Forests and forestry

Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo by U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh on 09 June 2016. Licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.Cambodia had over 8 million hectares of forest resources in 2020, accounting for 44.7% of the country’s total land area. 1 The state owns the whole forest ...

Cambodia is struggling to safeguard its forests while preserving economic growth since many people make a living via farming, logging, and other activities that might lead to deforestation. Almost 80% of Cambodians living in rural regions rely on forests for survival. On the other hand, ...

Deforestation has always been a problem in Cambodia since the 1970s, and it has aggravated in​the last decade. Some protected areas have been deforested. Between 2001 and 2018, Cambodia had lost 557,000 hectares (11.7%) of forest cover in protected areas.1 This loss has had an ...

The protection of Cambodian forests is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Environment. There are, however, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the area, from United Nations (UN) agencies and other global bodies to locally-registered ...

Logging truck in Mondulkiri protected forest , Cambodia. Photo by Global Water Forum, taken on 23 February 2014. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Cambodia is deeply concerned about deforestation. While the country seeks fast economic development, forests represent a tremendous national treasure. In order to help ...

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. ...

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 ...

Protected Forests are generally established under individual sub-decrees, specifically for the purpose of protecting biodiversity and conservation. They are home to many endangered or threatened species. ...

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 ...

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. ...

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. ...

Forest cover is the area of land covered by tree canopy. Measuring and reporting this can show the different types of forest that exist and the areas of each, and how these areas change over time. ...

Cambodia’s forests have seen a significant reduction of total forest and dense forest cover in recent years, the growth of plantations, particularly rubber, and an ongoing problem with illegal logging. ...

Deforestation has been one of the most significant changes the Cambodian landscape has undergone in recent decades. Key drivers of this process have been land concessions and subsequent land conversion, and large-scale illegal logging. ...

The Forest Law of 2002 provides a legal basis for rural communities to use and help manage forests through community forestry. ...