About
Rising Phoenix Co. Ltd. is a social enterprise that was incorporated in Cambodia in 2015. The company aims to restore and conserve the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary using business principles. We see value in the forest and the wonderful wildlife it holds.
The Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique and globally irreplaceable site. It supports populations of five bird species listed by IUCN as Critically Endangered, including Cambodia’s national bird the giant ibis. This means without immediate conservation interventions, these species face a high chance of global extinction. Rising Phoenix sees value in the forest and the wonderful wildlife it holds, and we support a range of program including species monitoring, rewilding, community development and law enforcement to prevent illegal wildlife hunting, logging and land encroachment from occurring.
Rising Phoenix sets out to combine the traditional donor approach with a private sector business model to secure the long-term conservation of Siem Pang. The company employs more than 100 people and our experienced CEO is Jonathan Charles Eames, OBE, who has over twenty-five years of experience working in protected areas development and management in South-East Asia.
Phtoto credit - Scout group : Jeremy Holden
ASAP Species That We Work On
What We Do
- Red-headed vultures, White-rumped vultures, Slender-billed vultures: Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary supports populations of these critically endangered bird species on a daily basis. Between 70 and 90% of the Cambodian vulture population attends at the weekly vulture restaurant we provide. We monitor breeding success of the three species by closely following nests of the three species in and out of the sanctuary. In 2023, we found 25 nests fledging 19 young. In addition, Rising Phoenix is a core member of the Cambodia Vulture Working Group.
- Giant Ibis: This is Cambodia’s national bird and is listed by IUCN as Critically Endangered. The global population is estimated at 200 mature individuals, and population supported in SPWS estimated at around 50 mature individuals (25 pairs). To support species feeding sites at waterholes (trapeangs in Khmer) we continue to conduct a huge restoration program involving both manual and mechanical deepening of the waterholes. We monitor the evolution of the species in the sanctuary by conducting census at regular interval and we monitor reproductive success during breeding season.
- White-shouldered Ibis: In partnership with the Cambodia Ibis Working Group, we take part in a simultaneous census across Cambodia every year during the wet season. A population of more than 300 white-shouldered ibis is usually recorded at communal roost sites at SPWS. During the breeding season, we closely monitor breeding success. The species also benefits from the ecological restoration program we are conducting in the Sanctuary.
- Elongated tortoise: In partnership with ACCB, we currently conduct a pilot study and released 100 elongated tortoises in a soft release enclosure. Tortoises will be released in the sanctuary during the next dry season and their movements monitored by GPS and VHF tracking.
- Siamese crocodile: Rising Phoenix has been involved in reintroduction efforts for this critically endangered species in partnership with FFI. As of 2023, we have released 41 adult crocodiles in the sanctuary. We discovered this year five nest with eggs.
Where We Work
Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia. A 130,000-ha protected area covered 50% by Deciduous dipterocarp forest (DDF) and 40% by semi-evergreen forest