Virachey National Park Management Plan 2003 – 2007

Executive Summary

Introduction

Virachey National Park (VNP) was created under the Royal Decree Concerning the Creation and Designation of Protected Areas, issued on the 1st of November 1993. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) was designated as the responsible entity for supervising the planning and development of a “National Protected Areas System”.

This Management Plan is a tool, to be used to guide the management of Virachey National Park. The plan document is divided into two parts. Part One describes the protected area (PA) and identifies its values. The management of the PA is presented in Part Two of the plan. Management objectives and prioritised activities to address issues are outlined. The plan is thus a primary resource to be used in the subsequent preparation of annual operational plans (AOPs) and provides the basis for evaluating operational performance in achievement of management objectives.

Mission Statement for Virachey National Park

The mission of the Virachey National Park is to conserve and sustainably manage the natural and cultural resources of the park in partnership with local communities and other stakeholders for the benefit of the people from local communities and Cambodia as a nation.

Management Plan Purposes

1. Establish efficient and effective management to uplift the conservation integrity of VNP and the biodiversity it supports.

2. Strengthen capacity and establish management systems and operating procedures that will enable VNP to function in an effective manner.

VNP will seek to strengthen its financial standing by developing low-density ecotourism. It will, however, be dependent on donor and Government of Cambodia (GoC) funding for the foreseeable future. VNP will strengthen its co-ordination of donor and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) projects and develop longer-term (project and non-project) sources of income. Two main elements of its conservation strategy - park protection (PP) and community development (CD) - will continue to apply. VNP will improve its organisation of the former and will evaluate its experience with the latter and develop its approaches accordingly.

The Management Programmes

It is anticipated that the proposed PA Law will be approved and promulgated early during the plan period. There will then be a concentrated implementation of the relevant sections of this Law. VNP will pilot natural resource use management agreements with local communities in the form of Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) and Community Protected Areas (CPAs), thereby devolve managerial responsibility, and expectantly reduce financial commitments.

To support all this, two major thrusts will be to strengthen human resources (staff employed by VNP), and to develop a range of operational guidelines, policies and management procedures.
The detailed management plan (Part Two) is broken down into 6 management programmes: Resource Conservation and Management; PA Operations and Maintenance; Community Development; Research and Monitoring; Ecotourism Development; and Regional Co-operation.

A short description of each of the six management programmes follows:

1. Resource Conservation and Management

VNP is experiencing biodiversity degradation due to illegal activities, unsustainable resource extraction, human population pressure, unclear boundaries and uncontrolled fires. Not enough is known about the status of resources to be conserved and managed. Thus, there will be clear marking and effective management of the boundaries and stepped up surveillance and law enforcement. The Management Information System (MIST) will be used to analyse data collected by ranger patrols (RBDC – Ranger-Based Data Collection). Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade are major threats to conservation in VNP and are to receive additional attention. VNP will work with other security agencies, improve the organisation and reporting of its law enforcement patrols, and establish an intelligence network. The goal of this programme is, to maintain and enhance the structure and ecological integrity of the forest and other biological, cultural and physical features of VNP.

2. PA Operation and Maintenance

Effective co-ordination of PA activities with Local Government, NGOs and other partners has been identified as one way of strengthening the PA operations and support services and avoiding duplication, unnecessary gaps and conflicts. The plans, policies, procedures, and operational capacity for VNP management need strengthening. VNP will develop appropriate mechanisms for collaborative management and establish annual operational planning (AOP). Capacity to plan and maintain VNP's infrastructure will be built. The goal is, to maintain and strengthen the PA operations and support services.

3. Community Development

Community involvement and support is one of the strongest approaches that VNP can use to secure better management and protection of the PA. The level of effort put into community development and the approach used has enormous potential and has to be promoted as far as possible. Management agreements with local communes by means of memorandum of agreements (MoAs) will be piloted.

VNP will implement a benefit-sharing policy and evaluate its impact, develop its programme for the multiple use of park resources in Community Protected Areas (CPAs) and through MoAs and permits, and make a major effort to extend CD approaches and practices. These are likely to involve working in partnership with NGOs and other agencies around and in VNP. The goal of this programme is, to increase community involvement and support for conservation.

4. Research and Monitoring

VNP does not have adequate data and information on which to base management decisions. In addition to regular data collection by ranger patrols, the park will need information from applied research. The latter will be achieved through the establishment of links with research institutions. All aspects of monitoring and evaluation will be implemented in the Management Information System (MIST) with the aim to provide accurate, relevant and timely information for resource management.

5. Tourism Development

Currently tourism is at a very low level in and around VNP. There are a number of well-known constraints on the development of tourism, but there are signs that tourism is increasing very rapidly. There is an opportunity for VNP to play a major role, together with other line agencies and the private sector, to assist in developing the products and to ensure that the local communities benefit from these developments. To implement the plan it is proposed that there will be a modest increase in staff numbers. The new park component of Tourism will be established, with the employment of a Warden Tourism (WT) and tourism rangers, and there will be a strengthening of both in the form of training. The goal of these programmes is, to develop and sustainably manage tourism in VNP in partnership with local communities and other stakeholders without negatively affecting the ecological and cultural integrity of the park.

6. Regional Co-operation

VNP is contiguous with PAs in both Lao P.D.R. and Vietnam and with natural areas adjacent to VNP in Cambodia. There is therefore a need and an opportunity for effective collaboration with management of these areas. Synchronised programmes will be proposed in preparation of management plans, information, patrols, community development, tourism, and data management plus a regional security strategy. The goal is, to establish and enhance collaboration with authorities adjacent to VNP.

Budget USD

A summary of the budget is included in this plan. Details can be obtained from the publication “Financial Plan for Virachey National Park based on the Management Plan, 2003 – 2007” (BPAMP 2003). The budget was developed for three scenarios. The first scenario includes those activities in the management plan that must be performed to ensure the minimum level of protection for the ecosystem. The second scenario includes the activities needed to enhance the ecosystem, expand the constituencies and augment the minimum level of protection activities. The third scenario describes the optimum scenario and includes all activities mentioned in this management plan (Conservation Finance Alliance 2003). Summaries of the three scenarios are provided below (all figures are in US dollars).