International Symposium on Restoring Satoyama Landscapes  
The Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) and the Institute of Environment Rehabilitation and Conservation (ERECON) under the financial support 
of the Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Environment Fund has conducted the International Satoyama Symposium in “Program on Promoting Sustainable Use of Natural Resources through Restoring and Conserving Satoyama in Cambodia” for two days from 14 to 15 September 2013 at RUA in Phnom Penh. 
Satoyama refers to the regions that have mountain, forests and people living around, so that they want to conserve Satoyama landscapes for human 
well-being. In this symposium, there are about 90 participants including the trainees from three areas from Battambang, Kampong Cham and Mondulkiri Provinces, the students, lecturers and professors from RUA, the representative from the Ministry of Environment (MoE), as well as the trainees from Japan.  
This symposium aims to summarize and disseminate the experience and the lesson learned from the program activities which have been done for 3 
years, and to discuss about the action and the strategy for restoring and conserving Satoyama landscapes in Cambodia, as well as to provide the Leader Training on Restoring and Conserving Satoyama Landscapes to local people from those above three areas. 
Professor Dr. Ngo Bunthan, Rector at the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), said that Satoyama landscapes refer to the socio-ecological 
production landscapes which human gets the benefit from it for their livelihoods. For supporting their livelihoods, people’s activities have strong influences on Satoyama landscapes as well as natural environment, especially ecosystem. So it is very important to restore and conserve Satoyama landscapes for human well-being as well as environment. Promoting awareness of conserving natural environment and ecosystem is very important, and organizing symposium and training for local community is a good approach for enhancing local people’s awareness on conserving natural resources.  
Professor Dr. Machito MIHARA, President of the Institute of Environment Rehabilitation and Conservation (ERECON) as well as Professor at 
Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA), mentioned that this symposium is a part of outcome of the “Program on Promoting Sustainable Use of Natural Resources through Restoring and Conserving Satoyama in Cambodia” under the financial support of the Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Environment Fund that has been implemented from 2010 to 2013, and today the symposium is the last stage of the program. This program has been collaborated with the Ministry of Environment (MoE), the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) and the United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS). 
The Institute of Environment Rehabilitation and Conservation (ERECON) is a non-profit international organization established in April 2000 in 
Japan. This organization shall aim to contribute to sustainable use of natural resources in Asian countries. In Cambodia, ERECON has started collaboration with the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) since 2007 and acknowledged by the Royal Government of Cambodia in 2009. Several projects have been implemented in Cambodia.                                                                      (Newspaper: Koh Santepheap Daily on 16 September, 2013)                                       