Support to Community Forestry and Fisheries

More than 70 per cent of Cambodians depend on agriculture and natural resources (fisheries and forests) for their livelihoods. More than 65 per cent of Cambodian women are farmers or engaged in fisheries. Rural communities depend on the country’s rich aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity for their livelihoods. However, this is under threat by social and economic development, as well as natural hazards.

In response the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has taken critical shift to strengthening community benefits and involvement in natural resources management through Community Forestry and Community Fisheries, yet this is only in its starting phase. The potential remains to be fully used in a coherent manner by the numerous NGOs engaged in promoting livelihoods and protecting natural resources.

To improve, increase and scale up support to community forestry and fishery groups in Kratié and Stung Treng provinces in order to allow communities (in particular ethnic communities and women) to secure access to natural resources as a way to improve food security and increase their income.

15 Community Forestry and 15 Community Fisheries groups in totally eight districts in Kratie and Stung Treng Provinces. This represents approximately 4’000 households over an area of 18’000 ha of CF and 10’000 ha of CFi.

1. Target communities in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces have secure access to their natural resources and biodiversity through secured community forest (CF) and community fishery (CFi) agreements and sustainable CF and CFi practices.
2. Households increase their income and diversify food sources through sustainable utilization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and fisheries, and associated strategies that support their livelihood.
3. Enabling policy conditions in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces are improved by integrating cost-benefit analysis of local economic development needs and strategies, and the valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services into local development planning and decision-making frameworks.

Erwartete Resultate:  

• Communities have access to and make sustainable use of ecosystem services.
• CF- and CFi-based livelihoods are assessed and strategies are developed and implemented.
• Livelihood support and resource management actions are in place for CFs and CFis.
• CF and CFi enterprises are established and operational in target communities.
• Ecosystem services, including critical biodiversity habitats, are mapped by local and national stakeholders and evaluated for local decision-making.
• CF and CFi management plans are integrated into commune, district and provincial investment and land-use plans.
• Sub-national capacity to assess costs/benefits of different development scenarios (e.g. hydropower) is increased and applied.
• Sub-national authorities and policy leaders are engaged in national frameworks that influence natural resources and value chain governance.

Resultate von früheren Phasen:  

The programme partners have worked on livelihood strengthening for communities living from forests and fisheries along small projects in Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and Stung Treng and Kratié provinces for many years. NTFP-EP has successfully promoted livelihoods of people living from forests, jointly with WWF who works on sustainable natural resources management. RECOFT TC has successfully supported the establishment of Community Forestry, while CEPA did so for Fisheries. All four NGOs have a strong track record in Cambodia, are well recognized and established, This four NGOs have joined forces to develop a partnership program which brings the good practice developed in landscape management, livelihoods and governance.to a higher scale and links with the National Forest and Fisheries Program. In the opening phase, SDC commissioned a study on lessons-learned, a livelihood options study and a context analysis to inform the Project Document.

Forestry Administration and Fisheries Administration

Ministry Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF); European Union.

Synergies with CHAIN and SNDD

Phase 1 01.04.2014 - 30.06.2017   (Completed)