Copper
Copper exploration is concentrated in Preah Vihear province in the northern part of Cambodia. The most active explorer is Australian-based Geopacific Resources, in collaboration with Cambodian tycoon Kith Meng’s Royal Group. Geopacific Resources is working with Cambodian-based Royal Group at Kou Sa, a 158 km2 ...
Quarrying
Small-scale quarries producing construction materials are a key part of the mining industry in Cambodia. Clay for brick and tile manufacturing and sand and gravel are found in many locations.Under the Law on Mineral Resource Management and Exploitation (‘the mining law’) there are six types ...
Iron and steel
Although Cambodia is believed to have iron ore resources and a number of exploration licenses have been granted, no significant finds have been reported. There is no commercial mining of iron ore in the country. While ambitious plans for mining and steel plants have been ...
United Nations
Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia in New York. Photo taken from the UN website on 22 September 2022.The United Nations (UN), founded in 1945 and guided by the UN ...
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 ...
Wild capture commercial fishing and natural fisheries
The fishes on Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. Photo by llee Wu, taken on 10 September 2010. Licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0The 2006 Fisheries Law classifies fishing activity into three broad categories: family or subsistence, small-scale and commercial.Commercial fishing is allowed only in the open season ...
Expropriation
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Land Law of 2001 both guarantee an individual’s right to property protection. Though part of the Government’s policy framework since 2002, not until 2010 did a legal framework exist to govern the process by which the ...
Water resources
Geographically, Cambodia is rich in rivers and water bodies. These water resources play an important role in economic and social development, particularly in agriculture, industry, environmental protection and tourism sectors. ...
Protected areas
As Cambodia emerged from years of conflict, pressures grew on natural resources and sensitive areas. In response, a number of protected areas were created by royal decree in 1993 to protect ecologically and culturally important places. More detailed guidelines on managing the country’s protected areas ...
Ground water
Cambodia relies heavily on its groundwater resources to overcome water shortages during the dry season. More than half of the population depends on it when enough surface water is not available. At a certain depth, the ground is saturated with water, and the upper surface ...
Land transfers
Land transfers in Cambodia assume a variety of forms involving both public and private entities. The right to transfer property to another and to be protected from forced transfer is essential to land tenure security. Land transfer capacity is a source of value for landowners, ...
United States aid
The United States of America (the US) is one of the biggest donors to Cambodia.125 126 The history of cooperation and relations between the two countries can be traced back to the early 1950s after Cambodia received full independence from France. In 1955, the first ...
State private land
All land that is not state public property or is not privately owned is de facto state private land. State private land may be sold, exchanged, leased, granted as concessions, or otherwise alienated. ...
Artisanal mining
Artisanal mining is small-scale mining that typically involves individuals, family groups or small communities, often working with limited technology. The mining may be seasonal, fitted around other work such as farming. There is a large overlap between this type of activity and gemstone mining. Artisanal ...
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. ...
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. ...
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 ...
Mitigation
Together, fighting climate change. Photo by 350.org, taken on 12 October 2010. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.Clean Development MechanismThe Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), defined in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to ...
