The system of tenure defines how people and communities gain access to land, forests and other resources. In many part of the world, forest tenure system is weak, not pro-poor, and contested. Many countries in Asia have initiated forest tenure reform programmes to improve livelihoods of rural poor. However, the outcome of such reform is mixed and potential benefits to rural people are not fully realised. Restrictive and weak regulatory frameworks, tenure insecurity, and insufficient institutiona l capacity are key factors limiting the impacts of forest tenure reform. Against this backdrop, FAO initiated a regional programme on "Strengthening Forest Tenure for Sustaining Livelihoods and Generating Income" in Cambodia, Nepal and Viet Nam in 2014. This book summarizes key findings of the regional project ‘Strengthening Forest Tenure for Sustaining Livelihoods and Generating Income’ implemented between 2014 and 2016 in Cambodia, Nepal and Viet Nam. It was part of the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and implemented at the request of the governments in these countries. During the course of project implementation, each country undertook national assessment of forest tenure policies and institutional capacity and identified gaps in these areas. A series of consultations, multistakeholder policy dialogues and capacity development activities was also conducted as part of the project.

Written by leading authorities from Australasia, Europe and North America, this book examines the dynamic conflicts and synergies between nature conservation and human development in contemporary Cambodia. After suffering conflict and stagnation in the late twentieth century, Cambodia has experienced an economic transformation in the last decade, with growth averaging almost ten per cent per year, partly through investment from China. However this rush for development has been coupled with tremendous social and environmental change which, although positive in some aspects, has led to rising inequality and profound shifts in the condition, ownership and management of natural resources. High deforestation rates, declining fish stocks, biodiversity loss, and alienation of indigenous and rural people from their land and traditional livelihoods are now matters of increasing local and international concern. The book explores the social and political dimensions of these environmental changes in Cambodia, and of efforts to intervene in and ‘improve’ current trajectories for conservation and development. It provides a compelling analysis of the connections between nature, state and society, pointing to the key role of grassroots and non-state actors in shaping Cambodia’s frontiers of change. These insights will be of great interest to scholars of Southeast Asia and environment-development issues in general.

Cambodians have displayed tremendous resilience. The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) has been formulated using the comprehensive Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia and synthesizes the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDG), the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS), etc. It provides the framework for growth, employment, equity, and efficiency to reach CMDGs. It lays out the vision, goals, strategies, and priority actions. Its implementation will be regularly monitored to make annual adjustments. NSDP could be successfully implemented to attain intended goals and reduce poverty.