Seila Chea has been working for more than 15 years as a volunteer, research assistant, researcher, community facilitator, coordinator and project manager, focusing on the protection and management of natural resources and communities' livelihoods on the Mekong River and its main tributaries in Cambodia. She is responsible for coordinating most aspects of the Wonders of the Mekong project in Cambodia, including Interdisciplinary Research and Conservation, Training and Capacity Building and Environmental Education and Outreach activities.

She spends most of her time working with communities along the rivers, especially in Stung Treng Province, to document local ecological knowledge and wisdom on fish and biodiversity, herbs for food and medicine, livelihoods, wetlands, climate change and plastic waste pollution. Results from the research have been integrated into the local management plans and policy dialogues. She was a member of the research team who helped explore the world's largest freshwater stingray, weighing 300 kg, known as "Boramey," tagged and released to live in the Mekong River's deep pool in Stung Treng Province.

IVLP Impact Award Project: End Plastic Pollution in the Environment

This project tackled the pressing issue of plastic pollution in Cambodia by empowering high-school students to become catalysts of change in sustainable waste management practices. The project engaged 1,908 individuals, including 150 students, as well as teachers and members of the community, to participate in discussions and clean-up activities to combat plastic pollution in Cambodia. The project helped raise awareness on solid and plastic waste management among students. Four community and school cleanup events were organized along the Bassac River in an effort to keep Takmao town clean and remove the waste before it enters the river. A plastic recycling youth club was established at a local high school. By fostering awareness among students about the detrimental effects of plastic pollution, the project instilled a deep sense of responsibility and understanding of sustainable waste management practices, with approximately 80% of students reporting that they reduced their use of plastic bottles and plastic bags after the project was implemented.

"I hope [that] everyone has learned how to respect.. [and be] responsible for their own plastic trash by keeping it properly, refusing to use single plastic products, reducing as much as they can and reusing." - Seila Chea

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Seila participated in the IVLP Project Environmental Engagement and the Economy for the Indo-Pacific, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development, in partnership with Vermont Council on World Affairs, WorldDenver and Global Ties Sacramento.

Seila's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project. She particularly was inspired by the Vermont's Natural Resource Council Office's belief that a healthy environment results in healthy economics. She also described learning from meeting with Mr. Andrew Leary, a director of Sustainable Tourism and Partnerships at the Leave No Trace Center in Colorado. She described how she connected with their message of "encouraging people to be responsible outdoors... [by] not destroying things in nature, not littering and educating kids and elders about 'Leave No Trace.'"

U.S. Communities Visited

Sacramento, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Burlington, VT

Country: Cambodia

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