Community Action for Sustainable Forests (CASFor)


Building on SDC`s long-term experience in forest management this project contributes to Switzerland’s engagement on climate change. Together with UN agencies and NGOs, forest sector governance will be strengthened and community forest group members’ livelihoods will be improved. Forest degradation will be reduced by sustainable management of community forests in four provinces, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to Cambodia’s Nationally Determined Contributions and the Agenda 2030.

Land/Region Thema Periode Budget
Kambodscha
Klimawandel & Umwelt
Menschenrechte
Forstwirtschaftspolitik
Menschenrechte (inkl. Frauenrechte)
Umweltpolitik
Biodiversität
01.08.2022 - 31.12.2028
CHF  5’830’000
Hintergrund Unsustainable landscape management and forest loss through deforestation and degradation are major sources of risk for the Cambodian economy and society, with impacts on ecosystem services, climate, biodiversity, and food security. The most vulnerable groups with many forest dependent communities including local and indigenous peoples in society are disproportionately affected by the economic shocks and reduced economic opportunities generated by these unsustainable practices. These communities rely on their nearby natural/forest resources for subsistence, income and shelter. However, they are faced with weak forest governance and a constant lack of resources to protect their forests and livelihoods from key drivers of forest landscape degradation. Furthermore, there are major political, institutional, managerial, and financial limitations that restrain those communities from playing a key role in sustainable forest management, restoration, climate change adaptation and mitigation and biodiversity conservation. These limitations are aggravated by the fact that knowledge and information about the climate impact of and on community forest user groups` resource management is negligible. The Cambodian regulatory framework on natural resource management is limited in taking into account the rights of forest dependent communities. In particular in the first semester of 2023, land rights defenders were beaten and imprisoned while defending their homes. Environmental activists have also been targeted by authorities over their work on halting deforestation, which threatens development projects. Support to these communities and activists is highly politicised and needs proper safeguards but is crucial for forest landscape protection. 
Ziele Community forest user groups are strengthened and improve their livelihoods while actively contributing to climate action and biodiversity conservation; forest resources are sustainably managed. 
Zielgruppen
  • Local people and Indigenous people of the 4 provinces, Kratie, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom who are members of CFUGs, including women and youth
  • Private sector/actors included micro-finance institution/bank, supporting the forest restoration and communityproduct market
  • Technical officials and administration of Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of Environment at subnational and national levels
  • CSOs supporting people and communities impacted by land issues
Mittelfristige Wirkungen

Outcome1: Enhanced resilient livelihoods through enabling communities to participate in integrated landscape management.

Outcome 2: Enhanced forest governance through strengthened forest monitoring and an improved enabling framework for community base forest management.

Outcome 3: Improved protection of land rights and continued access to/availability of natural resources for target populations 

Resultate

Erwartete Resultate:  

  • 86,600 people of 146 community forest user groups (CFUGs) benefit from resilience-building and climate change adaptation measures including disaster risk reduction measures
  • Forest area approx. 181,100 ha under sustainable forest management; 
  • 45 business partnerships between communities and private sector/actors for forest restoration implemented
  • 18 gender sensitive multi-stakeholder dialogues supported, giving space to 15 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) seeking conflict resolution through those dialogues
  • 3 forest monitoring systems developed and/or strengthened to ensure that community forests are integrated and contribute to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and national report to UNFCCC and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)


Resultate von früheren Phasen:  

The opening credit was used to conduct the studies as outlined in the Entry Proposal and to develop the project document. Key lessons learnt from previous interventions such as the SDC initiated Partnership for Forestry and Fisheries and from the Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC) include:

  • Successful community forestry initiatives require uptake of approaches, ideally at landscape level, that address the identified drivers of deforestation and loss of natural resources
  • These approaches need to be combined with policy interventions at the national level and sustainable finance solutions
  • The legal framework and governance mechanisms in place should be used in favour of communities to secure their land and resource use rights to the maximum extent


Verantwortliche Direktion/Bundesamt DEZA
Kreditbereich Entwicklungszusammenarbeit
Projektpartner Vertragspartner
Internationale oder ausländische NGO
Organisation der Vereinten Nationen (UNO)
  • Food and Agricultural Organisation
  • Andere internationale oder ausländische NGO Norden
  • FAO Cambodia; DanChurchAid – DCA Cambodia


Koordination mit anderen Projekten und Akteuren Global: Green Climate Fund, UN-REDD, UNDRIP and UNDROP Regional: RECOFTC Core Contribution, Mekong Regional Land Governance Cambodia: Nurture, ISD, SPACE
Budget Laufende Phase Schweizer Beitrag CHF    5’830’000 Bereits ausgegebenes Schweizer Budget CHF    3’129’885 Projekttotal seit Anfangsphase Schweizer Beitrag CHF   181’824 Budget inklusive Projektpartner CHF   8’500’000
Projektphasen Phase 1 01.08.2022 - 31.12.2028   (Laufende Phase)