42
CAMBODIA
not officially recognized by the government but are those supported by several organizations and agencies, see Table below. Therefore, there is a need to get the
local Forestry Administration involved in these activities so that the networks can be strengthened and officially recognized.Provincial networks can provide opportunities
for local government, CF communities and LNGOs to interact and share experiences and also provide a forum to raise awareness of issues related to community forestry.
Meetings are generally held on a quarterly or semi-annual basis and organizers report that participation has generally increased with each meeting.
Table 2 Provincial Community Forestry Networks Provincial Network
Supported by Participants
5. Basic Steps in Establishing Community Forestry
The CFSD and draft CF Guidelines Prakas provide explanations on how to establish community forestry in Cambodia. The steps for formal community forestry
establishment in the Permanent Forest Reserve of Cambodia are summarized below. 1. Community Forestry Formulation - In this preliminary stage, interested
communities receive basic information about community forestry from the Forestry Administration or a non-governmental organization. Interested communities submit
an application certified by the village chief and the commune or district council to the Forestry Administration cantonment for approval. In this stage a working group is set
up to collect information about the community and the use of forest resources and a report is developed that will serve as the basis for future management planning.
2. Development of CF Management Structure - In this stage the Community Forestry Management Committee CFMC is established. A temporary election
committee is established and candidates are elected by the community. 3. Development of CFMC’s By-Laws - CFMC by-laws are developed by the
CFMC with assistance from the Forestry Administration or NGOs as needed. The by- laws are approved by the CFMC Chief and recognized by the Commune Council. The
by-laws are then disseminated to community forestry members for implementation. 4. Boundary Demarcation and Planning - With the assistance of the Forestry
Administration or NGOs if needed, the boundary of the community forest is demarcated FA Cantonment,
Concern, PLAN, Seila PLG
FA Cantonment, Concern, CFICFAC,
LWF FA Cantonment, GTZ
FA Cantonment, Concern FA Cantonment, FAO
CFMC, Commune Councils, District
government offices, Provincial government
offices, LNGO Same as above
Same as above Same as above
Same as above Kompong Cham
Kompong Chhnang Kompong Thom
Pursat Siem Reap
Sokh Ty
43 using GPS. This requires the involvement of community members as well as
representatives from adjacent villages in order to avoid future conflicts over boundary locations.
5. Development of Community Forestry Regulations – Community forestry regulations are developed by the CFMC with assistance from the Forestry
Administration or NGOs as needed. The regulations must be approved by the CFMC Chief and recognized by the Commune Council, district authority, and the Forestry
Administration Cantonment. Approved regulations are distributed to community forest members to involve them in implementation and enforcement.
6. Development of Community Forestry Agreement - A Community Forestry Agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities of the CFMC and the Forestry
Administration is drafted and approved by the Forestry Administration Cantonment. 7. Development of CFMP - The CF Management Plan is developed with technical
assistance from the Forestry Administration or NGOs. The process involves community participation, training, data collection, analysis and mapping. The final draft must be
approved by the Head of the Forestry Administration upon recommendation by the Cantonment Chief.
8. Monitoring and Evaluation of Implementation - Monitoring and evaluation is a critical and on-going part of the community forestry process and will ensure that
community forestry activities are implemented according to the community forestry regulations, agreement and management plan.
6. Overall Achievements
