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Table 1: CF Evolution in Cambodia
Year Events
Remarks
1994 First CF project was initiated
supported by MCC, and NGOs
1996 Community Forestry Sub-Decree was drafted
Supported by several NGOs 1998
Community Forestry Working Group Supported by SMRP-MRC
was formed GTZ
1998 An inter-institutional training team called
Supported by several NGOs Cambodia Community Forestry Training Team
was formed 2000
CF GuidelinesPrakas for implementing the Supported by several NGOs
CFSD drafted by the CF Working Group 2003
Draft CF Sub-decree CFSD enacted 2004
The FA organized a National Community Supported by several NGOs
Forestry Program Taskforce End
It is expected that the draft of CF Guidelines Supported by several NGOs
of 2005 will be finalized and sent to MAFF
3. Policy and Legal Framework
The legal framework supporting community forestry is comprised of provisions in the Forestry Law of 2002 the Sub-Decree on Community Forestry Management of
2003 and the yet to be enacted draft Community Forestry Guidelines Prakas.
Forestry Law
The Forestry Law was approved by the Cambodian parliament in 2002. It came to replace the old forest law which was believed to be ineffective in practice. The new
Forestry Law gives the FA and the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries MAFF the authority to grant areas of Production Forest in the Permanent Forest Reserve to
local communities in order to manage and benefit from the resources therein. The Law states that there needs to be a Community Forestry Agreement which can be for
a period of fifteen years, and that agreements can be renewed based on monitoring and evaluation reports of the Forestry Administration. In addition to the Community
Forestry Agreement, the Law states that there needs to be a Community Forestry Management Plan which is to be reviewed at minimum every five years.
The Forestry Law states that the rules for establishment, management and use of a community forest shall be determined by a Sub-Decree on Community Forestry
Management, and that the guidelines on Community Forestry shall be determined by Prakas unpublished NCFP, 2005.
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Sub-Decree on Community Forestry
As mentioned earlier, the Sub-Decree on Community Forestry Management was enacted in 2003 after a long process of consultation with various stakeholders. It
outlines the basic steps for the establishment and management of community forestry, including key definitions and the roles of various entities in the process.
This Sub-Decree aims at determining rules for the establishment, management and use of community forests throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia. The objectives
of this Sub-Decree include the following:
•
To implement the Forestry Law and other legislation regarding local community management of forest resources;
•
To define the rights, roles and duties of the Forestry Administration, responsible authorities, CF communities and other stakeholders involved in
community forestry management;
•
To establish procedures to enable communities to manage, use and benefit from forest resources and to preserve their culture and traditions while
improving their livelihoods;
•
To ensure user rights for a CF community under a Community Forest Agreement;
•
To support the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policies of poverty alleviation and decentralization;
•
To provide an effective means for a CF community to participate in the reforestation, rehabilitation and conservation of natural resources, forest
and wildlife;
•
To enable citizens to understand clearly and recognize the benefit and importance of forest resources through the direct involvement in forest
resources management and protection; and
•
To provide a legal framework to assist Cambodian citizens living in rural areas to establish CF communities that contribute to the sustainable
management of forest resources.
Community Forestry Guidelines Prakas
At present, the Guidelines known in Khmer as Prakas are still in draft form. It is expected that the draft will be finalized and gain approval by the end of 2005. These
guidelines will fill in many of the details for implementation of the Sub-Decree on Community Forestry Management that has yet to be clarified. In addition, the guidelines
include annexes containing official templates for the Community Forestry Agreement, Community Forestry Management Plan, Community Forestry Committee By-Laws
and Community Forestry Regulations. The Prakas aims at identifying overall guidelines for the establishment, formulation and functioning of community forestry throughout
the Kingdom of Cambodia with the following objectives:
•
Describe the basic requirements in the establishment and implementation of community forestry;
•
Provide an effective working system to ensure the local participation in sustainable community forestry management;
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•
Provide guidelines for the improvement of local institutions in preparing operational plans and monitoring and evaluating the community forestry
implementation process;
•
Assist in the establishment of community forestry, especially in identifying the roles, responsibilities and organizational structure as well as in improving
the relationships among stakeholders in community forestry for better cooperation and coordination with local communities; and
•
Improve information and technology flow for better community forestry management
4. Supporting Mechanisms
