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CONCEPT PAPER for a Full Project

1. Project title: The Northern Plains of Cambodia: Establishing a “Conservation Area through Landscape Management” (CALM).

2. GEF Implementing Agency: United Nations Development Program.

3. Country in which the project is being implemented: The Royal Kingdom of Cambodia.

4. GEF Focal Area(s): Biodiversity

5. Operational Program: OP #3; Forest Ecosystems.

6. Country Drivenness (Project linkage to national priorities, action plans and programs):

A letter of endorsement from the GEF Operational Focal Point is appended to the concept paper as Annex 3. Further evidence of country drivenness comes from the following national plans and strategies.

Cambodia: a National Biodiversity Prospectus 1997 Lists the Northern Plains as follows: “Likely to be the largest deciduous dipterocarp forest remaining within the Indo-Chinese province of the Indo-Malayan Realm … Remote, and possibly very old, lowland forest area with major wildlife populations … historically supported the highest density of Kouprey. Other large mammals such as elephant, tiger, gaur, banteng, bear, deer believed to still be present in substantial numbers.”

National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) 1998-2002. The NEAP (1998) does not prioritize Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary due to lack of information, but notes the following “A number of the protected areas such as Preah Vihear, Kulen Promtep …, lie in military security zones or in areas occupied by the Khmer Rouge … Ironically, the security problem has in some way served to protect natural habitats since 1980. Whilst it has not been possible to establish conservation programs in insecure zones, it has also not been possible to undertake large-scale development in these areas.” Based on the little information available it states that Kulen Promtep is “The largest area in the protected area system, intended to protect the kouprey. The principal habitats are lowland open dipterocarp forest (which historically held a high density of kouprey), lowland evergreen/semi-evergreen forest, and the largest swamp in northern Cambodia.”

Cambodia Biodiversity Enabling Activity Project (CMB/98/G33) The UNDP-GEF implemented, FAO executed project is currently under implementation. As yet a draft BSAP is not available, however discussions with the project team indicate that the biodiversity importance of the Northern Plains is acknowledged and is likely to be identified as a priority area for Cambodia.

Ministry of the Environment’s Strategic Plan for 2001-2003 As the government agency responsible for management of protected areas, the MoE’s Strategic Plan for 2001-2003 includes, for Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, plans to: Develop interim adaptive management plan Develop capacity of existing rangers Assess wildlife, natural resource, socio-economic and community issues Evaluate park boundary Coordinate with provincial sub-committee on PA conflict resolution.

7. Context a) Global Significance

1. The deciduous dipterocarp forests that once spread across southern Indochina from Bangkok to Saigon were formerly home to the greatest aggregation of large mammals and waterbirds that have existed beyond the savannas of Africa. These forests have largely disappeared from Thailand and Vietnam, due to burgeoning rural populations and associated pressures on land and resources. In the Northern Plains Cambodia remains the largest contiguous block of this unique and critically important habitat. From the legendary Kouprey Bos sauveli, the symbol of the Cambodian nation, to the near-mythical Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea only recorded a handful of times in 100 years, the Northern Plains of Cambodia are still thought to maintain an unparalleled assemblage of highly globally endangered species not under protection anywhere else in the world.

2. There is an important relationship between the Northern Plains and the Tonle Sap that provides the essential conditions for the existence of some unique assemblages of wildlife. Reflecting this, the project would complement the current UNDP-GEF PDF B formulation for “Integrated Resource Management and Development in the Tonle Sap Region (Cambodia)”. This is an essential linkage for both projects as many of the globally threatened species of the Tonle Sap are heavily reliant on being able to disperse to the Northern Plains when the lake floods in the wet season in order to breed and feed when resources on the lake are scarce. However, far from being a simple flow of wildlife following the floodline, the regeneration of habitats and the movements of wildlife are complex and little understood. Of the two landscapes, the lake has received nearly all of the recent conservation attention, and has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Whilst warranted, the status of the Northern Plains as, firstly, a unique biome and, secondly, as an integral ecological cornerstone for the Tonle Sap, has been entirely neglected. This bias in conservation resources has long-term dangers, which, if ignored, could result in the loss of a significant proportion of regional biodiversity.

3. A host of globally threatened species, such as Spot-billed Pelicans Pelecanus philippensis, Painted Storks Mycteria leucocephala, Greater and Lesser Adjutants Leptoptilus dubius and L. javanicus breed on the lake, but disperse across the Northern Plains in the dry season. Conversely, Sarus Cranes Grus antigone and White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni breed in the Northern Plains and return to the large permanent wetlands on the floodplain at the beginning of the dry season. Furthermore some species, such as the Giant Ibis and Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, still remain enigmas, though a recent preliminary survey of the plains by MoE, MAFF and WCS has established more field sightings of Giant Ibis in one month than have cumulatively been made in the whole of the last century, suggesting a nomadic lifestyle across the plains.

4. In addition to their key value to birds, the plains are also crucial to large mammal conservation in Cambodia and, in fact, the entire region. Many formerly widespread species are now restricted to a few small localities of which the Northern Plains is the largest and have the greatest potential for conservation. Examples of these are Lyle's Flying Fox Pteropus lylei, Hog Deer Axis porcinus, Eld's Deer Cervus eldii, Banteng Bos javanicus, Tiger Panthera tigris, Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrina and Asian Elephant Elephas maximus. Like the waterbirds, these species rely on being able to concentrate in a few key resource areas during infertile or dry times and disperse widely across the floodplains when the water enriches the soil.

5. The Northern Plains is possibly now the only area where the Kouprey may still persist. These charismatic wild cattle, and still the national symbol of Cambodia, has been extirpated from its former distribution in southern Laos, eastern Thailand and southern Vietnam and the only recent reports of this impressive animal date back to the forests of the plains. Any remaining populations of Kouprey would have immense positive ramifications for Cambodia's conservation efforts, not just for its symbolic value to the nation, but also for the profile of conservation, nationally and internationally, and what it can achieve. Other species present also help to underscore the uniqueness of the Northern Plains. On a recent preliminary survey, MoE, MAFF and WCS discovered the Critically Endangered Wroughton's Free-tailed Bat Otomops wroughtoni, a bat that was formerly only known from a single cave in western India.

6. Although the landscape is of demonstrated global biodiversity importance, not enough is known of which elements of this ecosystem are essential to protect and in what way. Such is the vulnerable nature of resources during the seasonal extremes, that although keystone resources (permanent waterbodies, semi-evergreen forest, mineral licks) are distributed across a wide area, they are small in number, localized and especially vulnerable, so that the removal of even one such resource could have significant detrimental affects on unique components of biodiversity. The initial priority therefore is to gather sufficient data on the location, role and significance of these resources as well as on the species themselves. By focusing on these resources and those issues which threaten them, the project will be well placed to achieve immediate and enduring results, and in addition, have positive implications beyond the focal area. b) Threats and root causes

7. The single greatest threat to many of the large mammals, turtles and tortoises, and, to a lesser extent, large waterbirds is hunting; both professionally to supply the international demand for trophies and bi-products, and opportunistically to serve internal or local markets. Subsistence hunting appears mainly to focus on a few less rare species such as pigs, muntjacs and Sambar Cervus unicolor, a factor that should assist efforts to reduce the loss of key species through community involvement. Increasing awareness of which species are threatened and of the related laws, targeting of professional hunting consortia, and the monitoring of major trade routes will all contribute to an essential reduction in hunting that must be achieved early in the project’s life.

8. The area has, up until now, avoided large-scale destruction due to its insecurity and therefore inaccessibility. Human populations are still low, and wide-scale problems with uncleared landmines remain, but already development has begun. Provincial development plans outline the construction of roads, the opening of international border posts and the resettlement in many outlying rural areas of returning refugees as well as former Khmer Rouge soldiers. However, the perceived value of the deciduous dipterocarp timber to commercial forestry is currently low, and although several of the semi-evergreen patches within the area are being heavily exploited by timber extractors, a majority of the system is under comparatively low threat. There are however, plans for future mining and large-scale agricultural development being considered.

9. The Northern Plains was long a stronghold of the Khmer Rouge, and was the last area they abandoned, as recently as late 1998. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) (then as the New York Zoological Society) supported the last major wildlife survey of the area, with the then Department of Forestry, in 1950's before security deteriorated, since when there has been only conjecture as to the effects of the conflict on these forests and its wildlife. Only last year was it safe to return, and a joint team from the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), with technical support from WCS, re-entered the area in November 2000 to begin preliminary biological surveys. Early results suggest that whilst some species are at depressed levels, globally important populations of many large waterbirds and large mammals still thrive in the area.

