Community Forestry (CF) Faces Challenges in Legalization Process
BY CHHIM SOPHEARK
CF network representatives from Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Oddor Meanchey, Kratie Stung Treng and Kampong Thom discussed problems in approval of community forestry in a CF Network meeting in Pursat on July 30-31, 2009.
Organized by the Community Forestry Office of the Forestry Administration (FA) and Oxfam GB The meeting was attended by more than 160 key participants from the above provinces, representing CFs, NGOs, local authorities, FAs, and private sectors, including land and forest concession companies. Unfortunately, only a single representative of a land concession company attended the event of fourteen companies invited.
Representatives from the six provinces reported that there are many challenges they are facing, impeding the establishment of CF’s, and resulting in a massive impact on the CF’s people livelihood. The most challenging issue, not yet solved, is that their CF applications have included forests within the boundary of a forest concession or on existing economic land concession.
The CFs also reported that the process of community forestry legalization is unnecessarily complicated, time consuming, and authorities are not responsive. Anarchic forest clearing and illegal logging in community forest by the powerful remain common. CFs associations have limited capacity and lack funding to manage their forests.
Speaking in the meeting, Mr.Francis Perez, Oxfam GB Country Representative, applauded CFs’ associations’ efforts to preserve the forests which support their lives. “The issues CFs have raised are the challenges we all face in Cambodia. We have to be aware of and we shall continue and work together to seek out appropriate solutions,” he said. Hundreds of forest community applications are still pending in offices of both provincial governments and the forestry administration, he said. He acknowledged the important role that FA and authorities at all levels have been playing in the support of community forestry establishment and submission of requests for legal recognition from Ministry of Agriculture. In the meantime, he encouraged all stakeholders to work out together solutions to the challenges raised in the discussions.
Forest communities were first set up in Cambodia in the 1992 to preserve forests and promote livelihood of residents. Based on the 2002 Forestry Law, a forest community can use and manage its forest to benefit the community for 15 years, following an agreement with the forestry administration. The office of community forestry office has been striving to submit requests by legally recognized CFs to Ministry of Agriculture for official agreement by the end of 2009.
At the present time, 377 forest communities exist across the country, covering nearly 350,000 hectares of land, according to June statistics at the Ministry of Agriculture’s forestry administration. One hundred twenty four forestry communities have been legally recognized by Ministry of Agriculture, and among those, 59 forestry communities in Kampong Thom, Siem Reap and Oddor Meanchey have officially signed agreement with Ministry of Agriculture, according to Mr. Lao Setha Phal, acting director of community forestry office.
Approximately 33% of total CF areas in Cambodia have been supported by the European Commission via Oxfam GB and Oxfam GB itself since 2005. Sixty CFs in Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Oddor Meanchey Kratie, Stung Treng and Kampong Thom, covering 119 616 hectares are active. In cooperation with the Community Forestry Office of Forestry Administration, nine
CFs have been granted legal rights to manage, use and benefit from forest resources.
The participants also discussed and agreed on a joint work plan outlining solutions to the challenges, individuals responsible for actions and a timeline.
(Source: D&D Bulletin, the publication of the Commune Council Support Project, Volum 8 No.7, July-September 2009)