Posted on March, 16 2010

Phnom Penh, 17 March: Today, the Cambodian Government’s Forestry Administration, General Department of
Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection, Mr Khou Eang Hourt - the author of the first Field Guide
of the Rattans of Cambodia - and WWF are proud to launch the result of more than two years of research on
rattan in Cambodia. The guide contributes an important step towards sustainable rattan management as it
describes the diversity, ecology and characters of rattan.
“This is the first rattan taxonomic study carried out in Cambodia and should serve as a milestone in the
Cambodian flora research,” says Mr Seng Teak, WWF Country Director.
The research documents more than 20 rattan species across 13 provinces all over Cambodia and identifies five
species with the highest market potential. The resulting guidebook provides the common Khmer name (local
names) as well as scientific name of each species. It also supplies detailed information on rattan characteristics
including habit, leaf sheath, sheath spines, knee, climbing organ, leaf, cane, inflorescence, and fruits. Detailed
distribution maps provide information on where to find each species while descriptions and colour photographs
support field identification. The guide provides a source of key knowledge to anyone involved or interested in
sustainable rattan harvest and production.
“While we are all familiar with rattan as finished products like chairs or tables, very few people know what these
plants look like in the forest or how many species there are in Cambodia,” says Mr Khou Eang Hourt,
Cambodian Senior Botanist.
Mr Eang Hourt continues that the knowledge about rattan is vital for a sustainable development of the
Cambodian rattan industry: Collectors need to identify which rattan-species to harvest; traders need to assess
the value of the different species; processors need to select the right rattan species for handicrafts or furnitureproduction;
and buyers are interested in the exact sources of green and clean rattan products.
The rattan resource is decreasing due to over-harvesting and loss of forest ecosystem. There is an urgent need
to stop this trend and protect rattan and forest biodiversity through sustainable use of rattan resources for
economic growth. The publication of the first ‘Field Guide of the Rattans of Cambodia’ is part of a larger
programme to establish a sustainable production system for rattan products in Cambodia. Since 2006, the
WWF’s Rattan project has reached out to all stakeholders along the rattan value chain to promote sustainable
rattan production and supply.
“Besides workshops and trainings for suppliers, processors and traders, the project has successfully set-up
community-based models for sustainable rattan management in 20 villages totalling around 4900 families in five
provinces of Kampot, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kompong Thom and Preah Vihear,” says Mr Ou Ratanak,
Rattan Project Manager.
In partnership with NTFP network and AAC, the rattan project, co-funded by EC, also works to engage small and
medium enterprises in Cleaner Production, which aims at introducing proper techniques for processing activities
to ensure a system of quality assurance. In doing so, the project supported the foundation of the first Rattan
Association of Cambodia to strengthen the position of all rattan stakeholders. The project’s unifying hope is that,
if conducted sustainably, the rattan industry can provide financial incentives to maintain large areas of forest, the
natural rattan habitat, while providing significant support to local livelihoods.