Between 1993 and 1996, the Government of Cambodia enacted several key pieces of environmental legislation to establish the legal framework to control, use and manage its natural resources and urban environment. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) is the key agency responsible for environmental protection and natural resources conservation, while the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is responsible for forest management. Roles and responsibilities among different government agencies overlap in functional areas such as land tenure administration, coastal and marine resource management, wildlife conservation, and protected area management. These overlaps, as well as shortages in skilled staff and insufficient budget allocations, constrain the government’s ability to sustainably manage its natural resources and environment. However, Cambodia's environmental institutions have become more open to public participation, which was made mandatory, as part of the EIA approval process, in 1999.
The World Bank is helping to increase environmental capacity and information with a range of analytical and advisory services. These include the publication of annual country Environment Monitors and by helping the government better understand poverty- environment linkages through a Poverty-Environment Nexus Study.
Posts
