Cambodia and Japan Plant 10,000 Saplings to Protect Angkor Heritage

Approximately 10,000 saplings of over 20 varieties, planted by Cambodian and Japanese citizens in the Angkor Natural Park, are aimed at protecting the World Heritage site. The event took place on July 4, 2026, under the auspices of Her Excellency Dr. Pheung Sakuna, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, and the Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, with the participation of 800 Cambodian and Japanese nationals. Mr. Motoya Okada, President of the AEON Environmental Foundation, stated that this tree-planting project is a five-year initiative commencing in 2025. Its objective is to safeguard the World Heritage site from the impacts of wind and rain, and to conserve biodiversity. The first planting in 2025 saw over 800 participants from Japan and Cambodia, and this second phase involved another 800 participants for the 10,000 saplings. He further added that the foundation will continue to actively engage in environmental protection activities, including tree planting, to preserve rich natural environments for future generations. Tree planting with volunteers has been conducted in various regions across Cambodia since 2002, including at Chau Srei Vibol Temple, along the road to Angkor Wat, in the Siem Reap Forest Park, at the Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum, at Phnom Tamao Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center in Takeo Province, and other locations. The AEON Environmental Foundation, established 36 years ago, focuses on environmental protection and has planted over 12.87 million saplings worldwide to protect the environment, restore forests, and conserve biodiversity. Concurrently, the AEON Foundation supports the Prosthetic Limb Center in Battambang Province, has funded 151 school buildings, made donations to the Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum, and conducted clean water campaigns. Her Excellency Dr. Pheung Sakuna, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, remarked that this second tree-planting event serves as further evidence of the model of cooperation between the private sector and government institutions in strengthening and expanding the green cover of the Angkor resort, fully responding to the priority principles of Angkor conservation, where continued planting of new saplings and preservation of old forests are our work methodologies. Beyond the conservation and restoration of hundreds of ancient temples in the Angkor area, the APSARA National Authority also focuses on sustainable development and the restoration and enhancement of ancient irrigation systems and natural resources, which benefit both the preservation of ancient temples and the people living in the World Heritage Angkor resort area. Her Excellency added that to date, the APSARA National Authority has nurtured and distributed approximately 3 million diverse saplings within the Angkor Park, including collaborations with AEON for forest cover restoration in the past and today. She elaborated that in the Angkor region, trees, in addition to their role in attracting rainfall, maintaining underground water sources, absorbing carbon dioxide to convert into oxygen, and providing shade beneficial to communities and national and international tourists, also play a crucial role in protecting ancient temples. This is because Khmer ancient temples are built on sandy foundations, necessitating underground water and rainwater to preserve and channel water into the ancient canals, ponds, and barays that surround them, thereby maintaining the moisture and stability of the temple foundations and preventing collapse. Trees also serve as a protective barrier against climate change, the weathering of temple stones, and natural disasters such as storms and floods. Trees and green spaces are values of cultural landscape, an inseparable component of Angkor's outstanding universal value, she emphasized.