The Community Forestry Implementation in Cambodia: The Role of Rural Communitys Participation in Forest Governance

Abstract

This research studies on the role of rural communitys participation in forest governance in Cambodia. It aimed to identify the important role of local community in participation in forest governance policy through community-based management. The research looked at how local community participate in community-based forest governance and how the increase in awareness could influence on key factors of forest governance including perception and attitude change, participation in forest governance, accountability and law enforcement network to prevent illegal activities within community forestrys boundaries. The participation of rural community is important in enhancing good forest governance, strengthening collaboration with governance and resolving the forest management issues within the forest areas. In this study, researcher used qualitative methodology based on both primary data and secondary data to describe and explain the findings. Researcher collected primary data through key informants interview and survey with local community in selected study sites, while the secondary data was obtained through literature reviews, academic journals and various relevant documents. The research found that the rural communitys participation in community forestry arrangement has increased awareness of local community on the importance of forest resources, caused changes in perception and attitude towards resources utilization, and motivated their participation to forest governance in order to ensure sustainable forest management and the robust and dynamism of cooperation between community people and stakeholders. The studied community has shown high degree of community participation as the managers of resources by devising, negotiating, enforcing their power in managing their territorial resources.