Phlong Nguonleng (Leng), Cambodia
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Mr. Phlong NguonLeng (Leng)
Law Enforcement and SMART Coordinator
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) – Cambodia Program
Main email: cambodia@wcs.org
Email: nphlong@wcs.org or leng_phlong@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.wcs.org/our-work/regions/mekong
Skype: nguonleng
Address: #21, St. 21, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
xWildlife xPark xAntipoaching xEnforcement xEducation xLandscape x2018Scholar x2018Talk xScholar xTalk xCambodia xAsia
ORGANIZATION’S WORK: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is an international organization, found in 1895, which has a clear mission to support and protect wildlife and wild places around the world. WCS is working with more than 320 projects in 60 countries around the world. Our mission is “WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature”, and our vision is “WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth”. WCS has been start working in Cambodia since 1999. There are four landscapes with seven main project sites, which are supported by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) such as Northern Plain Landscape (two project sites), Tonle Sap Flood Plain (three project sites), Eastern Plain Landscape (one project site) and Sre Ambel in the coastal area. WCS Cambodia has a Project Agreement with two ministry of Royal Government of Cambodia, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery to provide financial and technical support, in order to protect natural resources and biodiversity in Cambodia.
Role in Organization: With WCS Cambodia, my role is Law Enforcement and SMART Coordinator, working with SCGIS 2016 Scholar Phien Sayon. I am responsible for Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) database management, I provide technical support on Spatial data collection, conduct training on data collection and patrol techniques to allow rangers and PA staff to record the data of illegal activities and wildlife observation in the forest, I maintain biodiversity database, check data quality, conduct analysis and some mapping of threats for all project sites. Patrol information and biodiversity data from the seven-project sites are stored in a database.
Experiences: 
After I graduated from bachelor degree of Land Management and Land Administration, I started work as GIS and Community Development Facilitator for one year with Development and Partnership in Action (DPA) at Keo Seima District, Mondulkiri Province. After that, I moved to Save Cambodia’s Wildlife (SCW) organization as GIS Assistant to work short-term for the Atlas of Cambodia 2013 Project. After the project finished, I first started my career with an international organization which working on conservation sector called Conservation International (CI) as GIS Internship and then I moved up to GIS Associate with the organization. Since May 2015 until now, I am working with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) – Cambodia Program as Law Enforcement and SMART Training Coordinator. Therefore, for the last seven years, I got many experience to work on GIS technique in order to support conservation. Moreover, I hope to use GIS to improve my conservation program with more and more efficiency.
Local SCGIS work: I do not have any role in the local SCGIS Chapter due to there is no this chapter in Cambodia. But, I am a members of GIS Cambodia group on social network (Facebook). However, I hope to see this chapter will available for Cambodia soon in order to build a professional conservation GIS network. I am available to support this initiative and hope to learn more if selected for this important opportunity. Anyway, WCS Cambodia GIS program has strong link to WCS Myanmar GIS Program and I also hope to see us collaborate to establish a regional SCGIS chapter.
Local Community work: Since 2013, I first start my job with an international that I main responsible for GIS task and manage the law enforcement database. And this skill still continues to my current work place, WCS Cambodia. With WCS, I am the one who in charge of developing and implementing Cambodia SMART training and capacity building. I provide direct training for more than 100 rangers across 7 project sites of WCS including both classroom and field practices. Moreover, I also manage and provide leadership for three technical staff and two field SMART officer as well.
What is the most challenging about the conservation/GIS work that you do? I am playing a supporting role between law enforcement and conservation practitioners for both NGO and government staff. My spatial work ties in law enforcement specific analysis with biodiversity and cultural monitoring and assessment. Working across governmental agencies is challenging due to a current Cambodia initiative on decentralization and a recent jurisdictional shift of PA management responsibility from one ministry to another that requires extensive new training. Anyway, it is also dangerous in the field work as well. On the other hand, my capacity to analyze the spatial data to monitor on threat is limited. So, that is the reason that I hope SCGIS can help me to solve the problem.
What are your plans for the next year? After return from SCGIS, I plan to standardize spatial data that are collected by the patrol and research team to track the evolution of the problem that have occurred and to be impact to my conservation areas. All of these data will be used to analyze and design a spatial model in order to improve the conservation activities more efficiency for WCS Cambodia. This will help us to have a better understand of wildlife movements and the threats to those species. Therefore, it will be useful for us and protected area managers to organize the plan for implementing their law enforcement activities to observe and take any action on target.
