FRANCES H. LAMBRICK, NICK D. BROWN, ANNA LAWRENCE, AND DANIEL P. BEBBER
Conservation Biology
Cambodia
has 57% forest cover, the second highest in the Greater Mekong region, and a
high deforestation rate (1.2%/year, 2005–2010). Community forestry (CF) has
been proposed as a way to reduce deforestation and support livelihoods through
local management of forests. CF is expanding rapidly in Cambodia. The National
Forests Program aims to designate one million hectares of forest to CF by 2030.
However, the effectiveness of CF in conservation is not clear due to a global
lack of controlled comparisons, multiple meanings of CF, and the
context-specific nature of CF implementation. We assessed the effectiveness of
CF by comparing 9 CF sites with paired controls in state production forest in
the area of Prey Long forest, Cambodia. We assessed forest condition in 18–20
randomly placed variable-radius plots and fixed-area regeneration plots. We
surveyed 10% of households in each of the 9 CF villages to determine the
proportion that used forest products, as a measure of household dependence on
the forest. CF sites had fewer signs of anthropogenic damage (cut stems,
stumps, and burned trees), higher aboveground biomass, more regenerating stems,
and reduced canopy openness than control areas. Abundance of economically
valuable species, however, was higher in control sites. We used survey results
and geographic parameters to model factors affecting CF outcomes. Interaction
between management type, CF or control, and forest dependence indicated that CF
was more effective in cases where the community relied on forest products for
subsistence use and income.
