mbodia Cambodia Management Effectiveness Assessment of the System of Protected Areas in Cambodia using WWF’s RAPPAM Methodology Ca Cambodia Project Liaison Office Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project (BPAMP) Department of Nature Conservation and Protection, Ministry of Environment #48, Samdech Preah Sihanouk, Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA Biodiversity and Protected Areas Tel/Fax: (855) 23 213 900 E-mail: [email protected] Management Project (BPAMP) Map 1. Protected Areas of Cambodia. Figure 2. Aster satellite image showing forest clearing associated with a road in the northwest of Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary. Map 2. Landcover of Cambodia. Lacerda, L., Schmitt, K., Cutter P. and Meas, S. 2004. Management Effectiveness Assessment of the System of Protected Areas in Cambodia using WWF’s RAPPAM Figure 3. Example of spatial data compiled during the RAPPMap workshop. Methodology. Ministry of Environment, Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Values and threats were mapped with points, lines, and polygons depending on Project, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. the nature of the phenomenon and the level of knowledge available. Front Cover Photograph: Virachey National Park J. Kitchens © BPAMP 2005 Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project (BPAMP) CAMBODIA Management Effectiveness Assessment of the System of Protected Areas in Cambodia using WWF’s RAPPAM Methodology L. Lacerda, K. Schmitt, P. Cutter and S. Meas Contents Introduction and Background. 3 Scope and Coverage of the Assessment . 5 Methodology . 6 Analysis and Findings Pressures and Threats . .8 Biological and Socio-economic Importance . .13 Vulnerability . .16 Management . .17 System-level Issues . .22 Recommendations . .25 References and Acknowledgements . .26 2 Introduction and Background Cambodia: home to the majestic and elusive Although Cambodia’s forests and coastal areas are banteng (Bos javanicus), a wild “cousin” of the some of the least disturbed in the region, nearly half Asian river buffalo - man’s indispensable of the 70 species of terrestrial mammals recorded companion while toiling in rice paddies to build for Cambodia have been listed by IUCN as globally some of the world’s most fascinating civilisations. threatened, near-threatened or data deficient. Cambodia: seat of the mysterious Khmer temple of Angkor, one of mankind’s greatest architectural Cambodia pioneered the creation of protected accomplishments. The identification of Cambodia areas in Southeast Asia in 1925 by setting aside the with these two icons (one natural, the other cultural) Angkor temple complex and surrounding areas for is a testimony to the importance of the protected protection. In 1993, a Royal Decree established a area system of Cambodia as a guardian of the national system comprising 23 protected areas country’s very soul. The highly endangered banteng classified under four major categories: National is now only found in a handful of areas in Cambodia Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Protected Landscapes, - most of them part of the protected area system. and Multiple Use Areas. The Ministry of The Angkor temple complex is the oldest protected Environment (MoE) has the responsibility for area in Asia and is now a Protected Landscape as overseeing these 23 protected areas and 3 Ramsar well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. sites, two of which are contained within the 23 protected areas. Combined, all of these areas cover Situated at the heart of Indochina, Cambodia 32,301 km² (tab. 1 and map 3). In addition to these covers an area of 181,038 square kilometres. areas, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Within its borders is the majority of the Lower Fisheries (MAFF) has set aside a number of areas Mekong Dry Forests Ecoregion – identified by within the nation’s forest estate for biodiversity WWF as one of the “Global 200 Ecoregions” - the conservation, forest protection, genetic most biologically outstanding terrestrial and aquatic conservation, and wildlife habitat protection. habitats in the world. The Cardamom Mountains Together, these areas represent an additional ecoregion in the southwest of the country 14,860 square kilometres (Forestry Administration represents one of the largest continuous and web site 2005, Shields et al. 2004, Cambodian relatively intact rainforests in mainland South East Government 2004) under intentional protection Asia (Shields et al. 2004) and is protected by one of (tab. 1and map 1). The country’s entire system of the most extensive protected area complexes in the protected areas covers 47,161 km² or about 26.1% region, made up of the Phnom Samkos and Phnom of Cambodia’s territory. Aural wildlife sanctuaries and the Central Cardamom Mountains