SUSTAINABILITY

At Cardamom Tented Camp, sustainability is rooted in everything we do. Our core mission is to protect Botum Sakor National Park and its wildlife, while ensuring that both nature and local communities can thrive side by side.

By staying with us, you become part of this mission. Every stay directly supports forest protection. From funding ranger patrols and restoring wild habitats to uplifting local livelihoods and community initiatives.

We have moved beyond simply reducing our footprint. Instead, we focus on regeneration: helping ecosystems recover, cultures flourish, and communities grow stronger, all while running a business that is financially sustainable and built for long term positive impact.

The 4Cs

At Cardamom Tented Camp, we live by the 4Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce. These principles guide every decision we make, helping us restore natural systems, celebrate local traditions, support local communities, and shape a tourism industry that gives back more than it takes.

What do the 4C’s mean to us?

CONSERVATION

Protecting the rainforest and its wildlife is central to our mission. We don’t just aim to reduce harm but actively restore and regenerate the ecosystems we manage, striving to leave the grounds better than we found them. Our goal is clear: no species will face extinction under our watch.

COMMUNITY

Conservation only works when local communities are fully engaged and supported on their terms. We start by understanding and addressing their immediate needs, building trust through meaningful partnerships. Once those foundations are in place, we work together through educating staff, rangers, and neighboring communities, to protect the forest and create shared value that benefits everyone involved.

CULTURE

We recognize Cambodia’s layered history and resilient Khmer culture, embedding this understanding into how we host, hire, and collaborate. For us, culture also lives in the forest. Respect for both people and place guides our partnerships, daily operations, and how we engage with guests and the land surrounding us.

COMMERCE

Financial sustainability is essential to our conservation work. A strong business allows us to expand ranger teams, deploy more camera traps, and invest in the tools needed to protect the forest effectively. Balancing purpose with profit is key to long-term impact.

Our Impact

We believe that true regeneration goes beyond nature alone. That’s why we aim to create a positive, lasting impact across all 4Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce.

To keep our efforts meaningful, we actively reflect on and measure our impact. This helps us learn, adapt, and continuously improve as we grow.

Our Impact In Figures:

- Area Protected – 18,073 hectares
- Illegal equipment confiscated – 9,191 items
- Animals rescued – 55 animals
- Trees planted – 40 trees
- Saplings nursed – 100 saplings
- Compost Produced – 6,200 kg
- Local jobs created – 17 jobs

Conservation

Cardamom Tented Camp is a pivotal player in the conservation of Botum Sakor National Park, Cambodia’s largest national park, which spans 171,250 hectares. The camp itself is situated within the 18,073 hectare economic concession, an area of dense lowland forest rich in biodiversity. This region is a haven for endangered species, including the clouded leopard, sun bear, dhole, sunda pangolin and the pileated gibbon. Additionally, it is part of the South-West Elephant Corridor, one of the last remaining habitats for Asian elephants in Cambodia.

The camp’s conservation strategy involves close collaboration with Wildlife Alliance, whose rangers patrol the area to combat illegal logging and poaching. Since the rangers began their work in 2013, there has been a significant decline in illegal activities, with thousands of snares and numerous homemade guns confiscated. This direct action is crucial for preserving the park’s ecosystems, which range from evergreen forests to mangrove areas, making it one of Southeast Asia’s most diverse and pristine natural reserves.

Alongside our conservation efforts in the national park, we make sure our own footprint remains light. Here’s how ‘we walk the talk’ on-site:

Solar Panel

Our nearly 9kW solar system powers the entire camp 24/7, easily supporting 28 guests and 18 staff at full capacity. It’s fully integrated with a backup generator and smart remote monitoring, so we always know how it’s performing. After several years of operation, the system has proven to consistently charge our batteries to 100% each day, even when most tents are occupied. We only run the generator on rare long dark days of the monsoon season, and we’re confident the solar setup can handle a full house without any issues. To keep our energy use efficient, we avoid high-powered devices and use gas for water heating and cooking, with solar as the reliable backbone of our energy needs.

Wastewater Management

Our multi-stage wastewater system treats water using septic and settling tanks, followed by a natural rock and sand filtration bed designed for double our capacity. The clean water is then slowly released into a small wetland, where native plants help absorb nutrients, ensuring we protect local ecosystems and the nearby Preak Tachan River

Waste Management

We recycle as much as possible, metal, glass, cardboard, and the small amount of plastic we still use. Every item is sorted and handled with care to reduce what ends up in landfill.

On-Site Composting

All food waste is composted right here at camp. This nutrient-rich compost supports the grounds of the organic garden we’re currently developing, helping us close the loop and return nutrients back to the land.

Filtered Drinking Water

To cut down on plastic pollution, we filter all drinking water on-site, with a reverse osmosis system. Guests are encouraged to refill their reusable bottles throughout their stay, for fresh, clean, and plastic-free water.

Craft Beer from Glass Waste

Glass bottles don’t go to waste here. Most of our beer bottles are repurposed through a creative local partnership with Flowers Nano-brewery, which produces our very own beer, called Cardamom Mountains Steam Beer.

