Conservation International yesterday celebrated the launch of a joint trust fund with the government to sustain environmental work in the Central Cardamom Protected Forest by releasing rare footage of elephants captured in the region last year.

The camera trap footage shows 12 wild Asian elephants, including youngsters, the largest group spotted in the Cardamoms for a decade. It’s hoped the fund will pay for research, monitoring and community engagement activities in the area, which cost about $500,000 annually.

Kickstarted with $2.5 million from the Global Conservation Fund and the Daikin Corporation, the fund aims to raise $10 million and become self-sustaining, said Forestry Administration country director Chheng Kimsun.