Protected Forest. The In addition to the areas shown in table 1, where the Annamite Range Moist Forests and Mekong River primary management objective is conservation, Ecoregions also have significant representation in MAFF is responsible for the administration of the Cambodia. country’s remaining forest lands. Of that, significant portions are under forestry concessions although Several important flagship species such as the these concessions are all currently under review. Asian elephant, tiger, banteng, and wild water Much of the forest areas allocated for exploitation or buffalo occur in significant numbers in Cambodia, production may at some time provide important as do more species of globally threatened connectivity between areas under formal mammals, birds, and fish per unit area than in any protection. other SE Asian country (Tordoff et al. 2005). 3 Table 1. Summary of Cambodia’s protected area system. a One of the 3 Ramsar sites lies completely within a Multiple Use Area and one is partially contained within a Wildlife Sanctuary and a National Park. The non-overlapping area of Koh Kapi and the entire area of Stung Treng Ramsar Site are included here. Virachey National Park © C. Turner 2004 4 Scope and Coverage of the Assessment This assessment covers the 26 protected areas these three sites as independent units. Two of the (map 3) under the management responsibility of country’s three official Ramsar sites overlap with the Ministry of Environment. One of these, the MoE-administered sites already included in the Tonle Sap Multiple Use Area has three distinct analysis. For this reason, only the non-overlapping management units that focus on its three core site (Stung Treng Ramsar Site) was included as a zones. The Assessment Team decided to consider separate unit of evaluation in the analysis. Map 3. The 26 protected area sites considered in this assessment. 5 Methodology Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management (RAPPAM) This assessment followed the Rapid Assessment workshop and the results summarised in charts and Prioritization of Protected Area Management and graphs. These were discussed in plenary Methodology - RAPPAM - (Erwin 2003) developed sessions for peer review, validation and cross- by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) RAPPAM is checking. structured around the six key assessment elements recommended by the World Commission The analysis of context included assessments at on Protected Areas (WCPA) Framework for both the national level and the individual protected Assessing Management Effectiveness (Hockings area level. On the national level, participants et al. 2000). RAPPAM has undergone extensive identified the most important pressures and threats testing and development and has been to the system as a whole. Also assessed were successfully carried out in over 20 countries. such factors as the primary sources of vulnerability in the system and the general policy environment RAPPAM is a rapid and qualitative tool based on for protected areas in Cambodia. At the level of subjective assessments by individuals with individual protected areas, participants assessed extensive knowledge of the situation on the ground. policies, legislation and regulations and applied This particular assessment was conducted during a relative scores for both the biological and socio- three-day workshop in Phnom Penh (September economic importance of each area. 20-22, 2004) with 80 participants. Most of the participants were staff of the Ministry of In the analysis of design and planning, participants Environment including most protected area reviewed the adequacy of management and directors, deputy directors, and other technical and operational plans with respect to protected area support staff. Staff of the Biodiversity and Protected objectives and the overall understanding of the Areas Management Project (BPAMP) and objectives by protected areas managers and other representatives of international non-governmental stakeholders. They also rated the legal security of organisations (NGOs) also participated, including each area by assessing the degree of legal Conservation International (CI), World Wide Fund protection, the extent of boundary demarcation, and for Nature (WWF), Fauna and Flora International the existence and intensity of unsettled land (FFI), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). disputes. Finally, they assessed the layout and configuration of each protected area, its zoning, and The workshop included instruction sessions, its degree of connectivity with other protected areas. presentations, group discussions, and plenary sessions. During the workshop, participants With respect to inputs, participants reviewed the assessed the six key elements contained in WCPA’s quantity, quality, and adequacy of staff, the Assessment Framework.