10. Land tenure in the area is complex as the Northern Plains (as defined geographically below), stretches across the borders of four Provinces; Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear and Stung Treng. It is however centred on Preah Vihear Province which lies wholey within the area. Government authority over the majority of the area is centred on Tbang Meanchey, provincial capital of Preah Vihear Province, and the Provincial Governors Office. Jurisdiction for natural resource issues falls under the Provincial Environment Department (PED) and the Provincial Agriculture Department (particularly the Provincial Forestry Office). The PED is responsible for Protected Areas, as defined below and the PAD for forest and agricultural lands. Overall development priorities for the Province are set out in two year Provincial Masterplans produced by the Provincial Governors Office in collaboration with all line departments. The Department of Rural Development is one of the most important stakeholders in this process. This structure is identical in every province.

11. At the core of the area lies the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary. Declared by Royal Decree in 1993 under the jurisdiction of the MoE and therefore the PED, this is, at 402,500ha, Cambodia’s largest protected area. However, its boundaries remain unmarked, there are no staff working on the ground, and there exists a lack of awareness as to the areas extent or purpose amongst local authorities and communities. The protected area is abutted on three sides by licensed timber concessions, to the east (Samrong Wood) and west (Chendar Plywood) in semi-evergreen forest, and to the south the largest, that of TPP Cambodia Ltd, over 350,000ha of predominantly deciduous forest. All three are members of the Cambodia Timber Industry Association (CTIA).

12. For remaining areas outside of this, tenure is unclear. Perhaps most the important stakeholder however is the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF). Up until 1998 the area was insecure and held by the Khmer Rouge and security issues such as landmines, still remain. Today the area falls under the command of Military Region 4, based in Siem Reap. Through this structure the military is heavily involved in rural development, particularly road development in remote and border areas and resettlement of former Khmer Rouge soldiers, across the whole of the Northern Plains area, but particularly in the north and east. c) Project site

13. The Northern Plains landscape is defined by the geography of the area, its boundaries being naturally delimited by the Dangrek Mountains to the north, the Mekong River to the east and the Tonle Sap Great Lake to the south and west. The map in Annex 2 shows the approximate extent of the Northern Plains. It consists of a complex mosaic of habitats and vegetation forms defined by the quality of the soil, proximity to water and topography of the landscape. On the poorer, sandy soils, deciduous dipterocarp predominate, often dominated by only a few species, creating the classic open forest appearance. Extensive grasslands and seasonal meadows form a patchwork unique to the area, characterized by a variety of grasses, including fire-dependent species, bamboos and marshland specialists. On the richer alluvial soils, often near watercourses, tall, mature dipterocarps form the cornerstone of the more species-rich forests, with multiple canopy layers shading a complex herbaceous understorey.

14. This grand expanse of flat, low-lying land experiences annual extremes varying between intensely dry and semi-aquatic conditions. Ecologically, the result of these extremes is a heterogeneous forest and vegetation structure that has adapted specialist methods of coping with both fire and flooding. Similarly, the wildlife has had to adapt and rely on a few key geographical features during these times; during flooding this is 'high' land and islands of perennial vegetation, and in the dry period the small number of permanent waterbodies. Between these extremes comes a period of fertility and intense growth that results in arguably the richest grasslands in the whole of Asia, prime feeding grounds large enough to sustain what Charles Wharton, working for WCS in 1956, described as "one of the great gamelands of the world".

8. Full Project Rationale and Objectives: a) Rationale

15. The Northern Plains of Cambodia are the largest remaining extensive intact block of a unique landscape of exceptional importance for biodiversity conservation. The Northern Plains is either a last refuge or maintains a key population for 32 species on the IUCN Red List of species of elevated global conservation concern (Annex 1), six are Critical, seven Endangered and a further 19 Threatened. The status and distribution of all these species is little known.

16. Continued pressure from hunting and trade in the above species means that without short-term interventions at the site level, some species are likely to become extinct in the next 5-10 years

17.Due to the seasonal nature of the environment key species are dependent on limited resources such as permanent waterbodies, semi-evergreen forest, and mineral licks that are small, localized and especially vulnerable to disturbance. The removal of even one such resource could have significant detrimental affects on unique components of biodiversity over a wide area. 18.The unique nature of the target area and the threats it faces provides an exceptionally high opportunity for conservation success for precisely the reason why the landscape is so fragile; the keystone resources (waterbodies, semi-evergreen forest, mineral licks) are small, localized and only seasonally vulnerable. By focusing appropriate interventions on these resources and those issues which threaten them, the project has the potential for far-reaching positive impacts on global biodiversity. b) What would happen in the absence of a GEF intervention: the baseline scenario i) Legal and Institutional: National level

19. The current legal framework.1 includes an array of sector-based legal instruments as well as investment and planning laws, both at national level and Provincial level. However, there are many problems, as noted in the section below on Overview of Existing Laws. These include overlapping mandates, uneven implementation, monitoring and enforcement, inconsistent permit and registration systems, financial management in relation to fees and fines, no consistent mechanisms to declare and manage protected areas, and the further need to: build a framework for community level management; for conflict resolution mechanisms; a system of restoration of habitats; and to strengthen existing requirements and institutional mechanisms for consultation and coordination.

20. The current climate of law reform in the Kingdom of Cambodia is encompassing most of these sectors, providing an opportunity for improved integrated management among Ministries and meaningful management at the community level. These are described below in the section on Overview of Proposed Laws. In particular, revised legal instruments for forestry, wildlife protection and land use are at advanced stages in the legal process, and community based management of forests are under review. The opportunity is at hand to systematize a range of issues, such as permit systems, registration, endangered species, wetlands, habitat protection, enforcement and penalty levels. The law reform process, including institutional arrangements, can be developed to ensure that globally significant biological diversity can be conserved in the Northern Plains, and a process of sustainable development can be promoted.

Overview of Existing Laws

Environment Laws 21. Environment laws now in place have been adopted over the past decade, and feature a number of areas, which can serve as the foundation for future biodiversity-based management. These are: the 1993 Royal Decree on the Creation and Designation of the Protected Area System; the 1996 Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management; and the 1997 Sub-Decree on the Organization and Functioning of the Ministry of the Environment, the 1999 Sub-Decrees on Water Pollution Control, Environmental Impact Assessments and Solid Waste Management.

22. Some common themes of these laws include their focus on planning, development and management, and public participation. A National Environmental Action Plan and Regional Environmental Action Plan are required to be decided by the Royal Government and reviewed and revised at least every five years. More so than other existing laws in the Kingdom of Cambodia, they provide for public participation and cooperation with other relevant ministries. The Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management refers to community participation in natural resource management.

Land Laws 23. The 1992 Decree on Land Law currently provides a comprehensive regime for all real property rights, mortgages, succession and other areas. Property rights with land use titles or land ownership in the fishery and forest reserves are State property. Property rights are possessed by Cambodians only. The 1999 Sub- Decree on the Organization and Functioning of the Ministry of Land Management, Urbanization and

1 “Laws” or “legal instruments” in this document refer to all instruments having the force of law in Cambodia, such as Laws, Royal Decrees, Sub-Decrees, Proclamations, etc… Construction designates among the Ministry’s mandates managing land affairs, urbanization, construction, land tenure and geography. Its responsibilities include proposing and implementing a land management policy ensuring a balance between urban and rural development, prepare zoning for economic, social, industrial, tourism, urban and rural development, nature conservation, and cooperate with the Ministry of Environment to protect the environment, protected landscape, natural recreation and ecosystem.

Forestry Laws 24. Existing forestry laws have been under revision for some time, and include the 1986 Resolution on the Role, Responsibility and Organization of the Department of Forestry and the 1988 Forest Law on Forestry Administration. Similar to Fisheries, a 1999 Declaration was issued on the Management and Mitigation Measures for Forest Anarchy.

Tourism 25. The 1996 Royal Decree on the Establishment of the Ministry of Tourism includes, among the Ministry’s responsibilities, determining policy, planning and strategy for tourism development and promoting tourism investment in accordance with the national strategy. It is also to determine, control and maintain natural recreation, artificial tourism areas, cultural tourism areas and tourism development zones.

Provincial Laws 26. Laws have been adopted which specify the organization and functions of Provincial departments or committees relevant to management of natural resources in the Northern Plains. They are, for the most part, comprehensive, but coherent and consistent implementation and enforcement needs to be achieved. They are as follows:

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 27. 1986 Circular on the Role, Responsibility and Organization of the Department of Agriculture – Provincial Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries provides for the protection of natural resources in cooperation with other relevant agencies, and to prepare projects for zoning at the district level.

Environment 28. 1999 Declaration on the Organization and Functions of the Provincial Environment Department - This specifies responsibilities for a range of tasks, including implementing policies, illegal activities in national protected areas, monitoring sources of pollution, inspection, implementation of punishment, data management, public education and an environment education program.

Rural Development 29. 1999 Resolution on the Establishment of a Provincial Rural Development Committee – This specifies responsibilities as including coordinating and cooperating with foreign governments, international organizations, NGOs, national and provincial agencies, private sector and local people to ensure sustainable development of rural areas.

