Cambodia's forests and fisheries provide an important source of domestic earnings, essential to meeting the needs of rural people in Cambodia. In recent years, however, unregulated logging, slash and burn farming, and the demands of a growing population are posing serious threats to those resources. Community forest and fisheries resource management (CFFM) is relatively young in Cambodia (even non-existent in the four villages studied) yet there is growing interest among the local government and donor community in promoting and expanding the resources available to rural communities and exploring approaches to co-management. In reality, however, the villages studied were poor and neglected by both the local government and non-governmental organizations that could help them out of poverty. And most of the villagers have little or no access to land, meaning that there is little chance of them participating in CFFM without considering land redistribution and legal registration in a new land reform process. Additionally, the growing concessions and land expropriations have left the poor landless. This paper discusses the general implications of CFFM at the national level, highlighted by a case study in the provinces of Kampong Speu and Kampong Chnnang conducted in February 2001. It also takes into account recommended policy strategies that emerged clearly from provincial and district dialogues. While the outcome of this report may not provide a comprehensive understanding of the historical role of Cambodian villages in CFFM, it summarizes the most significant insights on the constraints and opportunities for CFFM amid the Cambodian transition economy.
