Background and history of activities in Cambodia

Plants growing in brackish water, where sea and fresh water mix, are referred to collectively as mangroves. The mangrove ecosystem, which is formed by the interactions among living organism and non-living material on land, in the water, and in the soil in these places, is a distinctive form in only a limited number of places around the world. In addition to its importance to absorb and store CO2, the mangrove ecosystem is also attracting attention with regard to the mitigation and adaptation measures for climate change because it is one of those most strongly affected by rising sea levels due to global warming. At the same time, this ecosystem is being damaged in Cambodia by such factors as the effects of large-scale port development and illegal harvesting of mangrove trees, and fishing is being impacted strongly as well. Preservation of the mangrove forests is vital to the protection of the valuable environment that supports the ecosystem.

In cooperation with the Trapaing Sangke Fishing Community (TFC), an NPO active in the area, through the specified nonprofit organization, NICE, Group employees (FY 2018: 14 employees; FY 2019: 11 employees) took part in mangrove-forest conservation activities in Cambodia's Kampot Province. Through these three-day activities in both FY 2018 and FY 2019, they harvested about 1,500 mangrove saplings each year and planted them in seedbeds, as well as planting roughly 300–500 saplings harvested and grown by another group. They also prepared a sign describing the results of these activities to serve as a landmark for the Citizen Group's next visit and activities. Then, after the tree-planting activities, they visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, which served as an opportunity to reaffirm their thinking on peace and to think about human rights in Cambodia in light of its tragic history of genocide under Pol Pot's regime.