Having emerged from nearly 20 years of civil war, Cambodia was quick to build on a pre-war reserve system to establish a new system of protected areas in 1993. At that time, little information was available on the nature or extent of the country’s biodiversity. The design of the protected area system therefore relied heavily on generalised landscape-scale vegetation patterns, human impact patterns, and political expediency. The current protected area system planning effort aims to provide a new strategic framework for the protected area system and help establish the capacity for ongoing and adaptive planning and management.

In the years since their initial establishment, much has changed with regard to Cambodia’s protected areas. Most have established permanent staffs and infrastructure to support protection efforts and, depending on the individual area, a range of other management structures and tools have been applied. Additional information on biodiversity patterns has highlighted the international conservation significance of some areas while other areas have been degraded by impacts from development and human settlement. After 1993, a number of additional areas have been established for the purpose of conserving the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

Although these changes have been positive in many ways, they have been somewhat uncoordinated and ad-hoc. This has led to confusion about the role of protected areas—especially in terms of how the entire system can complement and support Cambodia’s social and economic development aspirations.
The system plan summarises the various issues and challenges surrounding Cambodia’s system of protected areas and proposes a strategy for achieving the objectives of the protected area system in the context of the country’s myriad development goals. At a time when the country is actively reassessing its overall development strategy, the plan will serve to consolidate strategic planning and management efforts and provide policy-makers with a clear picture of the role and potential of the protected area system. Specifically, the system plan will:

• Identify the strategic objectives of Cambodia’s protected area system
• Identify and describe the management needs required to achieve the objectives
• Identify management options encouraging systematic evaluation of their implications
• Maintain continuity of effective management
• Identify priorities for investment and options for sustainable financing
• Serve as a basis for coordinating a variety of inputs into the protected area system
• Provide a basis for resolving conflicts related to protected areas
• Encourage compliance with local, national, and international policies
• Provide a framework for monitoring and evaluation

• Protected areas are basic building blocks of global, regional, and national conservation efforts.
• When managed effectively and sustainably, protected areas benefit society greatly.
• The potential value of protected areas is only realised when they are seen as parts of greater landscapes and ecosystems.
• Protected Area System Planning should be an iterative process with each successive effort building on existing knowledge and experience.
• A ‘cluster’ approach is a logical and practical approach to protected area planning and management and should be serve as a basic framework for developing and improving Cambodia’s protected area system.