Field-Based Insights into the Challenges of Sustainable Forest Management in Cambodia

抄録

In Cambodia, forest cover decreased from 73% in the 1960s to 41% in 2020. The causes of deforestation and forest degradation include forest clearing and agricultural expansion, large-scale illegal logging, and timber trade following the issuance of Economic Land Concessions (ELCs). The impact of deforestation continues due to the overexploitation of forest resources by the growing population and unofficial ELCs. The massive forest loss in Cambodia has increased the risk of natural disasters, decreased the biological and genetic diversity of indigenous trees, and jeopardized local livelihoods where residents have traditionally relied on forest resources. Therefore, the Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation (ERECON) has been addressing the challenges of forest loss with the aim of sustainable community development across Cambodian provinces. Initiatives are formed by integrating all three organizational programs, including: 1. Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation - We recommend promoting participatory reforestation and management activities, enhancing carbon sequestration through agroforestry, conserving biodiversity through mixed planting of native tree species, and promoting genetic diversity through the propagation of seedlings. 2. Utilization of Natural Resources: Enhancing natural resource circulation through agroforestry, compost making using locally available organic resources, and promoting sustainable forest resource utilization. 3. Environmental Education: Promoting capacity building of local communities through workshops, training sessions, and participatory rural appraisal methods; formulating management groups that play a central role in managing planted seedlings; strengthening the capacity of schoolteachers; and promoting environmental education in elementary schools. In the program year of 2024, the project on promoting school environment greening, aiming for forest environmental education in Tboung Khmum Province, as well as the project on promoting reforestation and education for sustainable development in Siem Reap Province, were implemented. Based on the cases implemented in both provinces, the achievements and challenges of sustainable forest management in Cambodia are discussed.