MoE achieves more than 7.2 million hectares of natural protected area, or 41% land nationwide

• 17 June 2020
• Property Focus
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Cambodia now has 57 natural protected areas and three diversified conservation corridors (The Northern, Northeastern and Cardamom Mountain areas) covering a total of approximately more than 7.2 million hectares, or 41% of land nationwide, according to a press release from the Ministry of Environment on 16 April 2020.

So far, the Ministry of Environment has preserved and developed these natural protected areas in the following categories: National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Protected Areas, Multi-use Areas, Biosphere Reserve, Natural Heritage Area, Ramsar, and National Parks-The Sea.

Nature Protected areas

By 2020, the protected area covers a total area of ​​over 7.2 million hectares. This area is defined as public land, including the land, the coast and the sea, within areas recognised by the laws or regulations that have been newly created within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment.

According to the Pursat Provincial Department of Environment, Pursat province has a total of 689,297 hectares of natural protected areas divided into six categories: the multi-purpose Tonle Sap National Park, the Central Cardamom National Park, the Cardamom Mountain National Park, Samkos Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Oral Mountains, and Biodiversity Conservation Corridor.

Koh Kong province has 10 natural protected areas on a total area of ​​more than 1 million hectares, including the South Cardamom National Park, the Cardamom Mountain National Park, the Central Wildlife Sanctuary, the Tatai Wildlife Conservation Area (Cardamom Mountains), Koh Kong National Park, Botum Sakor National Park, DangPeng Multi-use areas, Peam Krasoub Wildlife Sanctuary, Koh Kapi Ramsar Island, and Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary.

Nature protected area community

As part of the Natural Protected Areas, there are 168 community protected areas across the country covering a total of 285,609 hectares of forest. These protected area communities act as belts to protect and conserve natural resources and promote livelihoods through the use of forest products and subsistence activities such as farming, farming, livestock, and providing ecotourism services.

Wildlife Sanctuary

Recently, the Ministry of Environment listed more than 50,000 hectares of state land in two protected areas, the “Peam Krasoub Wildlife Sanctuary” in Koh Kong province and the “Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary” located in Mondul Kiri province. This is the first state land registration list among other protected areas.  (Read More)

Since 1993, the MoE has created a number of other wildlife sanctuary in various areas such as Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, Koulen-Promh Tep Wildlife Sanctuary, and Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ramsar area

The Royal Government of Cambodia has listed four wetlands, or Ramsar areas, with a total of 75,942 hectares of wetlands, in three geographical locations and ecosystems: the Tonle Sap, the Mekong River and the Bay areas. In 2018, the 9,293-hectare Tonle Sap core area of ​​the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, located in Kampong Thom province, was the fifth Ramsar site in Cambodia.

Natural Heritage Area

Having recently listed three more mountain natural heritage sites in Battambang and nine in Banteay Meanchey province in May, the government issued a decree to establish 11 natural heritage sites on a total of nearly 30,000 hectares. The MoE is now considering adding some more areas and mountains to be listed. (Read More)

Her Excellency Chan Somaly, Deputy Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of National Council for Sustainable Development (NCDD), said that the Royal Government of Cambodia, through the implementation of deep environmental reforms, had decided to establish a nature protected area with a total land of 41% of the country’s total land area exceeded in the 11th Aichi Target, which states that only 17% should be set by 2020.

According to the results of the MoE performance and progress in 2019 and direction of work 2020, the MoE is preparing legal documents to place the “Lake Yeak Oum-Yeak Ra” as a new natural protected area.