Project Identification Form (PIF) s3
Project Identification Form (PIF)
Project Type:
the GEF Trust Fund
Submission Date: 21 January 2008
Re-submission Date: 11 February 2008;
Re-submission Date: 22 May 2008
Re-submission Date: 7 August 2008
Re-submission Date: 28 August 2008
Indicative CalendarMilestones / Expected Dates
Work Program (for FSP) / November 2008
CEO Endorsement/Approval / November 2009
GEF Agency Approval / December 2009
Implementation Start / January 2010
Mid-term Review (if planned) / January 2012
Implementation Completion / January 2014
part i: project IDentification
GEFSEC Project ID[1]: 3635
gef agency Project ID: PIMS No. 4136
Country(ies): Cambodia
Project Title: Strengthening sustainable forest management and bio-energy markets to promote environmental sustainability and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Cambodia.
GEF Agency(ies):
Other Executing partners:MOE, MAFF-FA, MIME
GEF Focal Area (s): , Biodiversity, Climate Change
GEF-4 Strategic program(S): LD-SP 2, CC-SP1, CC-SP 4, BD-SP4
Name of parent program/umbrella project: Sustainable forest Management (SFM)
A. Project framework
Project Objective: To strengthen national SFM policy, integrate community-based sustainable forest management into policy, planning and investment frameworks and create markets for sustainable bio-energy technologies that reduce CO2 emissionsProject Components / TA, or STA** / Expected Outcomes / Expected Outputs / Indicative GEF Financing* / Indicative Co-financing* / Total ($)
($) / % / ($) / %
1. Strengthen national policy, regulations and capacities for SFM to integrate bio energy, biodiversity and livelihood considerations / TA / 1. Enhanced implementation and enforcement of forest policies and regulations
2. Strengthened institutional capacities, inter-sectoral collaboration and coordination for SFM and rural energy services delivery
3. A strengthened financial basis for the implementation of SFM through increased budgetary allocation and sustainable financing mechanisms
4. Lessons learned on community-based SFM and landscape management inform policy at national and provincial levels / (i) Inter-sectoral coordination mechanism for SFM strengthened at national and landscape level
(ii) Identification and establishment of financial mechanisms to support community-based SFM initiatives.
(iii) Training 200 staff from concerned institutions in SFM and sustainable forest wood energy
(iv) National strategy to promote sustainable bio energy that is supportive of biodiversity conservation
(v) Tools for the implementation Guidelines and regulations on community forestry and protected area law
(vi) Field-based forest and protected area monitoring developed and tested
(vii) Awareness raised on the link between SFM, appropriate land use, biodiversity conservation and climate change
(viii) Systemic feedback mechanism developed on lessons learned on community based SFM / 530,000 / 40 / 800,000 / 60 / 1,330,000
2.Promote integrated and participatory land-use, forest, and protected area management at the landscape level / TA / 1. Integrated land-use planning at provincial and landscape levels covering at least 1 million ha
2. Community-based demonstration of SFM to assist in making community forestry self-financing and self-sustainable in 20,000 ha of land / (i) Participatory forest land-use assessment conducted and forest estate demarcated and registered in consultation with local, provincial and national stakeholders
(ii) Protected areas land use zoning and boundary demarcation conducted in consultation with provincial authority and local people.
iii) Pro-poor management options and income generation best practices in community-based forest and protected area management demonstrated in 20 legally recognized community forestry areas and 10 community protected areas totalling 20,000 ha of land / 750,000 / 25 / 2,200,000 / 75 / 2,950,000
3 Promote sustainable wood energy production and markets for sustainable energy technologies that reduce demand on fuel-wood, including efficient bio energy technologies / TA / 1. Strategies in place to promote sustainable energy technologies identified and piloted through private sector partnerships
2. At least 94,500 tCO2e mitigated through improved cook stove adoption
3. Community tree-planting on degraded forest land promoted
4. Energy efficient technologies promoted among rural households and local enterprises / (i) 500 ha of community woodlots established on degraded forests for sustainable energy production
(ii) 50,000 households adopting improved cook stoves for household use and income generating enterprise activities.
