This document discusses land grabbing and forest conflicts in Cambodia. It provides context on land disputes and the policy framework governing economic land concessions and community forests. A case study from Kampong Speu province examines a conflict between a mining company's concession and a community forest. While the mining caused anxiety, environmental damage, and distrust, it also strengthened community action and awareness of the need to clarify forest tenure rights. The implications are that ambiguous property rights and lack of coordination among government bodies undermine sustainable forest management.
5. Policy framework
• Land law 2001; Sub-decree 146/2005 on ELCs
• Main purpose: economic growth,
employment, equity and social justice
• ELCs granted by the MAFF
• Area cannot exceed 10,000 ha
• Maximum contract 99 years
6. Policy framework
• CF emerged in early 1990
• Forestry Law 2002 recognizes CF
• Sub-decree on CF 2002
• Sub-decree on guidelines for CF (Prakas) 2006
• CF can be granted for 15 years
7. Kampong Speu
Conflict over land between
ELCs and Community Forests
Source: http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/land2012/map-carving_up_cambodia-march2012.jpg
8. The case of Kampong Speu
Community Mining company
• In the process of CF • Received concession from
development with Forestry Ministry of Industry, Mine
Administration (FA) and Energy (MIME)
• Clearing on “my land” • Land clearing (legal permit),
backed by the military
• Noise, pollution, damage to
trees and garden • Company stopped operation
• Asking for compensation,
protests, seized bulldozer
9. Negative Impacts
Anxiety and fear
Disharmony
Distrust
High costs
Environmental
Degradation
10. Positive Impacts
Stronger Increased Pressure for
collective awareness tenure clarity
action for forest
protection
11. Lessons learned & implications for
SFM
• Ambiguous property rights; legal policies vs.
de facto local forest management
• Coordination among government bodies
• Cultural importance of forests
12. Thank you
For further information please contact
Yurdi Yasmi
yurdi@recoftc.org
www.recoftc.org
Notes de l'éditeur
This is part of RECOFTC’s regional wide research on forests and land conflict in Asia involving 6 countries: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam The case of Cambodia is extremely interesting in highlighting how efforts to achieve SFM at local level through Community Forestry being hindered by unfavorable land use policies The case illustrates policy framework and governance but also looks into livelihoods and natural resource aspects
Land has become a contested resource in Cambodia in recent years due to rapid economic development policy Conflict over land is reported regularly in popular media Many of those conflict also involve violence
A study by NGO Forum on Cambodia records the numbers and frequencies of land conflict over the year In general, there is an increased in terms of number and intensity of the conflict Many of those conflicts are over agricultural land (53%), residential land (24%) and forest land (10%)
This is the land concession map recently released showing that almost 4 million ha have been handed over to Economic Land Concessions (ELC), mainly rubber plantation, and mining concessions This is 22% of the total land area of Cambodia Quite a number of those concessions overlap with protection forests and nature reserves