A Journey to Save the Small Forest Area

When I first arrived the new community I worked with, there were a number of people came to participate with their smiles and hopes. In the start up phase with the new community, there were not expected to gain a smoothly facilitate. It might refer to the community characteristic and the culture where people are living. The journey across the village to meet some people across the road or people nearby the road were what I can, to observe and learnt the people interest and their current situations.

Putuet village is not too far from the Modulkiri town but we required to stay overnight in the village due to the road accessibility constraint. This village are fending by the rubber plantation in which invested by the foreigner private company. The people used to have an ownership and freedom on their living previously, have been changed to adapt the new way of life of the new development.

Used to walked to the nearby forest to collect the food and NTFPs production for subsistence, now it is difference. They have to walk very long time across the Economic Land Concession (ELC) area and sometime they are asked to tell what the purpose of their journey to the forest if not, the barrier is locked while some areas will need to pay USD 5 of the entrance fee per car per time.

The areas were covered by evergreen, semi-evergreen forest, issued by royal degree in Namlir Wildlife Sanctuary was granted to private company by sub-degree. The remaining forest area about 10% of the total areas are under treated and also being lobbied to grant them to be ELC. But the question is, how the ELC really make the small country change? Yes, it makes changes, change from the evergreen forest to the rubber  plantation and change from the free road to the locked road and also, we might expect very a little that the infrastructure will be constructed by the investment company. Anyways, it is still in waiting mood.

I listened carefully to what were mentioned by the community. They told us their experiences, problems and what they need for the community advantage and global interest which is called Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). Most of the women debated and asked us a lot of questions on how the natural resource are being managed and will be managed and how it will contribute to their livelihood and national development. Also they even came up with what they demand to make it belong to them, was the farmland where they left for long time a go. But it is not what they are expecting, we are here to initiate to make a Community Protected Area in this treated area where it is a little taking care from our govern't.

SFB (Supporting Forest and Biodiversity Project) was well known in this Landscape who got a biggest fund from USAID to implement its activities in our Cambodia. This project is remaining 24 months to continue the mission, goal, objective and its activities in this worth landscape (Eastern Plains Landscape and Prey Lang Landscape). A number of question were raised to me at a coffee-shop when I was departure from the village regarding to Sustainability Mechanism.

While talking about sustainability. It is a complicated thing and every NGOs and Project always think of this issue after their mission ended.  It is really depending on the commitment of the community themselves and the commitment of the beneficiary both direct and indirect. But the question is, what are you contributing to make it sustainable? The resource mobilization after the project life will fall into to government who own this country, the relevance development partners and   ALL of us can contribute to make it changes and sustainable especially the youth.

The community empowerment and improving the basic knowledge and understanding of the forest management and community institutionalization will be very important . Forest governance and the constructive dialogue would be able to play the role to make it difference and be efficiency. And I do believe that this all of mentioned cases will be able to  contribute to protect this small forest area and continue its works and values to their people.

This short video clip, I made during my weekend, I do believe, it will make you impressing. My wife asked me What will this video relevance to your current position of Monitoring and Evaluation? There is.....!

I want a Social Impact and I hope and want to engage the Cambodian people to participate in the process of Forest Conservation in this landscape and their community. And so, it will contribute to an indicator of my project.