Climate change
Voice from Cambodia–Time is running out. Photo by Oxfam International, taken on 21 October 2009. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Climate change is the long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns. While the climate of the earth has always gone through periods of change, modern scientific evidence ...
Forest cover
Cambodian forest cover has reduced dramatically in recent decades. In 1973 there were 13.1 million hectares of total forest, but by 2014 the total cover had fallen to 8.7 million hectares. ...
Terms and definitions
Defining and measuring forests is not an easy business. Definitions that initially sound very similar can turn out to have crucial differences. Understanding the terms is important for understanding forest use, forest cover, forest laws and policies and deforestation. ...
Oil refineries
There is currently no oils refinery in Cambodia. Although a refinery has been planned, its construction has been delayed several times, reportedly over financing difficulties. ...
Adaptation
UN’s Bali Climate Change Conference. Photo by Oxfam International, taken on 4 December 2007. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0Climate change is a continuing problem. In Southeast Asia, Cambodia is one of the countries that is most affected and underprepared. As it is a developing country, ...
Cooking fuel
Firewood and charcoal are the main sources of energy for households and many small and medium enterprises, such as brick and tile industries. The cooking fuels used in Cambodia have changed greatly in the last decade. The National Census 2008 showed that 91 percent of ...
Types of state-protected areas
Flooded forest in Cambodia. Photo by Andrea Kirkby, taken 11 May 2014. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.A 1993 royal decree designated 23 protected areas covering about 3,273,300 ha, equal to around 18% of the country’s total land area, and brought them under the jurisdiction of the Ministry ...
On-shore oil and gas exploration and extraction
Nineteen onshore blocks have been delineated for possible oil exploration. Contracts have been awarded for three. No oil is currently extracted in Cambodia. ...
Provincial and local governments
Patients are registered during the outreach screening at Vien Health Center. Photo by Community Eye Health, taken in 2006. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0The Kingdom of Cambodia is an indivisible state. The country’s administration at all levels and in all sectors falls under the same ...
Ministry of Commerce
In 1996, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) was established by law. Its organization and functioning is defined by a sub-decree of the Royal Government of Cambodia. After a nomination of the Prime Minister’s candidate and the vote of confidence on the cabinet by the National ...
Fish farming and aquaculture
Fish farmers operating cage culture, Cambodia. Photo by O. Joffre/WorldFish, taken on 3 October 2009. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Aquaculture production has grown significantly. In 2012 it stood at 74,000 tonnes, or almost 11 percent of total fishery production. By 2016 it had grown to ...
Fishing, fisheries and aquaculture
Cambodian fish farmer checking on fish quality. Photo by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), taken on 16 October 2012. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Cambodia’s inland capture fisheries are among the largest in the world. The fishing industry encompasses subsistence, commercial and recreational fishing, as ...
Forest classifications
The classification of forests is set out in the Law on Forestry 2002. The law applies to both natural forests and plantations, and “defines the framework for management, harvesting, use, development and conservation of the forests in the Kingdom of Cambodia. The objective of this ...
National government
Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy. According to the 1993 Constitution, although he is the head of state, the king has very limited powers compared to the prime minister, the head of the government. Unlike the 1947 Constitution, power does not come from the king but ...
Relevant ministries
The Ministry of Environment is the main authority mandated to oversee environmental issues, including protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and management of natural resources. ...
Patient rights
Access to quality healthcare is fundamental to enhancing citizens’ livelihoods and advancing towards more sustainable growth and development in countries all over the world. Along with increasing public demand for better health infrastructure and adequate access to healthcare services, many countries face the need to ...
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries
Cambodia’s national parks (or ‘natural parks’) and wildlife preserves were established under the 1993 Royal Decree on the Protection of Natural Areas. Although other areas have been added subsequently, there is currently no officially available list of all protected areas and their boundaries. ...
Sustainable Development Goals
In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This contained 17 items that have become known as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), intended to drive action in critically important areas to the year 2030. These goals have ...
Hydropower dams
In 2003, a national sector review for hydropower was prepared by the Ministry for Industry, Mines and Energy (now Ministry of Mines and Energy) and the Cambodian National Mekong Committee (CNMC). This report identified 60 possible sites for hydropower development in Cambodia and estimated the ...