Provincial Authorities – Competence 30. 1999 Sub-Decree on the Competence of Provincial Authorities – The objectives are based on the important role played by provincial authorities in administering the general administrative works, promoting economic development and sustainable environment, and strengthening law enforcement through coordinating functions with the Departments under the indirect control of line ministries. Responsibilities are identified under the categories of preparation of planning and development programs, land management, urbanization and construction, public works and public service.

Overview of Draft Laws

31. As noted above, revised legal instruments for forestry, wildlife protection and land use are at advanced stages in the legal process, and community based management of forestry and fisheries are under review. Land Law 32. In 2001 there will be an enactment of two pieces of legislation on land and natural resource management: the Land Law and the Forestry Law. This will, for the first time, result in sufficient legislation to cope with issues of land tenure, indigenous user rights and resource utilization. Specifically, the land law will provide title to indigenous communities, who register with the State, land that they have traditionally used, including forest land. The positive implications of this are that it offers exclusive use of these areas to local people for their traditional purposes, promoting a stabilization of resource use and increased incentives for local people to manage an area sustainably. However, local government and community awareness of these laws is likely to be low, and there will be a high degree of reliance on NGOs and other institutions to assist with education and empowerment with those that the law relates to most pertinently. The provincial departments of the MoE will also require assistance as the implications for Protected Areas is complex and will need clarification and central support.

Forestry Law 33. The up-coming 2001 Forestry Law mentioned earlier, follows and respects the community title of the Land Law and goes further in ensuring user rights for forest products to local communities living in or near forests, even those who may not be able to obtain title under the land law. The mechanism defined in the forestry law to protect these community rights is a Community Forest Agreement between the Forestry Department and the local community for a specific area within state forest land that the community traditionally uses for subsistence uses. Whilst this is a marked improvement over previous legislation, the complexity and novelty of the law, and the relative inexperience of provincial authorities with regard to law, require that support be given to all stakeholders in the coming few years.

34. The Forestry Law also ensures that all concessionaires will have to take greater care and respect for community title and traditional user rights. Here again, it is unlikely that concessionaires will be aware of these changes, presenting an opportunity for renewed consultation and increased cooperation throughout managed forests, using the law as motivating tool. Concessions will need to take further caution of communities as the definition of traditional user rights has been expanded in the Forestry Law to include all subsistence, non-commercial use and the selling/bartering of NTFPs including common wildlife species.

35. In summary, the new Forestry and Land Laws make significant progress in defining land tenure rights and the relationships between indigenous communities and forests. However, there is no current facility to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of these new laws and it will be necessary for NGOs and other agencies to help increase understanding of the implications and possibilities arising from these laws.

Wildlife Law 36. Some prior legislation contains minor provisions on wildlife issues, but they fail to address several key issues or provide the Forest Administration with authority or incentives necessary for adequate enforcement. Until a wildlife law is enacted there may continue to be a lack of consistency on procedures and jurisdiction governing wildlife. In the present system, there is no consensus between the relevant ministries on wildlife management and enforcement and practices in each province vary based on political power rather than uniform policies. In 2001 a law relating to the protection and management of wildlife developed by the Department of Forestry and Wildlife, with technical legal assistance from WCS, should be enacted. The new laws will provide a clear regulatory framework regarding the management, use and conservation of wildlife and habitat. This includes the following key points:  To establish the management authorities for wildlife issues and provide the duties and functions.  To define the prohibited and permitted activities and procedures regarding the wildlife use.  To list the offences, penalties and enforcement procedures.  To implement certain provisions of CITES.  To establish the Lists of endangered and vulnerable wildlife species in Cambodia.  To promote the education and awareness of wildlife issues. Important issues that this will clarify as pertains to effecting wildlife conservation in specific key areas under the CALM project include:  The authority to establish protected areas for the purposes to protect wildlife and habitat.  A clarification of those species that can be hunted by indigenous communities for subsistence purposes, and those that are entirely protected.

Law on Water Resources Management 37. A draft law on water resources management has the goal of promoting effective water resources management in Cambodia for socio-economic development and welfare of the population, and to ensure a sustainable environment. Its objectives include establishing principles such as management, monitoring, utilization and protection of water resources to ensure their proper development. Water includes rivers, streams, creeks and lakes, which form important components of the Northern Plains, and utilization includes large-scale projects - which require licensing - such as construction of dams, diverting or pumping water, construction of industrial buildings near water resources, large building construction along river banks and dumping of waste materials and other pollutants with a heavy impact on water quality and the environment. The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology is responsible for implementation.

38. The Ministry, in cooperate with other institutions is authorized to declare protected watershed areas in the draft legislation. In considering project proposals, it is charged with concentrating on striking a balance between development requirements and environmental protection, and preserving fishing and wildlife. Prohibition of chemical fertilizers and insecticides can be prohibited where it impacts on water sources.

Preliminary Assessment of Weaknesses in Existing Legal Framework

39. The existing legal framework is, for the most part, being overtaken by reform. The constitution of Ministries and Departments, including forests, agronomy and land, was effected many years ago before the emergence of issues such as biodiversity, integrated natural resource management and community based resource management. Some recognition is being given to current needs by recent environmental laws, but these are management-oriented and still need further legal and institutional development to become strong, credible agencies.

40. Another area of law which will need further clarification and strengthening – both legally and in terms of capacity and institutional strengthening – are the mandates and operation of provincial offices. They will need to ensure that their mandates are consistent with the requirements of the reformed legislation, and as appropriate to accommodate the proposed legislation on community-based management of forestry and fisheries.

41. As noted above, existing forestry/wildlife laws have overlapping competences, and interests, even though they share the same Ministry. Declaration and recognition of protected areas and sanctuaries should be done with improved coordination, which is now largely a matter of informal practice.

42. The landscape or biodiversity approach does not feature in existing forestry laws, and the lack of provision for community-based management is being addressed by a draft Sub-Decree for each Department. These Sub-Decrees, together with the principal law, will need to ensure both rights and responsibilities of communities for natural resource management. In addition, there is the overlay of the Department of Agronomy and its mandate to manage/administer the use of agricultural lands, and the draft law on Water Resources and Hydrology.

43. Permit administration processes for forestry and wildlife and environment are not formally integrated in the existing law. Also, identification of species, areas and habitat that needs protection, is required.

44. Apart from a 1998 Decision concerning the creation of a Commission for Resolving Land Issue in the Provinces and Municipalities throughout the country, a significant weakness in the laws is the absence of conflict resolution. This could be an important feature of community-based management systems.

45. Existing law does not directly provide a system for restoration of habitat or the environment. This could occur upon declaration of a specified area, or as a penalty for degrading the environment. 46. Wherever possible, laws now under reform should be developed to require a built-in consultation process with other agencies or levels of government to eliminate as far as possible any functional overlap or duplication. Facilitating agencies, such as the NGOs, can play a key role in enhancing cooperation in the development of joint legal instruments among agencies.

47. While initiatives have been taken to implement the international obligations of the Royal Government of Cambodia, such as the Convention on Biodiversity or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, existing legislation, on the whole, could be strengthened. ii) Provincial level capacity

48. During the dry season work of 2000/01 a brief review of the status and capacity of the provincial authorities in the Northern Plains was undertaken by WCS staff. The aim was to gather background data to identify potential governmental partners, assess their actual and potential technical capacity, and to understand more of the remit and scope of their workplans.

49. The provinces included were Oddar Meanchey (OM), Siem Reap (SR), Preah Vihear (PV) and Stung Treng (ST), with the provincial offices of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) being the focal points. It should be noted that some provinces have larger areas inside the Northern Plains than others; thus, while only a small and potentially unimportant part of ST lies in the Plains, the areas of OM and SR are larger and certainly more significant. This representation will be reflected in the level at which government departments are involved in any future work in the Plains.

Preah Vihear 50. Paen Vuthy, Director of DAFF was interviewed in T'beang Meanchey. His department is staffed by 45 people and he has one office based in the province capital. Forest concessions inside the province include the whole of Chendar Plywood and parts of Samrong Wood and TPP Cambodia Ltd.. The DAFF's current monitoring in these concessions is minimal, apart from Chendar with whom he works more closely. The DAFF do check the volume of logs leaving the province for tax purposes, but rarely intervenes at the cutting or community level due to a perceived lack of human capacity and financial support. Clearly much of the money for the department and their staff comes from these concessions, though control over them and them is limited and decisions are very much of a Phnom Penh origin. No formal relationship with Department of the Environment (DoE) and no awareness of protected area status or on conservation or natural resource-use legislation.

51. The Department of Environment (DoE) has recently completed a new building for itself in T'beang Meanchey and is staffed by 30 people. The Director, Koi Khun Chanrroat, is responsible for the Kulen Promtep Wildife Sanctuary and for a small part of Bung Per WS. Kulen Promtep WS officially has 20 rangers from the department, but in reality there are no funds for them to work in the area.

