deputy project manager Lara Rogers.

Activities of ACCB

Wildlife rescue and conservation breeding of endangered species
Most animals arriving at ACCB have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. New arrivals are examined for injuries and diseases and treated if necessary. Subsequently, they usually have to undergo a quarantine period, which lasts from several weeks for mammals and birds up to several months for reptiles. To warrant as little disturbance as possible and minimize the risk of disease transmission, the quarantine area is not open to the public. Young animals are hand-reared.

After successful completion of the quarantine period and sufficient recovery, the animals are released into suitable and safe habitats according to international recognised standards. Usually, soft release techniques with post-release support and – where appropriate and possible – monitoring are applied.
Individuals that belong to certain endangered species or are not fit for release may be transferred to the breeding section. The general aim of ex situ conservation breeding is to give added value to complementary in situ conservation measures, e.g. through the establishment of captive safety populations of species that are at risk of extinction in the wild, or to produce offspring for future reintroduction and restocking programmes to aid in the recovery of depleted or locally extinct wild populations. Captive animals can also be a powerful educational tool to raise awareness of their threats in the wild and provide the opportunity to study and learn about them in captivity, which can be particularly important regarding species that are little known or difficult to study in the wild.

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