“Saving the Forest” with a REDD+ Project: Socio-Ecological Repercussions on Indigenous People in Cambodia

Abstract

With the ecological threat associated with climate change and biodiversity loss, the push to expand green zones with minimal human presence is gaining momentum, especially in the Global South. In line with this worldwide tendency, the Kingdom of Cambodia has embarked on a long-term strategy for carbon neutrality, aiming to achieve zero emissions by 2050, making it the first in ASEAN to submit such a vision. Protecting the forest is the present-day motto. Beyond this mainstream rhetoric, this article delves into the survival realities of the indigenous people involved in Cambodia's conservation projects. The anthropological research intends to reveal the fate of the villages (human rights, access to land and natural resources, sovereignty) living in and around a conservation area. We examine the case of the transnational organisation Wildlife Conservation Society engaged in a Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program in a territory traditionally inhabited by ethnic Bunong people. The findings provide significant insights, frequently neglected, into the challenges associated with the will to “save the forest”, with an extremely limited participation of the local population.