NOTE: The following is taken from the MoE's Strategic Plan for 2001-2003 Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary 2001-2003 1. Develop interim adaptive management plan. 2. Develop capacity of existing rangers (some recruited but some problems with placing them). 3. Assess wildlife, natural resource, socio-economic and community issues. 4. Develop basic park infrastructure; ranger stations and Park HQ. 5. Evaluate park boundary (really understand where it is, what the situation is etc, before demarcation). 6. Coordinate with Provincial Sub-committee on PA conflict resolution.

Reference :Strategic Plan of Ministry of Environment 2001-2003

National Level Dept B 2001-2003 7. Capacity building of staff of Dept B. 8. Strengthen role of dept and learn and share experiences. 9. Coordinate with stakeholders. 10. Integration of community livelihood developments with PA management. Any future activities in the area should assist the MoE with these objectives for KPWS and ideally across a wider area where priorities are located.

52. The DoE is surprisingly well supported in terms of staff and the new office, and the director genuinely feels as if he can do something in Kulen Promtep if he and his staff were supported. Although technical capacity is low, and training in a number of fields would be required, the fact that the director and his senior staff genuinely seem interested and motivated by what WCS were doing was encouraging. He is clearly willing to commit his staff, space and time to future work and, with training and experience, his staff have excellent potential. The support from Protected Areas Office of the MoE should aalso not be underestimated. The director, Lay Khim, has shown exceptional levels of interest and commitment thus far, and has actively sought WCS's assistance with helping him meet some of the objectives in the Strategic Plan for KPWS.

53. Overall, Preah Vihear is the central and key province in the Northern Plains landscape and offers rare opportunities for conservation planners. The MoE and MAFF are well represented in the area, if only at this stage by man-power and offices. Whilst technical capacity building and increasing the ability of the departments to work beyond the town boundaries are both essential activities, the foundations are in place to be able to staff manage a landscape-level project in the area. The tacit support, at all levels, for the work that WCS has undertaken has been unprecedented in Cambodia. Even the 1st deputy Governor, Bun Sarun, is a former employee of wildlife protection office of the DFW and was so motivated by what WCS was trying to initiate, that he issued a decree to ban all hunting in his province and had it distributed to all communes.

Oddor Meanchay/Siem Reap 54. Oddor Meanchay is a new province, being part of Siem Reap up until the mid-1990s. The development of the OM has been slow and much of the administration still comes from Siem Reap, thus they are considered together here. The northern section of SR and the eastern section of OM lie within the Northern Plains, though this area is crucial as it contains one of the only significant tracts of evergreen forest in the whole of the north. The MoE are not represented in OM, but have 35 staff members in SR under the director Cheu Phall, though many of his staff work in Phnom Kulen National Park. Responsibilities for OM are not clear for the MoE and this is an area of weakness, though the SR office and capacity is high and WCS is already training MoE staff members from SR.

55. The MAFF are represented in both provinces, headed by Seang Narrong in OM and Van Sophana in SR. WCS already has a strong relationship with Van Sophana and his staff, and WCS has a provinicial office in SR that would be well placed to coordinate SR activities. WCS also has an existing relationship with Seang Narrong of OM, who has consistently supported efforts related to wildlife issues, and this relationship should be used to establish a similar ones with the DAFF from OM. The SR department has over 40 staff members and many are currently not assigned to full-time activities. Van Sophana is very keen to have his staff get further training and involved in ourr activities in the Northern Plains. He is a strong ally and genuinely supports what WCS is doing in Siem Reap already.

56. The fact that WCS already has an office in Siem Reap and a history of projects in the area, should be recognised as an opportunity to strenghten any the Northern Plains work in the west. Similarly, the relationships that WCS have already established with senior government members of the key provinces should be used to strengthen implementation activities and to help establish others, especially in the military, police and concessions.

Stung Treng 57. Only a small portion of ST is within the NP, just west of the Mekong River. Whilst the MoE have 20 provincial staff members, their operations are very much centred on the Mekong itself and areas to the east and south of the NP. The role and input of both the ST DAFF and DoE in any project will be dependent on the status of the Everbright logging concession which juts into the NP area from Kampong Thom. If the August forestry review decides to maintain the concession, then the DAFF, under Nun Chan Samean, will have specific and limited involvement in the area; if it is removed, then the many possibilities for management of the area will be debated and the DAFF will probably push to be the responsible government agency. This potentially could offer any landscape level project with an opportunity to start at the planning stage of an area, and to bring to bear many of the new land laws that should be approved by then. MoE has a limited presence in the province though it does have 20 staff members operating mainly on Mekong River issues. MAFF would almost certainly be the major partners in ST, though further analysis may show that Stung Treng is not an important part of the Plains and activities should concentrate on the three provinces of OM, SR and PV.

The Military 58. As with most regions in Cambodia, the military are an influential though somewhat amorphous body in the Northern Plains. Their role in the Northern Plains is changing as the security situation eases, and there are encouraging signs that troops are being used more for construction and less for logging purposes, as is the case in many other areas of the country. The Governor of Preah Vihear is also a military general, further underpinning the army's position as a key government stakeholder in any activity in the area. At an even higher level, WCS has already established a strong relationship with General Keo Tuy, the army commander of Military Region 4, which subsumes most of the Northern Plains, and he has a well known interest in wildlife. His position of authority and support for WCS is another excellent opportunity to avoid potentially one of the most serious threats to wildlife and their habitat in the country: the army. Movements and settlement of troops could jeopardise the integrity of forested areas, as often troops are under-supplied and seek to supplement provisions and income, through hunting and logging, using the considerable logistical resources that they possess. These activities are some of the most difficult to monitor and control, thus it is of the highest relevance that WCS maintains and builds upon the good relationships that currently exist with the military.

Summary 59. Preah Vihear, as the province with the largest proportion of land in the NP and being centrally placed, is the obvious choice for the centre for any work WCS intends for the future in the NP. The two main government partners are the provincial offices of the MoE and MAFF, both of which have a suprisingly high level of representation in the area. The MoE, in particular, has invested considerable resources into Preah Vihear and has an office and staff which can physically, if not technically, implement a reasonably large project. Staff of both ministries are clearly underemployed in all provinces with the exception of Siem Reap. There is considerable evidence to suggest that investment in training in these departments will result in their sustained ability to act on conservation issues throughout the area. Clearly, though, current technical capacity does not permit an examination of the conservation issues of the NP and this needs to be facilitated by WCS and possibly other NGOs.

Other organisations working in the Northern Plains 60. Clearly, the experiences and input of other NGOs and agencies working in the region will be crucial to future long-term work in the area. This is especially so in Cambodia, as due to the low Government capacity NGOs play a critical role, particularly at provincial level. Below is an annotated list of these groups and their presence in the Plains and WCS’s relationship with them.

Health Unlimited (HU) 61. Currently operating in Preah Vihear working on a wide-range of health and developmental issues. Has a relatively long history of working in the province and has close ties with government bodies, but currently has scaled down activities due to operational constraints. One foreign staff member, five central staff and 10 local staff are employed in the province. WCS and HU have shared workplans and there is scope for collaboration on a number of fronts, especially in gathering more detailed community data.

Partners for Development (PFD) 62. Extensive capacity and experience in Stung Treng province and has undertaken a feasibility study into extending into Preah Vihear. Remit is very broad but, importantly, includes a strong background in water management, natural resource management, village planning and agricultural extension activities. Initial discussions with PFD indicate a strong potential for cooperation, especially if the decision is made to enter Preah Vihear. PFD would complement WCS's skills well should be encouraged to participate in future work in the area.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 63. Experience mainly east of the Mekong, but has been undertaking provincial-level planning in Stung Treng and has a strong grounding in this field in other provinces. WCS and WWF cooperate closely in Cambodia and currently co-manage two projects, so future work should look to continue this in Stung Treng, if not in other parts of the Plains.

