Field study in the South West Cluster

The field study for Cambodia focuses on the economic benefits provided by four national parks, collectively termed the South-West Cluster Protected Areas: Phnom Bokor, Preah Suramarit Kossamak (Kirirom), Preah Sihanouk (Ream) and Kep. The parks were selected by the Ministry of Environment as field sites because of their conservation significance, accessibility and high level of development pressure. The study investigates the contribution of these four protected areas to local and regional economies in the towns, villages and communes in Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kompong Speu provinces. The field study also explores the following topics:

• the economic value of Ream National Park for local communities;
• the contribution of tourism in Bokor National Park to the Kampot provincial economy; and
• the economic value of Bokor and Kirirom national parks for hydro-electric generation.

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Cambodia field study [PDF 1198 KB]
Cambodia field study (maps, photos and figure 3 removed) [PDF 138 KB]
Introduction to the field studies [PDF 63 KB]
Map of land cover in the region [GIF 127 KB]
Figure 3. The total economic value of the South-West Cluster Protected Areas to provincial economies [HTML]

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The South-West Cluster Protected Areas
   1. Phnom Bokor National Park
   2. Preah Suramarit Kossamak (Kirirom) National Park
   3. Preah Sihanouk (Ream) National Park
   4. Kep National Park
3. Economic and development connections
   1. Socio-economic context
   2. PA contribution to provincial economies
4. Key economic values of protected areas
   1. Ream NP’s economic value for local communities
   2. The contribution of tourism in Bokor NP to the Kampot provincial economy
   3. Economic value of Bokor and Kirirom NPs for hydro-electric generation
   4. Importance to local livelihoods
5. Conclusions and recommendations
   1. Economic and development justification for PAs
   2. Overcoming the economic threats to protected areas
   3. Using economic measures to strengthen protected area conservation
6. References

The field study team

The Cambodia field study was carried out in Phnom Penh by Ros Seilava (Ministry of Economy and Finance), Heng Pearith (Cambodia National Mekong Committee), Hang Chuon Naron (Ministry of Economy and Finance), Kol Vathana (Ministry of Environment) and Mao Kosal (PAD review national coordinator) and Lucy Emerton (IUCN), with important inputs from a range of local and central government sector experts.

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Review of protected areas and their role in socio-economic development
in the four countries of the lower Mekong River region

page updated: 16/11/03