Cambodia has prepared this 6th National Report in compliance with Article 26 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This 6th national report covers the period from 2014 to 2018 in line with the national reporting guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention in Decision XIII/27. It presents an assessment of progress toward Cambodia’s national biodiversity targets adopted as
part of the revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) (approved in February 2016) and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The report includes also an assessment of the effectiveness of measures taken on the implementation of the revised NBSAP. It consists of 5 sections. The optional sections proposed in the guidelines (i.e. “Description of the national contribution to the achievement of the targets
of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation” and “Additional information on the contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities to the achievement of the ABT”) were not considered because matters relating to plant conservation and to the contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities were captured in the relevant sections of the report.
Section I presents information on biodiversity targets being pursued in Cambodia. Under the coordination of the General Directorate of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP), the General Secretariat of National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE), the process used for the development and adoption of the national
biodiversity targets was truly participatory to ensure wide ownership among the Ministries and all the stakeholders, as well as harmony, coherence, complementarity and synergy between the updated NBSAP, including the national biodiversity targets, and all the strategies and plans adopted by the Government in the framework of national development goals. Cambodia adopted 20 national biodiversity targets that are in line with the country’s priorities and generally reflect the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. For each national target, we provide some background and an indicative list of the implementing Ministries or their Departments.
Section II outlines the measures taken to reach each of the national targets. These measures were identified in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and are cross-referenced when they are applicable to more than one target. They are also put in their specific contexts in light of the thematic biodiversity priorities of Cambodia. In this framework, they include measures taken in other sectors and
under other relevant strategic and action plans such as the National Action Plan to Combat Land Degradation (NAP) 2018-2026 , the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Second National Communication to UNFCCC or the National Strategic Development Plan.
Section III on assessment of progress towards each national target is the core of this report. For each target, we note the level of progress and provide explanations with concrete examples and data. References for the data used are provided as footnotes. Overall, Cambodia made significant progress on all the targets and exceeded expectations in establishing new protected areas, terrestrial as well as marine,
and corridors to ensure that the protected area system is well connected. Although progress is evident, Cambodia is trying to define more measurable targets in line with the themes described in the NBSAP. Some of the current targets overlap and there may be a need to take that into consideration while refining the targets into more measurable terms. More details are given below (see Box below).
Section IV: Description of the national contribution to the achievement of each global Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Most of Cambodia’s national targets are related to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets without being exactly the same. In terms of the national contribution to the achievement of the global targets, since 2010, Cambodia has added about 15% of its territory to the world protected areas, corresponding to 2.7M ha, including 52,448 ha of marine protected area. In addition, Cambodia has been successful with its payment for ecosystem services; particularly, the nest protection programme and the community-based agri-environmental ecotourism payment programme has allowed the protection of wildlife that is endemic to Cambodia and of global importance. Cambodia is still experiencing a lot of loss of forest ecosystems, but the rate of loss has declined comparatively to previous years.
Section V: Updated biodiversity country profiles. The country profile has been updated to take into consideration the actual socioeconomic development, the latest conservation achievements, and the discovery of new species in the country.
Cambodia is particularly satisfied with the progress achieved just 2 years after the adoption of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and 2 years before 2020, the end time of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Cambodia identified areas requiring additional efforts and has adopted more specific targets under some themes of the NBSAP, including in the framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (e.g. the voluntary targets for the Land Degradation Neutrality) and the Nationally Determined Contributions as well as the second national communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with deadlines beyond 2020. These targets have been adopted in line with the Rectangular Strategy Phase IV, the National Environment Strategy and Action Plan 2016 -2023 and the Green Growth Roadmap. They are also in phase with our national action plans for the Sustainable Development Goals.