FAO Siem Reap 64. The project “Participatory natural resource management in the Tonle Sap Region”, implemented by FAO and funded by the Belgian Government, began in 1995 and is now approaching its third phase. The overall objective of the project is “sustainable management of natural resources within the Tonle Sap basin through local community participation for the benefit of rural people and communities”. Emphasis is on facilitation of community resource management. The project currently works throughout Siem Reap Province in both “upland” and lakeside areas, and WCS through it’s Siem Reap office has a longer standing cooperative relationship with project staff. This includes in sharing of counterparts, provision of technical advice, training and use of resources. In the third phase of the project, to begin in 2001, a major objective is to extend into neighbouring provinces and serve as a regional center for community resource management. As such, working in both Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap and potentially adjacent parts of Preah Vihear, and with a strong existing relationship with WCS, FAO Siem Reap’s activities and expertise will play a major role in guiding natural resource management initiatives in the Northern Plains over at least the next four years. iii) UNDP’s work in governance

65. In 1995 the Government adopted the UNDP Cambodia Area Rehabilitation and Regeneration programme-demonstrated development strategy as a national experiment under the name SEILA ("foundation stone" in Khmer). The Cambodia Area Rehabilitation and Regeneration programme (CARRERE) and other donor support is situated within the framework of the SEILA initiative. The CARERE budget is being supplemented by co-funding from the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the Netherlands, Sweden and the European Union. Further, complementary support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF, WFP and the World Health Organization, along with collaborative arrangements with international and national NGOs are expanding the scope and delivery capacity of the SEILA/Cambodia Area Rehabilitation and Regeneration programme. With increased political support and budgetary commitment from the Government, this initiative is being converted into a national programme for promoting local economic development through the strengthening of local governance structures and the promotion of participatory and decentralized planning and provision of public services and financing. As already demonstrated, the SEILA initiative has the potential to bring about social cohesion, behavioural change and organization in the village and commune settings in regions where the social fabric and production organization had been largely disrupted or even dismantled during the country's prolonged war. It will also serve to reintegrate former Khmer Rouge-held territories into the country.

66. Micro and small credit is crucial for rural income-generating activities. UNDP support has been successful in developing the management and credit operations of the Association of Cambodian Local Economic Development Agencies, a national NGO providing credit to the poor, especially women who represent 80% of the Association of Cambodian Local Economic Development Agency's clients. Further UNDP support will be aimed at transforming the Agency into becoming a bank for the rural poor - in line with the approach expressed in the Government/International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Policy Framework Paper - including the forging of new partnerships arrangements such as with the International Finance Corporation.

67. Support to the Government for the Establishment of a Legislative Framework is aimed at building governing capacity at commune level. UNDP helped the Government to draft the legal framework for the election and administration of commune councils in the form of a draft Commune Election Law and the Commune Administration Management Law. These laws were signed and promulgated on 19 March 2001. It is hoped that they will become the legal basis for democratic decentralisation in Cambodia. UNDP’s work in this area is part of its support for a broad programme of state reforms being undertaken by the Government. In the field of natural resource management, UNDP’s Forest Crimes Monitoring project led directly to the nation-wide logging ban introduced in 2000, pending a thorough review of the process of awarding logging concessions, governance of concessions, and appropriateness of concession boundaries. Consequently, logging in the Northern Plains is currently halted.

68. UNDP support to the formation of local governance structures has contributed to bringing about social cohesion and socio-economic progress at the provincial and lower levels. Experience derived over the past three years demonstrates that participatory development and decentralized interventions at the local level are not only effective in generating local development, but also make a difference to people's lives. The desired impact has been more limited when cooperation has been directed at policy and regulatory developments, and institutional capacity-building at the level of central government. The effectiveness of these much needed capacity-building interventions can be increased as the Government makes progress in reaching consensus on policy decisions, in streamlining weak decision-making processes and structures along with concerted high-level policy support, in upgrading the professional character of the public service, and in providing an adequate budget and incentives. iv) Understanding of the ecosystem

69. As described above, wildlife surveys were undertaken in the 1950’s by the government, with the assistance of WCS. After several decades of conflict, the capacity of the government to conduct surveys has been drastically reduced. However, WCS has commenced a programme of work to train government personnel in survey techniques, and to assist in conducting such surveys. WCS has already invested more than $220,000 in these efforts, and over the next 12 months will commit another $537,000. This survey work will dramatically improve the understanding of the ecosystem, and will form the basis of a “living landscapes” approach to conservation by identifying and mapping the keystone resource features in the landscape. v) Global environmental consequences in the absence of a GEF intervention

70. There is interest in conservation activities from local authorities, the Provincial government has recently issued a decree banning hunting of key species, and one commune is already involved in suggesting ways in which hunting of Eld's Deer can be prevented. The PED is keen to address protection and management of Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary and an approach could follow the ranger patrolling training models developed by WCS with the MoE in other Protected Areas. However, provincial political and legal infrastructure in the area is in its infancy; there is little or no technical and physical capacity of government agencies for planning or prioritization, let alone implementation of conservation activities. Without increased capacity and understanding amongst relevant provincial authorities of the importance of the area, it's status, threats and priorities, any conservation efforts are likely to be misdirected. There is no technical and physical capacity within relevant provincial government agencies for planning, prioritization or implementation of conservation activities.

71. In the baseline scenario described above, government agencies would remain ill-equipped to successful implement a viable conservation strategy for the Northern Plains. Under these circumstances, existing and new legal instruments that could be used to favour conservation will remain un-utilized, and threats to the globally significant biodiversity, which at this time are not severe, would rapidly increase. Hunting pressures would continue unabated, and land for agricultural development and mining would be allocated without regard for the resources required to maintain viable populations of species of global significance. Although logging, as previously noted, is currently focused on patches of dry evergreen forest, which contain a greater density of commercially valuable species, the history of logging in similar ecosystems in neighbouring Thailand shows that once the dry evergreen patches have been logged over, commercial logging enterprises will turn their attention to the dry dipterocarp species. In addition to this, non- commercial logging by local people would continue to be indiscriminate. In combination, these unaddressed threats would cause a rapid loss of globally significant biodiversity. c) The GEF Alternative

72. A GEF intervention would complement baseline activities by ensuring that the enabling environment exists to ensure that the scientific information on ecosystem dynamic being collected by WCS can be utilized effectively so as to secure conservation of globally significant biodiversity. The current process of legal reform will be capitalized upon so as to ensure that legal instruments are used to rationalize economic development in the Northern Plains with biodiversity conservation. UNDP’s extensive efforts in support of post-conflict reconstruction and capacity building (see below) will be better targeted to meeting conservation goals. i) Objectives

73. Design and implement a landscape level conservation program (CALM) through a “Living Landscapes” approach to conserve key components of biodiversity which are either unique to the landscape or for which the landscape acts as a critical range.

74.To carry out focused site specific conservation interventions at key sites to conserve important biodiversity.

75.To increase the capacity of Government staff, particularly at provincial level, to carry out biodiversity conservation.

76.To increase awareness of conservation issues and priorities throughout stakeholders across the area.

77.To establish a biological monitoring program to identify trends which are potential indicators of success.

78.To design a program to ensure long-term financial sustainability for critical conservation interventions.

Expected outcomes and activities of Full Project:

79.Implementation of a landscape level conservation program (CALM) (GEF funds and co- financing) through a “Living Landscapes” approach to conserve key components of biodiversity which are either unique to the landscape or for which the landscape acts as a critical range. Biodiversity issues would be integrated into provincial and local planning across land-use types in the Northern Plains. This should not only be reflected in Provincial development plans, but also in management plans for Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary and relevant forest concessions.

80.The Living Landscapes approach is not prescriptive nor formulaic, but recognises that, more often than not, areas of global biodiversity significance are inadequately defined by political/social boundaries and inadequatley conserved by Protected Areas. The approach is most effective for spatially extensive areas which are socially and biologically complex, as it aims to overlay the ecological requirements of a suite of species that best represent the landscape ('Landscape Species'), with layers of data on landuse, human activity, and ecological features. By locating key resources for the Landscape Species and mapping actual and potential landuse patterns, the project can identify points of highest conflict and can focus interventions and activities to ensure effective and sustainable conservation through the use of minimal resources.

81. Focused conservation interventions (predominantly GEF funds). A strength of the Living Landscape approach is that it identifies key discrete areas for conservation intervention. The CALM project recognizes however that interventions at these key sites will have to be site specific in their approach. It is also important to understand that in such an inhospitable environment, humans and wildlife are often reliant on the same resources; permanent water in the dry season, high ground in the wet season, semi-evergreen forest for NTFPs such as resin-tapping. So activities to conserve these resources for biodiversity are also critically important for human development and combating poverty in this area. Below we outline some approaches that will be considered:

 Protected Areas - The Northern Plains contains the largest Protected Area in Cambodia (Kulen Promtep WS), this is the only area of the Northern Plains currently under any legal framework for conservation and as such offers great potential for conservation of key resources identified there through a Protected Area approach. In this regard the objectives of the CALM project are in line with those of the MoE Strategic Plan 2001-2003 for Kulen Promtep WS (for details see attached details on Capacity). However to conserve all the critical biodiversity of the Northern Plains and that within the protected areas, other approaches will also be necessary in areas outside of this.

 Managed Forests – Surveys to date have identified that the semi-evergreen forest area of one of the only two logging concessions (Chendar Plywood) is habitat to a number of species that are absent from Kulen Promtep WS. WCS is pioneering work with support from the WB to look at biodiversity conservation in concession areas in Cambodia. Under the new 25 year sustainable management plans and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments currently being undertaken by all concessionaires as a requirement of the Government, there is significant scope for the implementation of biodiversity conservation measures, including for example the designation of Special Management Areas within the concession for wildlife conservation. Working with DFW and CTIA (Cambodia Timber Industry Authority), with funding from the World Bank, WCS is currently pioneering such initiatives in Cambodia (see below). Through WCS’s existing relationship with the CTIA, Chendar Plywood have recently approached WCS to ask for assistance in the biodiversity aspects of their management plan, and the director of the company showed a genuine interest in addressing wildlife conservation issues in this context.