(iii) Technologies transferred, adapted and produced locally as part of local enterprise activity. / 847,335 / 32 / 1,800,000 / 68 / 2,647,335
5. Project management / 236,300 / 28 / 600,000 / 72 / 836,300
Total project costs / 2,363,635 / 30 / 5,400,000 / 70 / 7,763,635
B. Indicative Financing Plan Summary For The Project ($)
GEF / N/A / 2,363,635 / 236,365 / 2,600,000
Co-financing / 100,000 / 5,400,000 / 5,500,000
Total / 100,000 / 7,763,635 / 236,365 / 8,100,000
C. Indicative Co-financing for the project (including project preparation amount) by source and
by name (in parenthesis) if available, ($)
Project Government Contribution / (select)GrantSoft LoanHard LoanGuaranteeIn-kindUnknown at this stage / 600,000
GEF Agency(ies) / (select)GrantSoft LoanHard LoanGuaranteeIn-kindUnknown at this stage / 3,000,000
Bilateral Aid Agency(ies) / (select)GrantSoft LoanHard LoanGuaranteeIn-kindUnknown at this stage and in kind / 1,000,000
Private Sector / In-kind / 400,000
Others / In-kind / 500,000
Total co-financing / 5,500,000
D. GEF Resources Requested by Focal Area(s), agency (ies) share and country(ies)*
GEF Agency / Focal Area / Country Name/Global / (in $)
Project Preparation / Project / Agency
Fee / Total
(select)World BankUNDPUNEPAsDBAfDBEBRDIADBFAOUNIDOIFAD / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeInternational WatersLand DegradationOzone Depletion SubstancesPersistent Organic PollutantsNDI/CSPSGP/CB/LDC-SIDS Support / Cambodia / N/A / 1,000,000 / 100,000 / 1,100,000
(select)World BankUNDPUNEPAsDBAfDBEBRDIADBFAOUNIDOIFAD / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeInternational WatersLand DegradationOzone Depletion SubstancesPersistent Organic PollutantsNDI/CSPSGP/CB/LDC-SIDS Support / Cambodia / N/A / 909,090 / 90,910 / 1,000,000
(select)World BankUNDPUNEPAsDBAfDBEBRDIADBFAOUNIDOIFAD / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeInternational WatersLand DegradationOzone Depletion SubstancesPersistent Organic PollutantsNDI/CSPSGP/CB/LDC-SIDS Support / Cambodia / N/A / 454,545.5 / 45454.5 / 500,000
Total GEF Resources / 2,363,635 / 236,365 / 2,600,000
part ii: project JustiFication
A. State the issue, how the project seeks to address it, and the expected global environmental benefits to be delivered:
1. Compared with its neighbouring countries, Cambodia still has a low population density and relatively large intact natural areas. WWF’s eco-regional assessment has identified five critical ecosystems in Cambodia, including the Cardamom Mountain Range, Northern Plains, Eastern Plain, Upper Mekong and the Tonle Sap. The Cardamom Mountain rainforests are considered by some to be one of the most species-rich and intact natural habitats in the region. The Northern Plains of Cambodia are the largest remaining intact block of a unique landscape that once covered much of Indochina. Dominated by open deciduous forest, grasslands, and seasonal wetlands, the area has been described as the Asian equivalent of the African savannas. It is estimated that Cambodia hosts 806 globally threatened species, including 26 Critically Endangered species, 36 Endangered and 51 Vulnerable species. About 423 species are largely forest or forest-dependent species – including 9 Critically Endangered species, 9 Endangered Species and 23 Vulnerable species[2].
2. Although about 59% of Cambodia’s land area is forested, a considerable percentage of this is degraded[3]. The Forestry Administration’s forest cover assessment for 2006/06 indicates that Cambodia lost 2% of its forest cover during the period 2002-2006. Land and forest degradation in Cambodia are serious threats to its food security as well as to national and global environment. Currently about 75% of the population earn their living through agriculture and depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Some of the key drivers of forest loss and degradation include conversion to agriculture and other land uses, illegal logging and unsustainable harvesting of fuelwood and other forest products. Over 84% households meet their energy needs through fuel wood from forests– much of which is unsustainably harvested. Until a moratorium on logging in 2001, forest management focused on timber extraction by large-scale concessionaires, which resulted in widespread forest degradation[4]. The indirect drivers of land and forest degradation are related to high population growth and resulting migration to marginal lands and environments whose potentials and characteristics are little understood by migrants; weak forest governance structures; unclear demarcation of state lands (especially forestlands); and limited human and institutional capacities; and inaccessibility of affordable renewable energy and efficient energy technologies to meet household and local enterprise demands. Land and forest degradation have negative impacts on biodiversity as well as land productivity through erosion and sedimentation of agricultural fields and irrigation facilities, the livelihoods of vulnerable and poor communities living at the forest margins, watershed hydrological functions, and the production of forest products. Therefore, sustainable forest management has been identified as a priority in the country.
