Deforestation in Cambodia
Encyclopedia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
has one of the highest rates of deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
in the world, third to only Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, according to a 2005 report conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(FAO).
Cambodia's primary rainforest cover fell dramatically from over 70% in 1970 at the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
to just 3.1% in 2007. Deforestation is accelerating at an alarming rate, with overall rate of total forest loss at nearly 75% since the end of the 1990s. In total, Cambodia lost 25,000 square kilometres of forest between 1990 and 2005, 3,340 square kilometres of which was primary forest. As of 2007, less than 3,220 square kilometres of primary forest remain, with the result that the future sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
of Cambodia's forest reserves is under severe threat.
Community forestry units in Cambodia
| Province | No. of districts | No. of communes | No. of Community Forestry units | Area (km²) | Supporting organizations | Officially recognized by... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banteay Meanchey | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10.74 | CARERE, IFAD | PFO |
| Battambang Province Battambang Province Battambang is a province in northwestern Cambodia. It is bordered to the North with Banteay Meanchey, to the West with Thailand, and to the East and South with Pursat. The capital of the province is the city of Battambang. The name, meaning 'lost staff', refers to the legend of Preah Bat Dambang... |
6 | 6 | 17 | 39.5 | ADESS, CARERE | PFO |
| Kampong Chhnang Province | 3 | 9 | 13 | 8.48 | Concern | PFO |
| Kampong Speu Province | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4.385 | Oxfam-American, Prasac II, LWS, GTZ | PFO |
| Kampong Thom Province | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7.001 | CFRP | PFO |
| Kampot Province | 3 | 3 | 12 | 50.355 | GTZ/RDP | PFO |
| Koh Kong Province Koh Kong Province Koh Kong is a province of Cambodia. The name means "Kŏng Island Province". Its capital is Koh Kong.-Geography:The most south-western province of Cambodia, Koh Kong has a long undeveloped coastline and a mountainous, forested and largely inaccessible interior which embraces part of the Cardamom... |
2 | 2 | 2 | 32.54 | CFRP, AFSC/SLP | PFO |
| Kratie Kratié Province Kratié or Kracheh is a province in northeastern Cambodia. It borders Stung Treng to the north, Mondulkiri to the east, Kampong Thom to the west, Kampong Cham and Vietnam to the south.... |
4 | 5 | 12 | 16.378 | SMRP/CFRP | PFO |
| Mondulkiri Province | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3.26 | SMRP/CFRP | PFO |
| Oddar Meancheay Province | 5 | 6 | 12 | 5.581 | GCP/CMB/NZE/CFI | PFO |
| Preah Vihear Province | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5.885 | BPS, Oxfam GB | PFO |
| Pursat Province | 5 | 11 | 13 | 33.443 | Seila, Ausaid, Concern, ADESS | PFO |
| Ratanakiri Ratanakiri Ratanakiri is a province in northeastern Cambodia that borders Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, Mondulkiri Province to the south, and Stung Treng Province to the west. The province extends from the mountains of the Annamite Range in the north, across a hilly plateau between the Tonle San... |
6 | 11 | 12 | 125.51 | NTFP, CBNRM, IDRC/PLG/SEILA/UNDP | PFO |
| Siem Reap Province | 11 | 25 | 35 | 115.297 | FAO, IFAD ADESS, EPDO | PFO |
| Svay Rieng | 2 | 4 | 1 | 17.04 | Oxfam GB, CIDSE, CRS | PFO |
| Takeo Province | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4.7517 eht | MCC/DFW/MAFF | PFO |