 Community Co-management - eg resin tapping where they lie in non-defined or community land, the project will work with local authorities and communities.

81.Administrative and legislative interventions (predominantly co-financed). Through the project, UNDP’s work on strengthening public administration, democratic governance and poverty reduction will be refined to ensure that reforms and new legislative instruments are consistent with conservation goals. This component of the project would make use of several instruments, including:

 Community Contracts – Community development activities would focus on reduction in utilisation or degredation of a resource such as a water-hole, in return for the provision of a more reliable and accessible alternatives, such as deep wells and community water systems.

 Law enforcement through local level decrees on hunting, as already done in Preah Vihear, and in the future implementation of the draft Wildlife law that WCS is currently assisting the Govt to prepare. Also in collaboration with the Forest Crimes Monitoring Project (UNDP/FAO, CMB/99/A05) whose remit includes wildlife hunting under the definition of forest crimes.

 Working with the provincial governor's office and relevant provincial line departments to put all of these into provincial management plans, especially in Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey through UNDP/CARERE.

83.Increased capacity of Government staff to carry out biodiversity conservation (GEF funds and co- financing) both technically and physically. This will be across ministries, MoE and MAFF, and at all levels, district, provincial and central. It will continue directly from PDF B activities and follow models developed by WCS working with MoE and MAFF in other areas of the country.

84.Increased conservation education and awareness (GEF funds and co-financing) promoting the ideals of the project and conservation as a whole, through developing understanding of the issues and the importance of community's areas to species as well as themselves. However, the project recognizes that, to be successful, awareness has to be raised at every level of government (local, provincial and central), as well as amongst communities. Work will include hosting village meetings and workshops at both district and provincial levels, the production of posters, videos (for village screenings) and other awareness tools, especially those tools whose value can be broadened through the use of local schools, wats, local meetings and workshops and the national media. This will continue directly from PDF B activities and manifest itself in reduced conflict over natural resources and increased support for project conservation initiatives.

85.Biodiversity monitoring (predominantly co-financed) will be crucial as within complex systems, identifying trends which are potential indicators of success is difficult. The information gathered during the PDF B phase will help define a social and biological monitoring program that will allow the assessment of activities, and measurement of the effectiveness of the project whilst keeping techniques simple and replicable, and costs to a minimum. This will result in continued guidance and adjustment of the project to try and maximize the efficiency of initiatives, and in the regular dissemination of lessons learnt to similar initiatives elsewhere in Cambodia

10. Sustainability (financial, social, environmental) and replicability of the full project

The recent history of the Northern Plains, the few major threats at present, and the programme of administrative and legislative reform currently being embarked on by the Royal Government of Cambodia, means that there is a unique opportunity to establish a biodiversity-friendly administrative framework that will ensure social and financial sustainability. Some key project facets influencing the sustainability of achievements:

86.Financial  The full project is designed to make a number of small scale of interventions at local level, for key sites and species, that have minimal financial requirements. This approach should ensure that overall long- term costs to maintaining such conservation interventions are relatively low.  Implementing the project through the existing local government structures (more specifically at Provincial-District-Commune-Village levels), will minimise central management costs and maximize local ownership. The project will work in Provincial Government offices to develop the capacity of Government staff at the local level in order that a confident transfer of authority and responsibility to Government can be made with an approach that will involve minimal outside financial support.  Many project activities will be focused at the community level, and will involve developing financial incentives at the local level for the conservation of key resources. Approaches thus far suggested include the following. Protecting bat roosting sites by establishing market for guano as fertilizer, this occurs successfully elsewhere in the country. Developing low-level focused ecotourism for key species, this is already occurring with small numbers of foreign birdwatchers traveling to see Giant Ibis, a species that it is impossible to see elsewhere in the world. Setting up local infrastructures for hosting visiting researchers, as there has already been considerable interest from foreign biologists to explore this previously inaccessible and little known environment.

87.Social  Local communities are central participators in the project's implementation and should have a clear understanding of the long-term benefits of maintaining the activities and their role in them;  The project will be implemented through the existing local government structures (more specifically at Provincial-District-Commune-Village levels), thereby maximizing local ownership.  The project will address issues of land tenure and rights which will increase long-term thinking and strengthen feelings of ownership of the project and the landscape;  The project will cooperate with and encourage NGOs from the human development and agricultural sectors to become involved in issues that assist the stakeholder communities become less reliant on key resources.

88.Environmental  Many of the landscape species selected are likely to still be in numbers whereby a natural recovery would occur without the need for costly long-term intervention if certain protection criteria are met;  By developing a detailed knowledge of the landscape species and their interactions with their landscape, the project can more confidently streamline interventions and reduce cost by focusing on a few central issues;

89.The potential for replication of the whole, or components, of the project is high within Cambodia. Few terrestrial conservation strategies have been implemented throughout the country and even less have succeeded, due mainly to adherence to an inflexible protected area approach. However, the geography, demographics and ecology of much of the low-lying areas of the country favor a more spatially extensive and landscape oriented approach,. Such an approach places less pressure on the limited capacity of the government at all levels and uses intensive information gathering to identify how small interventions can best effect conservation on a broad scale; an approach easily replicated without overreaching capacity or stretching financial resources.

11. Country Eligibility:

90. Cambodia acceded to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 9th February 1995 and, as a recipient of UNDP technical assistance, is eligible for GEF funding under paragraph 9b of the GEF Instrument. The project is consistent with the GEF Operational Strategy, especially Operational Program #3 on Forest Ecosystems.

12. Stakeholders involved in project:

Government  Department of Nature Conservation and Protection (DNCP) of the Ministry of Environment (MoE);  Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DFW) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF);  Minstry of Rural Development (MRD)  Provincial government authorities of Preah Vihear, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchay, Banteay Meanchay, and Stung Treng Provinces;  Provincial departments of MoE and MAFF in the above provinces;  Wildlife Protection Office's (DFW) Community Tiger Conservation Project;  Royal Cambodian Armed Forces;  Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary authorities

Communities  Inhabitants of Kulen Promtep W.S.  Trade-post villages along Laos and Thai border  Other communities within Preah Vihear, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchay, Banteay Meanchay, and Stung Treng Provinces, to be identified during initial phase of project.

Bi-/Multi-lateral Projects  UNDP-GEF PDF-Block B – Integrated Resource Management and Development in the Tonle Sap Region  FAO Participatory Natural Resource Management in the Tonle Sap Region, Siem Reap Province.  UNDP FAO Forest Crimes Monitoring Project (CMB/99/A05)  UNDP-GEF FAO Cambodia Biodiversity Enabling Activity (CMB/98/G33)  UNDP/CARERE Siem Reap  Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Program (SEDP) 2001-06  Interim – Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) (World Bank-IMF) 2001-03  Virachey Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project (GEF/World Bank PO65798)  Forest Concession Management and Control Pilot Project (World Bank P060003) NGOs  Mines Advisory Group (MAG)  Halo Trust  Concern Worldwide  Partners for Development  Action Against Hunger  Health Unlimited  Handicap International  Medicin Sans Frontiers (MSF)

Private sector  Cambodia Timber Industry Association (CTIA)  TPP Cambodia Ltd

13. Information on project proposer:

91. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a world leader in on-the-ground wildlife conservation. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society, WCS is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to conserving the Earth’s wildlife and ecosystems. It does so through generating and applying innovative scientific and field-based solutions to critical problems. WCS currently oversees more than 320 conservation projects in over 52 countries worldwide. In Asia, WCS supports over 120 projects in 14 countries, with significant programs in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, China, Russia, and India.

92. WCS works in Cambodia under a five-year MoU with the Royal Government, signed jointly with the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on December 13th 1999. WCS works to support wildlife conservation and research, through both field- based activities focusing on training and capacity building for Government staff and the production of appropriate technical and awareness raising materials in the Cambodian language. All technical staff working with WCS are seconded from MoE and MAFF and currently WCS supports 22 such counterparts and trainees long-term countrywide.

14. Financing Plan of Full project

93. It is predicted that the total amount of the full project will be approximately US$4.75 million over a period of five years. Of this, approximately $1.75 million will be sought from the GEF. UNDP will contribute a substantial amount of funding in support of the democratic governance, post-conflict reconstruction, and poverty reduction components of the project, amounting to an estimated $1.5 Million. The WCS co-financing will be approximately $0.75 million, and additional amounts will be sought from other agencies, mainly bilaterals, during the formulation stage.

