Download CDM and forestry

CONTENTS
Introduction
 Changes in Forest Cover
 Reforestation
 Community Forestry
 Forest Policy
 CDM and Forestry
 Recommendation
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Introduction
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Cambodia is fortunate in having extensive areas
of valuable natural tropical forest.
The forest has been seen as a source of timber or
wood for charcoal or fuel wood. In recent years,
more attention has been paid to the importance of
non-timber forest products, including plants for
food and medicinal proposes, rattan, bamboo,
resins and honey, as well as services such as water
conservation and recreation.
As a natural renewable resource, forest has
contributed significantly to socio-economic
development.
 During the last three decades, the
Cambodia’s forest cover has reduced from
13,227,000 ha to 10, 638,209 ha.
 Forest degradation has been caused by
illegal logging, rising demands for fuel
wood and agricultural land, growth of
population and an increasing number of
development programs.

Changes in Forest area
Two main forest categories were classified in
Cambodia: Dry Land Forest and Edaphic
forest. Base on data analysis on forest cover
monitoring in recent years, using satellite
imageries and GIS, the forest cover of
Cambodia has been change during the last
30 years (1967-1997) as below:
 Forest cover declined from 13,227,000 ha =
73% to 10,638,209 ha = 58.6% ( -14.4%)
or about 0.48% per annum.

Non-forest areas increased from 27% to
41.4% (+14.4%). The change in Forest
Land Use (1993-1997) to non-forest area
was about 3.4%. The main change was
urban, rice field and shrub land areas, which
were modified from main forest type.
Reforestation
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Sustainable forest management is a key issue for
sustainable development of Cambodia, and in
order to achieve it, it is important to rehabilitate
forest resources in degraded forest and deforested
areas as well as to conserve and utilize rich natural
forest.
Reforestation was allocated throughout country,
especially on the forest reserves listed before
1970.
Forestry Administration has established
28 Forest Plantation Stations (FPS) with the total
area of 108,453ha. From 1985 to 2002, all FPS
planted amounted to 10,298ha.
 Selected species for planting are exotic and local
species with suitable degraded forest and grass land.
 Education and awareness programs started from
1986 in order to promote participation of local
people. The programs include planting at public
sites during the Nation Arbor Day and distributed
seedling to farmers and stakeholders. From 1986 –
2002, the total area is 818 ha and 21,150,610
seedlings were distributed.
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Community Forestry (CF)
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CF includes any forestry activity that intimately
involves local people.
CF focus on woodlot development in area which
are short of fuel wood and other forest products to
traditional management.
CF manages tree growing at farm level and
processing of forest products to generate income
at the household or small industry level.
CF consisted of 153 at 16 provinces and are
located on the forest land amounted to 62,798 ha.
48,898 families or 209,266 people have
participated in CF.
 The Sub-degree on CF has been approved
by the Council of Ministers on 17 /10/03.
 Preparation of the regulations and
guidelines on CF is on-going.
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Forest Policy
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For the achievement of the goals of environmental
protection, biodiversity conservation, poverty
reduction, economic development, and good
governance, the RGC will endeavor to accomplish
the following tasks:
Forest resource conservation
Good governance
Socio-economic development.
Poverty reduction.
CDM and Forestry
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FAO mentioned about the potential impacts of
climate change on agriculture and forestry.
FAO mentioned that about 25 percent of the
Greenhouse Gas emission is carbon dioxide
(mainly from land use change, including
deforestation), 70 percent is both methane
(ruminant digestion and rice paddies) and nitrous
oxides from fertilizers use, while most of the
carbon dioxide stems from fossil fuel use.
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It is accepted that agriculture and forestry have the
potential to reduce emissions by sources or
remove by sinks.
There is an opportunity for investment in
reforestation project in Cambodia though the new
international climate change mechanism known as
CDM.
CDM allows developed countries to invest in
projects that reduce emissions or store carbon in
forest in developing countries such as Cambodia.
The RGC ratified the Kyoto Protocol in July 2002,
and is therefore eligible for CDM activities.
Recommendation
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Capacity building through implementing pilot
CDM projects are necessary.
Establish sustainable development criteria and
investment priority areas for forestry CDM
projects.
Giving high priority to reforestation, which will
include large-scale plantation and CF.
Network building among entities interested in
CDM between Cambodia and developed country.