Assessment of the Local Perceptions on the Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation, Agents of Drivers, and Appropriate Activities in Cambodia

Sereyrotha Ken,Hwan Ok Ma,Tomoe Entani,Nophea Sasaki,Takuji W Tsusaka,Phalla Thuch

doi:10.3390/su12239987

Abstract

Understanding the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and the agents of such drivers is important for introducing appropriate policy interventions. Here, we identified drivers and agents of drivers through the analysis of local perceptions using questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions, and field observations. The Likert scale technique was employed for designing the questionnaire with scores ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). We found nine direct drivers of forest deforestation and forest degradation, namely illegal logging (4.53 ± 0.60, ± is for standard deviation), commercial wood production (4.20 ± 0.71), land clearing for commercial agriculture (4.19 ± 1.15), charcoal production (3.60 ± 1.12), land clearing for subsistence agriculture (3.54 ± 0.75), new settlement and land migration (3.43 ± 0.81), natural disasters (3.31 ± 0.96), human-induced forest fires (3.25 ± 0.96), and fuelwood for domestic consumption (3.21 ± 0.77). We also found four main indirect drivers, namely lack of law enforcement, demand for timber, land tenure right, and population growth. Our analysis indicates that wood furniture makers, medium and large-scale agricultural investors, charcoal makers, land migrants, firewood collectors, and subsistent farmers were the agents of these drivers. Through focus group discussions, 12 activities were agreed upon and could be introduced to reduce these drivers. In addition to enforcing the laws, creating income-generating opportunities for locals along with the provision of environmental education could ensure long-term reduction of these drivers. The REDD+ project could be an option for creating local income opportunities, while reducing deforestation and forest degradation.

Highlights

Forests play important roles in subsistent livelihoods of billions of people around the world [1], providing wood fuel as energy for daily cooking and warmth [2,3,4], hosting various types wildlife habitats [5,6], protecting biodiversity [7,8], and maintaining the full functions of the ecosystem services [9]
This study aims to identify the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, agents of these drivers, and the appropriate activities for reducing these drivers, through analysis of local perceptions in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia
Data from 215 respondents in seven communities in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia were analyzed to understand the local perceptions of the direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, agents of such drivers, and appropriate activities to reduce these drivers according to five levels of the Likert scale

Summary

Introduction

Forests play important roles in subsistent livelihoods of billions of people around the world [1], providing wood fuel as energy for daily cooking and warmth [2,3,4], hosting various types wildlife habitats [5,6], protecting biodiversity [7,8], and maintaining the full functions of the ecosystem services [9]. Foreseeing the urgent need for international cooperation to reduce these drivers as well as forest cover loss, a broad coalition of governments, companies, civil society, and indigenous peoples’ organizations endorsed the New York Declaration on Forest in 2014 with 10 important goals to halt the tropical deforestation by 2020 and to restore 350 million ha of the degraded forestlands by 2030 [12] Another important international agreement is the REDD+ scheme (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conversation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC), which was introduced in 2007 [16] and ever since has been known as the result-based payment for developing countries for their activities implemented to reduce D & D and related carbon emissions [17]. Understanding these drivers is important for designing and implementing REDD+ activities that involve multi-stakeholder participation [20,21]

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Conclusion