Establishing a Sustainable Production System for Rattan Products in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

Rattan handicraft in the making. Greater Mekong region

Here in this rattan factory 'Kuy Meng' 30 people are employed. An average volume of monthly sales of 210 units is being supplied to markets in Preah Sihanouk, Kampot and Siam Reap provinces, as well as in the Phnom Penh capital.

Interviews with villagers and other sources indicate that rattan species are being over-harvested, and some species are at risk of local extirpation. As part of the second phase of WWF’s rattan project, preferred systems of harvest are developed and tested at pilot studies carried out at community level to assess the potential of alternative products and agro-forestry plantations.

Rattan leaf