Cambodia Study Tour February 2012
Program Title: Challenges for heritage conservation in less developed countries
The School of Environmental Sciences has received funding from the Federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, to develop an international experience for students studying the Bachelor of Applied Science (Parks, Recreation and Heritage) and the Bachelor of Environmental Science. Below is a description of the proposed program due to run in February 2012.
The study tour will examine heritage conservation and environmental issues in Cambodia to extend the learning of students studying in the Bachelor Applied Science (Parks, Recreation & Heritage) and Bachelor Environmental Science degrees into the global context. The program will address a range of disciplines that will extend from the biological and ecological sciences to the social and political aspects of addressing cultural heritage and environmental issues in a developing country.
Activities will include:
- Flora and fauna survey in Cambodian World Heritage Areas with staff from the Royal University of Phnom Penh
- Visiting heritage areas (cultural heritage sites and nature conservation areas) to discuss and learn about issues related to the protection of cultural sites and rare and threatened species.
- Presentations from government staff on the policy implications and issues of natural and cultural conservation in Cambodia
- Working with Resource Development International to develop an understanding of how local people address environmental problems, particularly arsenic in drinking water.
- Meeting with community members in the vicinity of cultural heritage sites and natural heritage conservation areas to explore the challenges they face in utilising and protecting the natural/cultural resources within their living environments.
- Cultural experiences based around building an understanding of the history and culture of Cambodia and its people
