Between 2014 and 2023, an innovative partnership supported tens of thousands of Cambodians to exercise their rights to manage and benefit from local natural resources and thus improve their livelihoods and resilience to financial and environmental crises.
The Partnership for Forestry and Fisheries Communities in Cambodia (PaFF) supported 195 communities in Kratie, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom provinces. It focused on building up capacities among these communities and government agencies to sustainably manage natural resources by implementing community forestry, for which Cambodia has three models: community forests, community fisheries and community-protected areas.
PaFF had four implementing partners: the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme Asia, WWF-Cambodia, the Culture and Environment Preservation Association and RECOFTC Cambodia. The partnership was mainly funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
The partnership worked closely with Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Forestry Administration, Fisheries Administration), the Ministry of Environment, subnational authorities, development partners, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
Its approaches of formalizing rights, providing training, supporting networks and creating financial mechanisms boosted livelihoods, protected natural resources and strengthened the abilities of communities to engage with policymakers. The partnership also delivered nearly USD 1.5 million directly to community-based institutions overseeing the management and protection of local forest and fishery resources.
More than 94,000 people in 35,000 households benefited from PaFF. More than half were women, and one fifth belonged to indigenous groups. The partnership enabled the communities to better face challenges created by rapid economic growth and environmental degradation.
This Special Report tells the story of PaFF’s achievements and legacy.