30 000 Riels Asian Elephant

Cambodia's National Bank has issued gold bullion pieces tied to wildlife conservation themes since the early 2000s, a program that emerged partly from international pressure following the country's admission to ASEAN in 1999 and the subsequent push to formalize its financial institutions. The Asian elephant population in Cambodia — concentrated largely in the Cardamom Mountains and the Eastern Plains — has declined sharply due to habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict, giving these issues a documentary quality beyond their bullion function.

The KM#166 designation places this among a sequence of 30,000-riel gold issues that track closely to one troy ounce, aligning with international bullion standards the NBC adopted to attract foreign collector markets.