15. IA coordination and Linkages to GEF and IA programs and activities

 UNDP/GEF PDF-Block B – Integrated Resource Management and Development in the Tonle Sap Region (UNDP-GEF Ref. No. 0001)  UNDP/CARERE Siem Reap  UNDP-GEF FAO Cambodia Biodiversity Enabling Activity (CMB/98/G33)  UNDP FAO Forest Crimes Monitoring Project (CMB/99/A05)  UNDP/GEF MSP for the Cardamom Mountains  WB/GEF Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project 94. The Northern Plains conservation project (CALM) aims to work closely and link with a variety of national and local level related projects to share experiences and ensure complementarity. Much of this will be done through WCS's existing nationwide network and relationships and five year MoU with the Government concerning capacity building for conservation. There are already existing strong links between the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project (BPAM) and WCS, and staff are in regular informal and formal discussions about a variety of issues. These will be built upon.

95. There is currently an on-going dialogue between BPAM staff and WCS about how to work together to improve information sharing across the MoE (not just for individual projects) and as a result it is hoped to organize a number of regular open seminars where people present about their work.

96. The CALM concept and it's formulation have been discussed at length with MoE staff, including those working for BPAM, particularly Lay Khim. The prime concern in these discussions has been how CALM links with a variety of projects across the MoE, including BPAM, but more specifically with the new MoE Strategic Plan 2001-2003 into which all projects must fit.

97.The proposal responds to one of the four strategy and thematic areas, “Environment Regeneration and Natural Resource Management,” in the current Country Cooperation Framework (1997-2000), responding to both the country’s priority goals and the UNDP mandate. UNDPs work in Cambodia is heavily focused on post-war recovery and capacity building. This is effected through several programs, the most relevant of which is the CARERE post-war recovery program, which is a wide-ranging program dealing with rural development, governance, etc. This project will assist in integrating conservation issues into the existing program. Another UNDP project relates to forest crime monitoring and examines both illegal concession activities and illegal logging outside of the concession system. This project will promote improved concession management and demonstrate how biodiversity conservation can be integrated into forest management plans.

16. Proposed project development strategy

98. A PDF Block B grant is requested to initiate a two year information gathering and consensus building phase that will inform a detailed full project design. This formulation stage is aimed to begin between June and August 2001 to prepare for the onset of the dry season when field-based activities are initiated. The provisional components of a PDF-B could include the following.

Component 1. Baseline Assessment and Biodiversity Threats Analysis Objectives 99.To assess the status of the globally most threatened species (Annex 1). With such a large area and many wide-ranging species this will not focus on absolute population sizes of those species involved, but more on relative abundances, trends, and spatial and seasonal distribution patterns across the plains. Integral to this will be an analysis of threats to biodiversity in the same temporal and spatial context. This analysis will include an assessment of underlying causes and barriers.

Activities 100.Significant biological inventory is an essential component of the PDF B as this will form the basis of understanding and define the conservation activities for the full project. Without this information, the landscape conservation approach outlined for the full project will not be possible. Already high-profile species of global conservation significance have been identified from the area, locating these populations, establishing their breeding status, identifying trends and assessing threats will be a major undertaking given the size of the landscape and the enigmatic nature and threatened status of many of the target species. This activity will form the basis of the future monitoring activities of the full project and act as baseline for indicators of success. The main methods for surveying will be:  Foot surveys. Extensive broad-based track and sign and direct observation surveys to cover an area quickly and identify priority sites for a wide range of species groups in order that further, more targeted, surveys can be designed.  Camera-trapping. To collect data on species which are cryptic, nocturnal or live at low density. This method is particularly successful for large cats, wild cattle, deer and some large waterbirds.  Transect surveys. Foot-based and camera-trap transects to accrue more specific data than the broad baseline surveys and designed to form the basis of a monitoring system. Replicable methodology will allow data to be comparable and trends in populations and threats to be identified.

Outputs 101.A comprehensive biological overview of the Northern Plains - focusing on globally threatened species, the threats they face and the keystone resources upon which they rely – on which to base landscape conservation planning for the full project.

Component 2. Stakeholder Survey Objective 102.To gain a greater understanding of community, land and wildlife use patterns, in order that any interventions and planning initiatives are appropriate and sympathetic to all stakeholder - local, cultural and livelihood - needs.

Activities 103.The stakeholder information gathering process will include studies of attitudes towards natural resource conservation and build upon existing traditions and practices. Furthermore, the issue of resource utilization rights and the tenure is recognized as a key area for the project. Issues related to the Government and community rights to resin-tapping, logging, land-clearance, NTFP collection and hunting etc require detailed attention if resources are to be managed sustainably without compromising subsistence needs.

104.The stakeholder survey will also help define in what ways education and awareness programs can be leveled at the various stakeholders in order to cultivate positive approaches to conservation and promote the long-term efficacy of the project.

Output 105.A stakeholder participation plan that identifies opportunities and helps design appropriate, qualified strategies for the full project.

Component 3. Keystone Resources and Threat Analysis Objective 106.To identify keystone resources upon which the most threatened species rely on which to base a landscape approach. This will focus on permanent waterbodies, semi-evergreen forest and mineral licks that are small, localized and therefore especially vulnerable. As above, integral to this, is an assessment of the importance and threats to these keystone resources on a temporal and spatial scale.

Activities 107.The project will adopt the Living Landscape approach to the project; an approach pioneered internationally by WCS, which centers on preserving the ecological integrity of a large area or wilderness through understanding and conservation of a suite of 'landscape species’, selected as being ecologically representative of that landscape. These species use large, ecologically diverse areas and often have significant impacts on the structure and function of natural systems; thus conserving a suite of landscape species will result in the conservation of most plants and animals within their collective landscape. The Living Landscape philosophy is to develop wildlife-based strategies for the conservation of large, complex ecosystems that are integrated in wider landscapes of human influence which includes, but is not restricted to, protected areas, community land, forestry concessions, plantations and other areas of economic importance.

108.Central in achieving this goal is the use of GIS to collate, analyze and present data in order that these strategies can be justified. Especially across such large, biologically and demographically complex areas where impacts, relationships, threats and interactions are often subtle yet critical, this is a powerful conservation tool. The Living Landscape approach requires large amounts of data to be analyzed on an extensive but comprehensive scale in order that both spatial and temporal trends may be identified and monitored.

Output 109.A Living Landscapes analysis mapping key areas for conservation intervention during the full project across the whole Northern Plains landscape.

Component 4. Development of Methodologies and Approaches for GEF Alternative Objective 110.To pilot localized conservation interventions at key sites to develop methodologies and approaches for implementation of the full project.

Activities 111.Recommending conservation interventions before the information gathering components is not always judicious, but initial work suggests that small-scale, localized interventions are possible and it is essential to pilot these approaches to increase chances of successful implementation in the full project.

Output 112.Methodologies and approaches for conservation interventions at key sites to be implemented in the full project.

Component 5. Capacity Development Needs at Provincial Level Objective 113.To engage and identify capacity needs of provincial Government in aspects of biodiversity conservation and natural resource planning, to implement the full project.

Activities 114.Structured training programs will be integrated into the project to increase technical capacity of Provincial Government in aspects of biodiversity conservation and natural resource planning. Over the last two years WCS has successfully implemented such training programs with both central and provincial staff from MoE and MAFF, and produced Khmer language training materials in biological survey and conservation techniques at all levels of Government in Cambodia. Initial training would follow these models.

Output 115.Provincial Government staff, across line departments, but particularly from PED and PAD, with the commitment to implement the full project. Capacity development plan for inclusion in the full project.

Component 6. Development of approaches to long-term financial sustainability Objective 116.To develop methodologies and approaches, in collaboration with local Government authorities, for long-term financial sustainability of conservation interventions at key sites to be implemented in the full project.

Activities 117.Implementing long-term activities working to ensure financial sustainability is challenging and it is essential that approaches to this are developed as soon as possible. Minimising costs and maximizing local involvement by managing and implementing the project through the relevant Provincial authorities is an important first step in this.

118.Approaches thus far suggested include the following. Protecting bat roosting sites by establishing market for guano as fertilizer, this occurs successfully elsewhere in the country. Developing low-level focused ecotourism for key species, this is already occurring with small numbers of foreign birdwatchers traveling to see Giant Ibis, a species that it is impossible to see elsewhere in the world. Setting up local infrastructures for hosting visiting researchers, as there has already been considerable interest from foreign biologists to explore this previously inaccessible and little known environment.

Output 119.Methodologies and approaches for long-term financial sustainability of conservation interventions at key sites to be implemented with local Government authorities in the full project.

19. Response to reviews

120.Responses to most of the comments raised by the GEF Secretariat and WB/GEF related to the original formulation of the concept paper have been incorporated into the text in the appropriate sections. Some additional clarifications are included below.

