Formerly funded by Angelina Jolie

Project Title:	Maddox Jolie Project (MJP)
Project Goal:	The overall goal of this project is to protect and rehabilitate the wildlife, eco-system and watershed conservation values of the Samlaut Multiple Use Area, Battambang Province.
Project Objectives:	The objectives of this project over the initial three-year period are therefore to: Protect and rehabilitate the wildlife, eco-system inside Samlaut Protect Area Benefit the communities around the Samlaut Protected Area
Project Rationale:	Cambodia has had a long history in protected area development. By the time of independence in 1957 over two million hectares of Cambodia’s forest was designated as either wildlife sanctuary or forest protection reserves. The subsequent intervention of political insecurity, war, and political isolation resulted in the neglect of these reserves. However, the re-establishment of protected areas has become an integral part of Cambodia’s national rehabilitation since the beginning of the post-war period. A key aspect of this development has been efforts to provide for nature conservation and wildlife protection. This includes the designation of 23 separate protected areas by Royal Decree in November 1993. The Samlaut Multiple-Use Management Area is one of these. Located on the Cambodian – Thai border within an isolated portion of far western Cambodia, it has a total area of approximately 60,000 hectares. About 39,000 ha. lie within the municipality of Pailin whilst the remaining 21,000 ha. lie within Samlaut district of Battambang province. Its boundaries follow old road alignments, some of which have been maintained in trafficable condition and river and stream courses. The reserve was therefore designated as a multiple-use management area because of concerns that the inevitability of industrialized gemstone mining would lead to the substantive degradation of its nature conservation values.
Project Status:	Because of lack of funds the future of this project is uncertain.