Cambodia's tourism industry, so vital to the economy, is in danger of becoming reliant on Chinese gambling dollars in Sihanoukville

With 23 conservation areas and seven national parks, Cambodia would seem to be an eco-trippers paradise. On paper, over 20% of Cambodia is under some form of protection - an impressive figure. But reality belies the illusion: next door to the provincial office of a leading ecotourism coordinator, a restaurant selling bush meat does a brisk business. At a stall deep inside the nearby Kirirom National Park, the menu includes wild boar.�

With little incentive to conserve, local communities surrounding biodiversity-rich areas are driven by sheer economics to indulge in destructive activities. Why work planting rice a whole day for one dollar when a single felled tree can fetch thousands?

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