Deforestation in Cambodia
[1] Deforestation has directly resulted from poorly managed commercial logging, fuel wood collection, agricultural invasion, and infrastructure and urban development.
Indirect pressures include rapid population growth, inequalities in land tenure, lack of agriculture technology, and limited employment opportunities.
[4] The Cambodian government has been broadly criticized domestically and internationally for these contradicting policies, and a general lack of enforcement of environmental laws.
[9] The RGC has set a Cambodia Millennium Development Goal to maintain national cover of 60% of total land area by 2015.
[13] Despite potential gains from utilizing forest resources, the government has faced pressures from domestic and international groups that are concerned about deforestation.
In a briefing document published in 1996, Global Witness describes how the RGC secretly creates forest policies that benefit them, their allies in the Thai government, and foreign businesses.
Another Global Witness report in 2015 said, "government and industry insiders, including people who work for Okhna Try Pheap, indicated that entrenched corruption had ensured loggers in his network were given safe passage and immunity from timber confiscations and penalties.
"[15] This report also named Cambodian timber magnate Try Pheap at the center of a large illegal logging enterprise driving Cambodia's rarest tree species to the brink of extinction.
[16] The last decade has seen central forest management placing a priority on commercial timber interests which often coincide with large scale deforestation.
This has led to over-logging, conflicts with local communities over rights, and limited contribution to national development and poverty alleviation.
Supporters of the policy argue that ELCs to encourage investment from abroad, new technology for agriculture, linking of trade markets, and create new jobs.
On the other hand, critics of the policy argue that ELCs will disposes local communities of their land rights, threaten their livelihood, and create social problems.
[24][25] A study conducted by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute found that poor households in the survey gained 42 percent of their livelihood value from forests, equal to $200/household annually.
Forests provide positive impacts on their surroundings such as watershed protection, carbon storage, recreation, and biodiversity conservation.
Decrease in forest cover contributes to erosion, flooding, and siltation of streams which compromises water currents which directly support the livelihoods of the Cambodian people.
[11] Deforestation negatively affects the productivity of Cambodia's freshwater bodies which provides food in the form of fish for many Cambodians.
Inundated forests allow for phytoplankton and zooplankton development, shelter for juvenile and adult fish species, and serve as reproduction zones.
However, high productivity, biodiversity, and rich vegetation have declined in the last several decades due to deforestation and other environmental degradation and overexploitation.
Freshwater fish is the basic and most prevalent food of Cambodia after rice, it makes up 70% of animal protein in Cambodian diets.
Deforestation has decreased fishing capabilities by reducing the area available for productive ecological activities such as breeding in addition to restricting access for fishermen.
Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary serves as the habitat for over 60 species listed as Globally Threatened, Near-threatened or Data Deficient by IUCN criteria.
[citation needed] Approximately 200,000 indigenous people always are identified in 24 groups scattered over 15 southwestern and northeastern provinces of Cambodia.
The goal of community forests is not to make profits or directly support the current residents by itself, but rather to promote sustainable and effective use of environmental resources and their fair distribution for the present and future generations.
[33] Community forests only cover 2.8 percent[33] of Cambodia's land area which is extremely small compared to the concessions given to commercial forestry.
[34] This law recognized the rights of indigenous communities and the general public to participate in decision making on managing and conserving biodiversity in a sustainable approach.
[3] The communities are the ecological safeguards and they cooperate with the Ministry of Environment to patrol the forest and protect against environmental crimes such as illegal logging and poaching.
This policy established an inter-ministry platform for combating climate change effects through the improvement of natural resources and forest area.
[41] REDD+ is a program that allows private companies to purchase and protect carbon stocks from developing countries as a part of cooperate social responsibility (CSR) or climate commitments.
[citation needed] The annual Arbor Day holiday on 9 July, early in the rainy season, is when Cambodians are encouraged to plant trees.
Educational programmes on seeds and soil are offered in schools and temples, and afforestation measures are advertised through TV and radio.
