Description: : The Monks Community Forest (MCF) is an 18,261 hectare stretch of evergreen forest in northwest Cambodia. MCF was created in response to deforestation from economic concessions, illegal logging, and land encroachment. The monks of the Samraong Pagoda acquired legal protection of the forest, and have since established patrol teams, demarcated forest boundaries, raised environmental awareness among local communities, organized community patrol volunteers, developed co-management committees with local villagers, linked with government authorities and NGOs, established Cambodia’s largest community forest, attracted external support for patrolling, and significantly reduced illegal logging activities.
Key Activities and Innovations: The monks have developed unique approaches to law enforcement based on Buddhist principles, and demonstrated the power of linking conservation with traditional and religious beliefs. The group has been able to organize volunteers from Samraong Pagoda and the local community into patrols that regularly monitor the forest to stop illegal harvesting activities. MCF is now the country’s largest community forest, ensuring that the poor farmers of six nearby villages benefit from its resources and have a direct say in forest management.
Key Impacts
Biodiversity
- Patrolling and awareness-raising activities have dramatically reduced illegal logging, hunting and land clearing inside MCF, helping to safeguard the area’s biodiversity
- MCF is home to threatened species, including the sun bear, gibbon, gaur, slow loris, leopard, green peafowl, greater and lesser adjutants, pangolin, and dhole
- MCF is involved in Cambodia’s first reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) carbon offset project
- While logging and hunting are prohibited, villagers can use traditional fishing methods, collect old timber for construction materials, and harvest non-timber forest products such as bamboo, wild ginger, fruit and mushrooms
- Mushroom cultivation has been a particularly lucrative income diversification strategy for the local population, earning households as much as US$150-$200 per month, substantial considering the average annual income is approximately US$700
- Revenues have been reinvested into emergency rice supplies for poorer families, cost-effective market supply chain linkages for non-timber forest products, and needed petrol and food for patrols
- Six women are involved in village sub-committees
- Villagers are involved in the co-management of the community forest
- MCF is one of thirteen community forests involved in Cambodia’s first reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) carbon offset project
- MCF has set a critical precedent by demonstrating that communities can successfully manage larger high-value forest areas, laying the groundwork for national government plans to expand existing community forests to more than two million hectares
- Carbon revenues from the REDD project might provide long-term financing to MCF, and will serve to heighten the profile of community conservation efforts in the country
Partners
- Buddhism for Development
- Pact Cambodia
- Forestry Administration, Cambodia
- Children’s Development Association
- Community Forestry International (CFI)
- The Association of Buddhists for Environment (ABE)
Contacts
Venerable Bun Saluth
Samraong village
Samraong commune
Samraong district
Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia
Tel: (855 12) 315 75
bunsaluth@hotmail.com