Cambodia: Strategy to Improve the Management of Biodiversity and Protected Areas
As a follow-up to the UN Conference on Environment and Development and, particularly, the Convention on Biological Diversity, in 1992, the Kingdom of Cambodia passed, in November 1993, a Royal Decree establishing the designation of 23 national protected biodiversity areas, covering approximately 18% of the country's total land area. In November 1994, the National Assembly passed the Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Management to further advance biological diversity conservation and clarify the mandate of the Ministry of the Environment as concerns the protected areas and environmental management, more generally.
Although the 1994 Law has contributed to improving the legal foundation of environmental policy in Cambodia, the government lacks institutional capacity, financial resources and trained human resources to effectively manage the protected areas, monitor and establish baseline data, and contribute to the effective environmental management and biodiversity conservation.
The Government of Cambodia has been working closely with bilateral aid agencies, nongovernmental organizations and international organizations to strengthen institutional capacity.
Source: Pao Sophal, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia, Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Main Natural Resources and the Environment in Cambodia