121.In response to WB/GEF comments: WCS is the only environmental conservation NGO with a long- term MoU with both Ministries responsible for natural resource management and as such is in a unique position to approach landscape level biodiversity conservation. One component of the CALM project will be protected area management, but, unlike the BPAM, in a landscape level approach this is not the only component. BPAM works with one Ministry (MoE), CALM will be working with a number of Ministries, most important being MoE and MAFF. As important to complimentarity with BPAM will be complimentarity to other World Bank funded projects in other Ministries such as the Forest Concession Management and Control Pilot Project (World Bank P060003) and initiatives such as those on reform of the land law.

122.WCS acknowledges the low capacity level of Provincial Government and indeed much of the focus of other ongoing WCS work is capacity building at this level in other provinces. Indeed the BPAM is fortunate in working primarily in Ratanakiri Province where, due to longterm NGO and UNDP- CARERE assistance, provincial capacity is much higher than in many other provinces. It is a reflection of the lack of capacity in provincial Government in Preah Vihear and the excellent work being carried out an national level by the BPAM, that the CALM focuses very much at Provincial rather than National level, thereby minimising redundancy or overlap.

123. In response to GEFSEC comments: Spatially, the project appears vast and this may give the impression that the project is over-ambitious, especially when projects focussing on much smaller areas often fail to achieve their objectives. However, there are a number of fundamental facets of the physical and political landscape that make us believe that the project has the greatest potential for terrestrial conservation success in Cambodia, if not Indochina:  The nature of the landscape. Unlike the northeast (Virachey National Park) or the southwest (the Cardamom Mountains) the Northern Plains are predominantly deciduous dipterocarp savannas, which are commercially unattractive to large-scale loggers of any ilk. This is not just because the tree species themselves are of lower commercial value as compared to evergreen species, in say the Cardamoms, but because of the very nature of the environment. Much of the area is open grassland with scattered trees, and it as much the low density of standing timber that makes it commercially unviable. The only current concessions in the area are in the small limited semi-evergreen forest blocks. The only longterm threat from logging in the area will come from local people and the low population densities mean that this is not a serious wide-scale issue. The soils are also such that they offer no long-term future for agriculturalists either. Thus, uniquely for a S-E Asian natural forest complex, there are relatively few destructive influences or conflicting interests with conservation. Whilst it is by no means a 'threat-free' area, we are not having to deal with some of the most powerful (politically and financially) forces in the country. Combined with the fact that the human population in the entire Northern Plains is less than the population of Phnom Penh, one can start to realise the implicit potential for conservation that the landscape possesses. The map below, taken from the 1998 cencus, indicates just how low the level of human populations is in the area. The inhospitable nature of the landscape, and water issues in particular, make it unlikely that this will change considerably in the future.  The nature of the critical areas. Even with relatively few large-scale pressures being put upon the landscape, the question remains, how can project activities be effective over such a large area? Again it comes down to the nature of the areas that will actually require conservation interventions. For vast tracts of the Northern Plains, the project will not have to initiate interventions at the ground level as they are not under threat and are physically intact. However, the landscape does rely very heavily on a few localised resources that need immediate and sustained interventions to ensure that the entire landscape is not compromised. Many of these, such as dry season waterbodies, riparian habitats, semi- evergreen/evergreen forest patches, hills and uplands, are well defined and cover a comparably small area. However, for various times in the year they play a key role in sustaining the populations of wildlife and other components of biodiversity for which the Plains are of exceptional global importance. Allow these critical areas to be destroyed or degraded, and you starve a vast area of its sustenence, jeopardising the critical wildlife populations. However, protect these areas and you allow the same vast system to maintain itself. Despite the landscape's large size, the key resources are small and easily delimited, and the fact that they can, with a relatively small financial and human input, be clearly identified, demarcated and protected, makes this project so exciting and unique.

 The Living Landscapes approach. The PDF B is an ideal facility for this approach as it is committed to gathering the data that are essential to undertake this analysis. With the data collated during the PDF B stage any future full project is going to be significantly more efficient with resources and is far more likely to be sustainable. The question of whether or not it is possible to actually gather sufficient data within the framework of a PDF B is also addressed by using the Living Landscapes approach. Certainly, if it meant surveying everything, then the project would indeed be over-ambitious, but WCS surveys have already shown that the species which make the Northern Plains so globally important are physically large, relatively easy to survey/monitor and are well-suited to a conservation approach such as the Living Landscapes. This suggests surveying and mapping the distribution and key utilisation areas for a suite of disparate species and focussing efforts on those areas most crucial to those species. The criteria under which these Landscape Species will be selected are designed so that, by targetting efforts on important areas for the Landscape Species, the same efforts have the greatest positive impact on a broad range of other components of biodiversity. While the classic 'umbrella species' conservation approach can often lead to biases that are detrimental to a large number of other species, the Landscape Approach takes a more holistic view of a range of species, habitats, ecological features and, crucially, a range of human activities and needs. Thus, WCS is confident, given the resources that the PDF B offers, that sufficient biological, political and demographic data can be collected that will allow a future, larger project to effect conservation over a wide area.

 As mentioned earlier, the project will necessarily have to work with both ministries and logging concessions to achieve its objectives. WCS is ideally placed and resourced to undertake this for the following reasons:  WCS is the only NGO in the country to have an MoU with both MAFF and MoE;  WCS has, for the last 18 months, been working on biodiversity conservation across landscapes that cover both Protected Areas and concessions, with the cooperation of both Ministries;  WCS has hired full-time core staff from both Ministries, all of which have been given experience of working for conservation inside both PAs and concessions;  WCS has a strong relationship with the Cambodian Timber Industry Association (CTIA) and has been assisting willing concessions with advancing their knowledge of their areas and advising them on practical methods of conservation conflict mitigation.

 An example of how WCS is putting these relationships to practice, is in Mondulkiri, where WCS is being supported by the World Bank to find ways of effecting biodiversity conservation in logging concessions in Cambodia. 'Pioneering Biodiversity Conservation in Managed Forests' (World Bank project TF024127) is being implemented by WCS inside the Samling Mondulkiri logging concession. By working with the CTIA, the DFW, local communities, and the concessionaires themselves, WCS has brought together all the main stakeholders to explore how best a concession may continue to utilise timber resources while having the least impact on biodiversity. The aim of the project is to not only effect conservation in the Samling concession, but to also act as a model for other concessions throughout the country as part of the Bank's wider 'Forest Concession Management and Control Pilot Project' (P060003). ANNEX 1. Globally Threatened species known or considered likely to exist in the Northern Plains. [Name in bold = confirmed] Name Conservation Status* Kouprey Bos sauveli Critical Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis Critical White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni Critical Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea Critical Wroughton's Free-tailed Bat Otomops wroughtonii Critical Indochinese Box Turtle Cuora galbinifrons Critical White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis Critical Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus Critical Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee Endangered Banteng Bos javanicus Endangered Asian Elephant Elephas maximus Endangered Yellow-headed Temple Turtle Hieremys annandalii Endangered Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis Endangered White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata Endangered Particolored Flying Squirrel Hylopetes alboniger Endangered Elongated Tortoise Indotestudo elongata Endangered Cantor's Giant Softshell Pelochelys cantorii Endangered Greater Adjutant Leptoptilus dubius Endangered Tiger Panthera tigris Endangered Khting Vor Pseudonovibos spiralis Endangered

Species which are listed as Vulnerable* or Data Deficient* and for which the Northern Plains maintains a potentially globally important population:

Name Conservation Status* Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilus javanicus Vulnerable Sarus Crane Grus antigone Vulnerable Green Peafowl Pavo muticus Vulnerable Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga Vulnerable Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca Vulnerabe Indochinese Hog Deer Axis porcinus annamiticus Data Deficient Indochinese Eld's Deer Cervus eldii siamensis Data Deficient Gaur Bos frontalis Vulnerable Dhole Cuon alpinus Vulnerable Malayan Sun Bear Helarctos malayanus Data Deficient Masked Finfoot Heliopais personata Vulnerable Pileated Gibbon Hylobates pileatus Vulnerable Hairy-nosed Otter Lutra sumatrana Data Deficient Lyle's Flying-fox Pteropus lylei Data Deficient Hipposideros pomona Data Deficient Giant Asian Pond Turtle Heosemys grandis Vulnerable Malayemys subtrijuga Vulnerable Siebenrockiella crassicollis Vulnerable Asiatic Softshell Turtle Amyda cartilaginea Vulnerable South Asian Box Turtle Cuora amboinensis Vulnerable Smooth-coated Otter Lutra perspicillata Vulnerable Northern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca leonina Vulnerable Pygmy (Lesser Slow) Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus Vulnerable Sladen's Rat Rattus sikkimensis Vulnerable

* Status from BirdLife International (2000) Threatened Birds of the World, for birds and 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for all other taxa. Annex 2: Map of the Northern Plains project area.

Kulen Promtep WS

Oddor Meanchay Preah Vihear

Stung Treng

Siem Reap

Provincial Boundaries Northern Plains

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