Cambodia

Land of the legendary Angkor Wat, Cambodian civilization goes back to as early as 4000 BC. As a nation that relies heavily on agriculture, Cambodians are very concerned about climate change even though Cambodia’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions have been extremely low. Cambodia has undertaken environmental campaigns as well as urged industrial countries to do the same. In 2009, Cambodia hosted the First National Forum on Climate Change.

Cambodia is Joining the Race for Green Energy

Early in 2010, the first biomass briquette factory in the country opened its doors. Based in the capital of Phnom Penh, the Sustainable Green Fuel Enterprise factory is turning waste coconut husks into clean fuel. Ly Mathheat, Director, Sustainable Green Fuel Enterprise stated, "why do we want people to use this environmental charcoal and replace the wood charcoal? Because firstly, we want to save our green forest, and secondly we want them to know that this product was made from waste that gives less smoke and poses less of a threat to human health and it gives better heat for cooking compared with wood charcoal." The plant director recommends consumers switch from wood charcoal to coconut briquettes, not just for the environment’s sake but also for their own health benefits.

The Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity was inspired by the world community's growing commitment to sustainable development. It represents a dramatic step forward in the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The following discusses Cambodia's plans for biodiversity nationwide:

Biogeographically, Cambodia is a tropical country dominated by lowlands along the Mekong River and Tonlé Sap Lake, where agriculture is concentrated, and three mountain regions in the Southwest, North and Northeast. Knowledge at the species levels for plants and animals of Cambodia remains very limited. According to IUCN Redlist, 39 mammals, 36 birds, 15 reptiles, 38 plant species are listed as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near-threatened or data deficient (SoE, 2004). Surveys and studies in the country on the other hand listed 28 mammal, 21 bird, 7 fish, and 30 plant species as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. There are 114 known reptile species and 8 known amphibian species. Four species, 2 mammal and 2 bird species, are believed to have been extinct from Cambodia since 1990 (SoE, 2004, p. 130-136). Due to lack of research, very little is known about the genetic diversity within species and there is serious lack of information on distribution and occurrence of wild species and wild relatives of crops in the country. Nevertheless, over 2,000 varieties of rice and several wild rice species have been identified and/or used in the country. A mix of wild and domesticated animal genetic resources has been reported. In terms of ecosystems, Cambodia has agricultural, forest, inland waters and marine and coastal ecosystems. The main threats to biodiversity are increased population pressures, lack of planning and poor law enforcement in natural resource management and uncertainties in land tenure. In addition, natural resources have been privatized and frequently overexploited.

The vision identified in Cambodia’s NBSAP is “equitable economic prosperity and improved quality of life through sustainable use, protection and management of biological resources”. The Strategy provides a framework for action at all levels to enhance Cambodia’s ability to ensure the productivity, diversity and integrity of natural systems and, as a result, the ability as a nation to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of all Cambodians. The main strategic goals include: (a) maintaining biological diversity and productivity of ecological systems by protecting the various species of living organisms in their natural and manmade environments, especially forests, aquatic ecosystems, wetlands and agricultural land; (b) managing human activities and utilizing biological resources in a way that preserves for the long term the basic natural resources, which are necessary for human livelihood and development; (c) ensuring that the benefits coming from the sustainable use of biological resources contribute to poverty reduction and improve quality of life for all Cambodians. Priority actions adopted by the government can be grouped in three broad categories: (a) promoting awareness and capacity building of government staff and local communities for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of biological resources; (b) promoting the implementation of community-based natural resource management; and (c) clarifying ministerial jurisdictions, reducing responsibility overlap and promoting interministerial coordination and collaboration in a sustainable development perspective.

Source: Convention on Biodiversity