Community

We believe conservation only works when communities are fully engaged. That’s why we focus on building strong, respectful relationships with the people who call this region home.

Local Hiring

Our staff are hired almost entirely from nearby villages, creating stable jobs that reduce reliance on harmful practices like logging and poaching. We also invest in training, giving our team the tools and confidence to build lasting careers in tourism and become local stewards of the forest around them.

Local Sourcing

We prioritize locally grown food and regionally made products, ensuring that your stay directly supports Cambodian farmers and businesses. This way, the benefits of tourism stay rooted in the community.

Culture

We believe that true cultural appreciation means honoring both the rich heritage of local communities and the natural ecosystems we’re part of. From Khmer customs to the rainforest’s environment, we integrate both into our daily operations, guest experiences, and long-term conservation efforts.

Lodge Infrastructure

Due to the camp’s unique location within a protected area, special focus has been laid from the start on sustainable building techniques, and incorporating the natural environment, rather than cutting down trees and clearing construction space.

Local Cuisine

Our kitchen celebrates the rich flavors of Cambodian cuisine. Each day, our cook prepares a menu using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. Guests enjoy home-style meals that reflect Khmer traditions, often featuring recipes shared by our local team or inspired by nearby villages.

Have you ever tried the Cambodian lime-pepper dipping sauce? Be sure to ask for it when you’re here!

Commerce

Your stay keeps the forest standing. Profits from every stay goes into protecting the forest. This includes supporting ranger patrols, deploying camera traps, and restoring the ecosystem through tree planting and sapling nursing. The camp also plays a vital role in raising awareness about regenerative tourism, showing how travel can give back to nature. Together, we help reach a wider audience and ensure the Cardamom rainforest continues to thrive long into the future.

Partnerships

We work closely with our partners, Wildlife Alliance, Minor, the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, and The Long Run to ensure our conservation efforts are effective, accountable, and growing.

Guest Support

Guests actively choose to support our mission through personal donations, helping us expand our impact and strengthen the protection of Botum Sakor National Park. Contact us @ to enquire about the possibilities.

Future Plans

Growing Our Own Food

We’re excited to be experimenting with new ways to grow our own produce right here at camp. From double-bucket potato planters and a hanging herb garden, to raised beds for a variety of vegetables and herbs, our goal is to build a small but thriving garden system that supports our kitchen and showcases sustainable growing methods.

Community Education & Engagement

We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with our neighboring communities to raise awareness around environmental protection in ways that are practical and relevant to daily life. Our goal is to connect with local needs and build trust over time.

We plan to start with an essential topic: waste management, a recurring challenge in many rural parts of Cambodia. From there, we aim to gradually expand into topics like composting, soil health, sustainable farming, and the importance of forest ecosystems. Our English-speaking team members are also preparing to offer free English classes at the local school. Small but meaningful efforts we believe can make a lasting impact.

Partners

The Long Run

Cardamom Tented Camps joined The Long Run in 2023, embarking on a sustainability journey committing to a holistic balance of the 4Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce, to contribute meaningfully to the biodiversity and the people of their local region.

The Long Run is a membership community of nature-based tourism businesses committed to driving holistic sustainability. Their community is global and growing. Each member aspires to maintain a healthy and productive planet for posterity. Collectively, they conserve over 23 million acres of biodiversity and improve the lives of 750,000 people. They support, connect, and inspire nature-based businesses to excel in the highest sustainable standards via the tried and tested 4C framework.

Learn more about The Long Run here.

Wildlife Alliance

Wildlife Alliance is a global non-profit organization committed to protecting wildlife and forests. Since 2002, their dedicated team in Cambodia has worked closely with the Royal Government to strengthen protected areas, combat illegal activities, and support local communities in adopting sustainable livelihoods.

Through integrated forest management, law enforcement, policy advocacy, sustainable income programs, wildlife rehabilitation, habitat protection, and environmental education, Wildlife Alliance has achieved significant conservation milestones in Cambodia.

In just over a decade, Wildlife Alliance has helped preserve more than 1.7 million acres of forest, canceled 36 industrial concessions, and assisted over 5,000 people in shifting from destructive practices such as illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, charcoal production, and slash-and-burn farming to sustainable livelihoods that benefit both village economies and natural resources. The organization has also rescued more than 60,000 live animals from poachers and traffickers and provided environmental education to over 150,000 students and community members.

Their Southern Cardamom Forest Protection Program, supported by the Cambodian government and the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), protects one of Asia’s last remaining elephant corridors: the South-West Elephant Corridor. This internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot within the Cardamom Mountain Range is a critical watershed and carbon sink. Eighty-four forest rangers patrol nearly 1.7 million acres of rainforest daily and nightly, including the 18,073-hectare JW-Concession where Cardamom Tented Camp is located.

Operating from six strategic patrol stations, these dedicated rangers disrupt illegal logging networks, confiscate equipment such as chainsaws and traps, dismantle sawmills, apprehend poachers, and rescue wildlife.

For more about Wildlife Alliance’s work in Cambodia (and internationally), visit wildlifealliance.org.