3. Several barriers exist for sustainable forest management (SFM) in Cambodia. Despite effort by the national government, local governments and local communities, along with the private sector and the international community, promotion of SFM at a landscape level is absent. Currently, the Forestry Administration (FA) manages Permanent Forest Reserves, whereas forests under protected areas are managed by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the flooded forest areas by the Fisheries Administration. There has been limited overall coordinated approach in SFM between these agencies. With devolution of administration to the Provinces, there are additional challenges in achieving SFM, along with demands for land and infrastructure development and poverty reduction. In late 2003, the community forestry sub-decree was passed and by December 2006 the Prakas on the Guidelines for implementation of the Sub Decree was brought out. These provide the legal framework for community forestry in the designated “production forest” areas of the Permanent Forest Estate of the Forestry Administration. However, the process of community handover has been very slow – with less than ten community forests legally recognized and 18 out of 73 community-based protected areas are legally recognized. These have been mostly on degraded areas and very little focus has been given on ensuring positive biodiversity conservation impacts. Efforts to involve local people in forest and protected area (PA) management, as an alternative forest management model, ran in parallel and are uncoordinated, with valuable lessons learned not being used to inform policy reforms. The processes of legal recognition for such efforts are in its early stage and needs strengthening, as do efforts to make community managed areas more productive and supportive of local livelihoods to provide a tangible contribution to poverty reduction. Other barriers to sustainable forest management include are uncertainty over access to land and rights to land and forest resources by local communities, low productivity of many forest areas, including forests managed by communities, and communities’ dependence on unsustainably harvested fuel wood, exacerbated by underdeveloped markets for alternative and more efficient energy sources, amid rising fossil fuel prices.
4. The proposed project will assist in removing the main barriers of sustainable forest management by strengthening national policy, regulations and capacities for SFM to integrate bio energy, biodiversity and livelihood considerations; demonstrating integrated land and forest management at a landscape level and promoting wider adoption of efficient renewable energy technologies by households to reduce demands on natural forests. At the national level, the project will strengthen the efforts of the Forest Administration and the Ministry of Environment to implement the proposed National Forest Programme, the sub-decree on community forestry and its guidelines and the provisions under the Protected Area Law, respectively. The project will ensure stronger inter-sectoral coordination and capacity building on SFM. The project will also demonstrate SFM based on landscape, ecological and participatory approaches (Recommendation 24 of the Independent Forest Sector Review), improved local forest governance, identification and replication of best practices in bioenergy production and natural resource management, and on developing financing mechanisms for the sustainable production of biomass fuels and the efficient use of energy technologies. The project will support activities to integrate and mainstream biodiversity in land use and community forestry by strengthening. In particular, the project will help refine existing community forestry management planning guidelines so that they incorporate conservation measures. Efforts on sustainable bioenergy promotion will include activities such as certification for sustainable fuelwood and charcoal production; and promotion of improved energy efficient cook stoves and other suitable household and local enterprise energy technologies. During the full project development phase, local needs will be identified and appropriate strategies will be developed for renewable energy options to meet local needs. Capacity strengthening at the grassroots and higher governmental levels, and knowledge management will be directed at the critical issues of practical approaches to forest rehabilitation and promotion and financing of bioenergy, community-based natural resource management and monitoring of threats to biodiversity. This will be complemented by increased understanding of the drivers of land-use change causing land and forest degradation and negative impacts on ecosystem services and local livelihoods. Finally, and of equal importance, the project will enhance the productive potential of community-based management to increase benefits derived by local people and to enhance opportunities for sustainable energy production. It therefore responds directly to Recommendation 30 of the Independent Forest Sector Review, which emphasizes the determination of the legal and economic conditions required to make community forestry self-financing and self-sustainable in different settings as a major priority. GEF assistance will focus on funding the incremental costs of demonstrating, accelerating and up-scaling community involvement in forest, buffer zone and protected area management, including: lifting barriers to implementing SFM, sustainable energy production from biomass, promoting sustainable financing mechanisms for wider use of energy-efficient technologies, while considering development needs and supporting interventions at national, provincial and local levels.
5. The project will produce global environmental benefits by enhancing ecosystem services and biodiversity values through SFM demonstrations at landscape level in Khampong Speu and Kampong Chhnang Provinces of Cambodia. These two provinces host globally important forest ecosystems and species. Of the total 1,253,800 ha of the provinces, 641,596 ha is forested, largely consisting of evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous forests. The provinces include parts of Kirirom National Park, Aural Wildlife Sanctuary and the Tonle Sap. By mainstreaming SFM nationally, significant number of globally important species will have better chances of survival. IUCN’s Red List shows that there are over 400 globally threatened species found in Cambodia are dependent on forest ecosystems. Some of the globally threatened species in these provinces include eld’s deer (Cervus eldii siamensis), tigers (Panthera tigris), sun bears (Helarctos malayanus), Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), Asian wild dogs (Cuon alpinus), and banteng (Bos javanicus). By demonstrating sustainable forest management in and around the protected areas, threats to globally important biodiversity will be reduced, and the forested landscape will provide additional habitats to PAs and corridors for such species between PAs. The project’s promotion of renewable energy and energy efficient (EE) technologies will also yield global environmental benefits. In the demonstration provinces, CO2 emissions reductions from use of more efficient household stoves by at least 50,000 households at the demonstration site are expected to reduce emissions of 94500 tons of CO2 equivalent. Sustainable management of 20,000 ha of natural forests will avoid emission of 177,467 tons of CO2 per year. National mainstreaming impacts of the project will yield significant additional global benefits. With at least 25% of forests under SFM, avoided deforestation alone is expected to lead to avoided emissions of over 25,000,000 tons of CO2 per year[5]. These global carbon benefits will be further clarified during full project development.