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 ...
Extractive industries licensing and payments
Overview of an industrial gold mine and refinery in Okvau. Photo taken from the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s Facebook Page, taken on 11 June 2021.Mineral resources are defined as “any substance, whether in solid, liquid or gaseous form, naturally originated by a geological process ...
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 ...
Decentralization and deconcentration
Decentralization and deconcentration are seen as “internally driven” reforms93, where the national government gradually delegates power, involving either administration or finance, to local governments to administer in their locality.27-year-old Sun Sovath supports his family by raising chickens, in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Photo by World Bank Photo ...
SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
SDG 7 focuses on affordable, reliable and sustainable access to modern energy services. This includes ensuring universal access to energy services (SDG 7.1), increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources used to supply these services (SDG 7.2) and doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements ...
Taxation
Heavy trucks on a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo by Phalinn Ool, taken on June 15 2015. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0The Cambodian government’s 2014–18 Revenue Mobilization Strategy aimed to enhance revenue administration and strongly increase the collection of taxes and other revenue. The ...
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 ...
SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure
SDG 9 focuses on the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure and industries, including small-scale enterprises. It encourages scientific research and the upgrade of the technological capabilities of industries. Access to information and communications technology and affordable Internet access are included. The goal has 5 ...
Animals
Cambodian animals are state property under Article 48 of the Forestry Law of 2002. This places the Forestry Administration (FA) in charge of research programs and conservation duties. The FA carries this out through its Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity. Conservation programs in the field ...
Population and censuses
table { width: 100%; } table td { vertical-align: middle; } Cambodians gathering along the Chaktomuk riverside in Phnom Penh to watch boat racing during the Water Festival. Photo by Patrik M. Loeff, taken on 24 November 2007. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.PopulationProvisional results from ...
Marine and coastal areas
In terms of attractiveness, one of Cambodia’s assets is the relative absence of intense development along its coasts, in comparison with neighboring countries. The 440 kilometer-long coastline includes a large area of non-urbanized zones, where locals can make their livelihoods from coastal resources. Cambodia’s coastline ...
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. ...
SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production
One of the key goals of the 2030 Agenda is to “decouple economic growth from resource use and environmental degradation”.344 Sustainable consumption and production involves promotion of resource and energy efficiency as well as reduction of economic, social and environmental costs. These are intended to ...
Infrastructure
A national road in Cambodia. Photo by Pat Scullion, taken on 2 April 2010 under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0Infrastructure describes the built assets that allow a country to function, such as roads, railways, ports, airports, communication systems, electricity and drinking water distribution networks. The Ministry of ...
Anti-corruption
Anti-Corruption Unit, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo by Michael Coghlan, taken on 9 January 2014. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0In the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, released in January 2017, Cambodia ranked 156th out of 176 countries.501 Cambodia has the lowest score of all ...
Rivers and lakes
Tonle Sap lake reflections. Photo from Mariusz Kluzniak. Uploaded on 1 January 2012. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0Despite severe droughts striking the country frequently, Cambodia possesses substantial water resources, mostly contained in the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap great lake and river. The lake ...
SDG 2 Zero hunger
Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) seeks to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”, ensuring universal access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food for everyone at all times. Likewise, it provides a much more comprehensive approach to the issue ...
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. ...
