Cambodia strengthens community forestry

In 2010 the Royal Government of Cambodia issued its policy and long-term strategy for sustainable forest management in Cambodia, allocating 2 million hectares of forest to Community Forestry (CF) by 2029.

The role of CF in the sustainable management of forest resources remains as relevant as ever: according to Cambodia’s 2018 Community Forestry Statistics, approximately 500 000 hectares of forests have already been assigned to 636 CFs, and 439 CFs have signed Agreements with the local Forestry Administration (FA). However, only 85 CFs have approved Community Forestry Management Plans (CFMPs), and continued guidance is needed for community forests on how to legally harvest timber and sustain livelihoods through the sale of the timber harvested within CF areas. Timber harvesting is typically capital-intensive, technically complex, and as such increases the cost of the final product. As a result, many CF communities feel that they cannot compete with timber coming from illegal sources.

To this effect, the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme has partnered with RECOFTC to draft technical and legal procedures for CF timber harvesting, with the ultimate aim to establish CF as a sustainable source of legal timber.

Read the full story here: http://www.fao.org/in-action/eu-fao-flegt-programme/news-events/news-de…