The Valuable of Resin Tree to Local People Livelihood and Forest in Thalaboryvat District, Stung Treng Province, Cambodia

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Project Personnel

3. Statement Problem

4. Goal and Objective

5. Survey Methodology
5.1 Selected of the Study Area
5.2 Research Method
5.2.1 Sampling Technique
5.2.2 Data Collection Method
5.3 Schedule

6. Expected Outputs

Map 1: Prey Long Forest Cover

Table 1: Outline and Implementing Schedule for Started project

Table 2: Proposed budget for implementing the project

1. Introduction

Cambodia, a tropical country in South East Asia, has many provinces rich in forests resources. In those forests areas, Prey Long is the biggest lowland forest in Cambodia that has common border with Stung Treng in the Northeast, Preah Vihear in the Northwest, Kampong Thom in the Southwest, and Kratie in the Southeast. It has seven forest habitats, which play very im portant role in supporting the environment as well as the local pe ople livelihood, are depe nd on this f orest for their daily live and keep forest as their m arket. Whenever, they need food, ve getable, wild fruit, and other non-tim ber forest products they go into the forest, especially resin trees is the most significant thing that cannot be loss.

Resin is an econom ically valuab le commodity both Cam bodia and abroad. According to the recent research of NGO Forum, it is estim ated that family living in the forested areas earns at least 38-50 US dollars per month from collection resin. This is the substantial source of income for families who live near/in forested areas. Moreover, the collectors o f resin are meticulous in their m anagement of forest areas and protect their trees agains t anyone trying to cut them down. In this cast, forests m ust be preserved from keeping the resin tree in the wild and the local livelihood will be increased. .

Unfortunately, Prey Long is an area that has the mo st population of resin trees , but the living standard of local people is very poor. Other parts of fore sts are cutting for catchi ng wildlife and for far mland. The local did not know the valuable of the resin trees and the forest to them . Otherwise, in order to reduce Cambodian poverty in these areas and other pr ovinces, resin products and forest is the m ost important things for them.

2. Project Personnel

The survey team will be consist of governm ent staff from Forestry Administration Mr. Pov Som anak, and the research team will be three young postgraduate students from Royal University of Agricultu re (RUA) and Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Hon Naven, Miss. Set Sophak, and Hay Dalino, each of wh om have more than on e year of field ex perience related to resear ch, particularly both in wildlife and social science and have more experience related to forest and environment.

3. Statement Problems

Prey Long support local people live lihood in these three villages in a num ber of i mportant ways. Almost people in these areas use fo rest resource for cooking fuel and construction materials, and many also collect other p roducts for household use and income generation through trade, such as bamboo, rattan, wild fruit, vegetable, m edicinal material, particularly most income they get f rom resin tr ees. Moreover, Prey Long is the priori ty areas for m any conservation and these areas provi de habitat for flora and fauna diversity, essentia l ecology services, and s ome areas have important for cu lture and spiritual significance to surrounding community. On the other hand, the major current threat to Prey Long, are clear forest for agricultu re land, cut down forest for catch ing wildlife (esp ecially monkey) from the people who came from outside the villages, and logging wood for Vietnam boat company and other usage. Furtherm ore, am ong of those trees m any resin trees we re harvested because they are commercially attractive source of timber.

4. Goal and Objectives

The overall goals of this study are focusing on the community living around Prey Long areas, which depend on the resin trees and forests for supporting their livelihood. Also, the study aims to improve knowledge about the relationship between resin trees to the local livelihood. The specific objectives of this project are:

- Study on the relationship between resin trees to local livelihood and forest.
- Study on factors which are threats to resin trees in the areas and forest.
- Develop recommendations to local government, which will be useful for reduce poverty to the local livelihood and deforestation.

5. Survey Methodology

5.1 Selected of the Study Areas

Three villages located in Stung Tren g Province Thala Barivat district will be chosen as the study sites, are Run, Kaes, and Doung village (Map 1). These three villages have the high potential for our research objective and all the pro blems related to resin tr ees, forest, and local people livelihood just happ ened recently in these areas. The m ost reasonable wh ich force the team chose these three villages as the study sites. Firstly, the local peop le in these areas are com pletely depending on the resin trees and forest for support their live and their next generation. Secondly, th e forest and resin trees including wildlife were threaten by the human activities both outside and inside the villages (clear forest for catch monkey). Thirdly, they know nothing how to i mprove their living standard and how to create a new resin trees for their next generation and for sustai nable. Lastly, Prey L ong is a priceless natural resource and also offer s m any benefits to the economic a nd the whole society through out forest product and non-timber forest product to meet the need of human being. Moreover, Prey Long is a part of forest which plays an im portant role in w ater resource protection, so il fertility, soil erosion prevention, windbreak, flood reduction, wildlife habitat, and environmental purification.

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Map 1: Prey Long Forest Cover (source CI)