Photo 4 Workshop for villagers

Besides conducted workshops, in order to enhance knowledge and awareness on natural resource in their communities, the leader training of natural resources survey at community level and tree nursery management was conducted at Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), Cambodia.

In April and May, 2011, natural resources surveys at three regions were conducted to investigate the natural resources existing as well as the degree of its degradation and the natural resource utilization and management of local communities. The surveys were supported by local people who attended the natural resources survey.

The results of the surveys revealed that in the program areas, forest cover ranged widely from plentifully in Mondulkiri to moderately in Battambang and rarely in Kampong Cham. Forest resources have high influence for villagers’ livelihood, especially in Mondulkiri that villagers conduct slash and burn farming practice with low input and depend mainly on rain-fed. From this practice, upland rice products in this area are insufficient for household consumption. Villagers’ main income was generated through non timber forest products, especially wood resins and wild honey.

In Battambang Province, moderately forest areas still exist. Main source of villagers’ income comes from agricultural products such as mung bean, corn, orange and mango. In order to maintain certain quantity and quality of their products, villagers apply agro-chemicals in their farmlands. This practice tends to damage soils and water environment.

Forest area around the villages was entitled as community forest. Thus, forest resource utilization has to be done under the regulations settled by the committee of community forest. Aside from the committee of community forest, monks who stay in temple nearby community forest also support forest conservation. According to their agriculture practice, villagers in this area are slightly depending on forest resources. Nevertheless, community forest is playing a role for promoting cooperative mind among neighboring communities and villages’ members.

In Kampong Cham province, there is no forest existing in the program area. Moreover, average size of villager’s farmland is very small at around 0.5 hectare per family. The villagers increase the diversity of trees and plants in their home garden for obtaining food, fruits, shade, construction woods, fuel woods, spices and herbs. The diversity in home garden provides food and fuel wood security for villagers. Especially in this area, without natural forest to rely on, the villagers try to imitate the diversity of natural forest in their backyard.

The level of dependence on forest resources of villagers in three regions is different, but a similar point is that forest areas have been decreasing continually in the last 30 years. Villagers in the three regions adapted their way of living to the existing natural resources. However, threats and degradation that occurred to forest resources is affecting their livelihoods.

According to the results of natural resources survey, it was concluded that reforestation to increase biodiversity in local communities is needed. Thus, materials and knowledge for making tree nurseries were provided for villagers in the program areas. Villagers can use tree nursery as a seedlings source for reforestation activity or for growing in their home garden for increasing biodiversity in the backyard. Villagers can decide tree species that they want to grow and practice tree propagation at the nurseries. Trees from local nurseries that managed by villagers can be used to restore the degraded natural resources as well as to enhance their well-being.