SummaryCambodia supports populations of three Critically Endangered vulture species that are believed to have become isolated from the rest of the species’ global range. Until recently Cambodia’s vulture populations had remained stable. However a recent spike in the number of reports of the use of poisons in hunting practices suggests the need to re-evaluate the conservation situation in Cambodia. Population trend analysis showed that since 2010 populations of the White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus have declined, while the Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris may also have started to decline since 2013. These trends are supported by evidence of reduced nesting success. A survey of veterinary drug availability revealed that diclofenac, the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug responsible for vulture declines in South Asia was not available for sale in any of the 74 pharmacies surveyed. However, a poisoned Slender-billed Vulture tested positive for carbofuran in toxicology tests. This provides the first evidence of a vulture mortality resulting from carbofuran in Cambodia. The findings suggest the urgent need to tackle use of carbamate pesticides in hunting. Proposed conservation actions are: a) prevention of poisoning through national bans on harmful carbamate pesticides and diclofenac and education campaigns to reduce demand and use; b) training of personnel in priority protected areas in detection and response to poisoning incidents; c) maintenance of a safe and reliable food source through vulture restaurants to ensure short-term survival, and d) protection and restoration of large areas of deciduous dipterocarp forests to enable long-term species recovery.

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A simulation case study was conducted to assess the utility of predictive maintenance and database management for lean maintenance applications within a Petroleum Company. At this company the maintenance of pumps was performed internally where feasible. The study explored a proposed lean strategy on the operations of three departments related to the maintenance of pumping equipment. These departments were, the Pump Shop, Stores Department and Shipping and Receiving. Rockwell Automation’s Arena® simulation software was used to study existing and proposed models of the maintenance system and track the key performance indicators of Flow Time, Waiting Time, and Work-in-Process. Analysis of the performance indicators showed a 76% and a 96% reduction in average Flow Time and Waiting Time, respectively. No difference was determined for Work-in-Process at the 95% confidence interval.