STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF CAMBODIA’S TOURISM SECTOR Baseline Assessment August 2007 (Draft) The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank, or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. The Asian Development Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Use of the term “country” does not imply any judgment by the author or the Asian Development Bank as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity. CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................... 5 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.......................................................................................................... 6 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 8 2. COUNTRY GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES ........................................................................................ 8 2.1 Geographical Area..................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Climate....................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Population and Livelihoods...................................................................................................... 10 2.4 Country Economy .................................................................................................................... 10 3. NORTHEASTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN AREA......................................................................... 11 3.1 Northeastern Area ................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Southwestern Area .................................................................................................................. 12 3.3 Demographics.......................................................................................................................... 12 3.4 Education................................................................................................................................. 13 3.5 Tourism and Recreation........................................................................................................... 14 4. EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.................................................................................. 15 4.1 Biodiversity .............................................................................................................................. 15 4.1.1 Flora and Fauna ......................................................................................................... 15 4.1.2 Forest Cover............................................................................................................... 15 4.1.3 Mangroves.................................................................................................................. 16 4.1.4 Seabed Grass............................................................................................................. 19 4.1.5 Coral Reefs................................................................................................................. 19 4.2 Protected Areas ....................................................................................................................... 20 4.3 Biodiversity Management Regions in Cambodia..................................................................... 25 4.4 Solid and Liquid Waste............................................................................................................ 25 4.5 Noise and Air Quality ............................................................................................................... 26 4.6 Climate Change....................................................................................................................... 27 4.7 Water Quality ........................................................................................................................... 27 4.7.1 Freshwater Quality ..................................................................................................... 27 4.7.2 Marine Water Quality.................................................................................................. 31 5. INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK................................................................................ 34 5.1 Policies, Strategies, and Plans ................................................................................................ 34 5.2 Legal Framework..................................................................................................................... 38 Baseline Environmental Assessment for Northeastern and Southwestern Area 5.2.1 Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, 1993........................................................ 39 5.2.2 Royal Decree on Protection of Protected Areas, 1993............................................... 39 5.2.3 Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Management, 1996 ........ 39 5.2.4 Law on Fisheries, 2006 .............................................................................................. 40 5.2.5 Sub-decree on Environmental Impact Assessment Process, 1999 ........................... 41 5.2.6 Sub-decree on Water Pollution Control, 1999............................................................ 41 5.2.7 Sub-decree on Solid Waste Management, 1999........................................................ 42 5.2.8 Sub-decree on Air Pollution and Noise Disturbance Control, 2000 ........................... 43 5.2.9 Inter-Ministry Regulation of Interior and Environment Solid Waste and Refuse Management throughout Provinces and Cities in Cambodia, 2003........................... 44 5.2.10 Prakas/Circular on Guideline for Conducting Environmental Impact Assessment Report, 2000............................................................................................................... 44 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ 45 Core Environment Program-Greater Mekong Subregion Page 3 Baseline Environmental Assessment for Northeastern and Southwestern Area LIST OF TABLES Table 2.4a Average Monthly Income in Cambodia’s Coastal Zone (1999)......................................... 11 Table 3.3a Total Population (2005), Population Density (2005), and Annual Population Growth (1998- 2005) .................................................................................................................................12 Table 3.4a Number of Schools and Students (2004) ..........................................................................13 Table 3.4b Literate Population in the Northeastern and Southwestern Areas, 1998 ..........................13 Table 3.5a Tourist Attractions and Resources.....................................................................................14 Table 4.1a Forest Cover in the Northeastern and Southwestern Areas .............................................16 Table 4.2a Protected Areas in Cambodia’s Northeastern Area ..........................................................21 Table 4.4a Solid Waste Generated by Households and Markets in 2005...........................................26 Table 4.6a Baseline and Projection of GHG Emissions and Removals by Sectors (Gigagram) ........27 Table 4.7a Mean and Median Values for Total Suspended Solids and Total Phosphorus..................27 Table 4.7b Mean Composition of River Waters of the World, Asia, and three Sites on the Mekong. Data for the World and Asia from Wetzel (1983)...............................................................28 Core Environment Program-Greater Mekong Subregion Page 4 Baseline Environmental Assessment for Northeastern and Southwestern Area LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.2a Mean Rainfall in Cambodia (1984-1998) ............................................................................9 Figure 2.2b Annual Mean Rainfall in the Northeastern Area (1994-2004) .............................................9 Figure 2.2c Annual Mean Rainfall in the Southwestern Area (1994-2004)..........................................10 Figure 2.4a Real GDP Growth Rate 2000-2011 (Percentage Change) ............................................... 11 Figure 4.1a Change in Mangrove Distribution from 1993 to1997 ........................................................17 Figure 4.1b Change in Mangrove Distribution from 1997 to 2002 .......................................................17 Figure 4.1c Change in Mangrove Distribution from 2002 to 2005 .......................................................18 Figure 4.1d Seabed Grass Distribution in the Coastal Waters.............................................................18 Figure 4.1e Coral Distribution in the Coastal Waters ...........................................................................19 Figure 4.1f Seabed Grass Distribution in Cambodia’s Coastal Zone..................................................20 Figure 4.2a Cambodia’s