The AFoCO and the Forestry Administration (FA) of Cambodia collaboratively organized a training workshop on “ICT-based Forest Fire Prevention and Control,” held from 05 to 06 May 2025 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This training workshop is one of the key activities of the regional projects “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Adaptation to Climate Change and Forest Fire Management in the Mekong Region (AFoCO/037/2023)” that is funded by the Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF). As part of the ongoing collaboration, this event was also jointly supported by the regional project “Capacity Building on Enhancing Resilience to Forest Fire, and Local Livelihood and Market Linkages (AFoCO/032/2022),” which is primarily funded by the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF).
The two-day training workshop was organized with the aim of building capacity and strengthening the efforts of forestry officials at the national level. It also aimed to share knowledge with other stakeholders, including sub-national foresters, local authorities, community forestry, and private forest plantation companies, in preventing and protecting the forests from fire. The workshop focused on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and technological equipment, drawing from experiences that have been implemented in the Republic of Korea.
The first day of the event was held indoors at Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa in Siem Reap City. The training workshop commenced with an opening session led by Mr. Chan Ponika, Deputy Director General of the Forestry Administration (FA) and Head of the Forest Fire Management Technical Working Group (FFM-TWG), in collaboration with Dr. Lee Yeongjoo, Head of the AFoCO Regional Office for Mekong and Regional Project Manager of the AKCF-funded project.
In his remarks, Dr. Lee Yeongjoo stated, “The rise of new technologies and specialized equipment is very important, but more important than anything else is human capability.“
Mr. Chan Ponika also emphasized, “While forest fire suppression efforts are necessary, preventative measures with smart technology are more effective and less costly.”
After the opening session, the event resumed with a progress report on implementing the pilot works of the FFMS, presented by a member of the FFM-TWG of FA. Currently, the team has been attempting to carry out new tasks delivered by the projects, such as operating the ICT-based FFMS in the “Forest Fire Management and Control Room (FFM Control Room)” located at the FA headquarters in Phnom Penh, and the CCTV-equipped lookout towers at the project site located in Samaki Meanchey District, Kampong Chhnang Province. The report session concluded with a plenary discussion, during which feedback from the participants was collected, challenges were identified, and suggestions were raised.
The workshop continued with professional guidance and instruction delivered by the project consultant team and a forest fire suppression expert from the Republic of Korea. Mr. Jung Geohwi, a member of the MKCF-funded project consultant team, provided an enhanced lecture on the ICT-based FFMS, focusing on the use of the smartphone application named “FFRanger,” which was developed with functions for forest fire incident reporting as well as communication for monitoring by connecting to the FFMS server located in the FFM Control Room in Phnom Penh. This session strengthened the capacity of the FA officials who attended the previous training course on “ICT-based FFMS,” held from 10-14 February 2025 at the Forest and Wildlife Training Center in Phnom Penh. At the same time, the lecture shared and introduced knowledge and experience to new participants, including FA senior officers—who engage in strategic planning and policy formulation—and other stakeholders such as sub-national forestry officers, local authorities, community forestry groups, and private forest plantation companies, who may directly work with the system on the ground once the pilot projects are successfully implemented and scaled up in the future.
Additionally, the training workshop introduced participants to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology in the field of forestry and forest fire management, which was presented by Professor Park Joowon, lead consultant of the MKCF-funded project. Last but not least, Mr. Kwak Raeyoung from the AFoCO Secretariat, who has over 30 years of experience operating fire suppression engines and fighting forest fires in the Republic of Korea, provided an overview of Hyundai’s brand-new vehicles equipped with fire suppression engines. It is worth noting that, with the support of the AKCF-funded project, Cambodia has received two brand-new vehicles equipped with forest fire suppression engines to support project activities, especially for the series of FFM training at national, sub-national, and community levels.
Lecturing and Plenary Discussion during the training workshop
The training workshop on its second day was conducted outdoors in the compound of the Cambodia-Korea Forest Recreational Site and the Dalbergia Seed Source Forests, located in Banteay Srey District, Siem Reap Province. Participants had the opportunity to practice hands-on operation of drone flights for forest fire monitoring over the areas of the Dalbergia Seed Source Forests. The foundations of UAV operation, including relevant laws and regulations, were introduced and discussed. The outdoor activities continued with the operation of forest fire reporting and monitoring using the “FFRanger” application on smartphones.
Practical exercise on operating drone flight and using the FFRanger Application with smartphones
The outdoor activities were also conducted with guidance and instruction on using vehicles equipped with engines for fire extinguishing and control. Before the practical operation of the engines, the instructor introduced all the functions of the vehicle and engine, to name a few: the operation panel, P.T.O. function, high-pressure pump, and fire pump. Following the manual instruction, a demonstration activity of forest fire suppression was carried out onsite.
Practical activities
The training workshop is one of the key activities under the regional project “ICT for Adaptation to Climate Change and Forest Fire Management in the Mekong Region (AFoCO/037/2023),” which serves as a showcase of technological innovation in the use of ICT for fire prevention, detection, monitoring, and management in the Mekong region. In line with the ICT-based forest fire management activities, the project is designed to provide capacity-building programs for government officers, communities, and the private sector. Strong synergy has been created with the project “Capacity Building on Enhancing Resilience to Forest Fire, and Local Livelihood and Market Linkages (AFoCO/032/2022),” and more impactful outcomes are expected to be delivered.
Technicians from the government, communities, and the private sector will continue to receive training to provide comprehensive technical support in the implementation of the ICT-FFMS. In time, they are expected to serve as trainers themselves, playing a key role in forest fire detection, monitoring, and response directly on the ground.
Drafted by Chhorn Vireak, AFoCO MKCF Country Project Coordinator