Indigenous Peoples' organisations are supporting communities to strengthen their traditional knowledge and natural resource management and achieve inclusive local governance. Action research is generating evidence that can influence policymakers about the value of Indigenous knowledge in developing alternative approaches to environmental management, local livelihoods and climate action.
Deforestation and degradation of Indigenous forest lands
Cambodia has suffered significant deforestation over the last two decades, resulting in the loss of many forest areas which Indigenous people see as the basis for their cultural life and livelihoods. Indigenous communities have long managed forests in Cambodia, but they have not been able to get legal recognition of their communal lands, leaving these areas open to exploitation. Instead, the political narrative characterises Indigenous communities as "backward" and disregards their knowledge and practices.
As a result, Indigenous people continue to see significant loss and degradation of forest lands due to development pressures, particularly industrial agriculture, infrastructure projects, and illegal logging, often facilitated by corruption and land-grabbing by powerful elites.
Indigenous community organisations supporting alternative approaches
This project brings together six partner organisations to support Indigenous communities to manage their communal lands and forests, improve their livelihoods, document their traditional knowledge and build their capacity to achieve inclusive, local-level governance.
The project is supporting Indigenous communities to develop new livelihoods based on sustainable agroforestry and forest and wetland management systems. It is generating evidence and actionable information via collaborative action research conducted by local Indigenous groups, supported by wider networks and research initiatives. The research is identifying and strengthening Indigenous knowledge and exploring how it can be relevant for dealing with environmental problems.
The project will build evidence about sustainable livelihoods and environmental approaches and share this with government authorities, aiming to influence policymakers to adopt more egalitarian approaches. A key aim is to achieve greater acceptance of Indigenous knowledge as a resource for developing alternative approaches to environmental management, local livelihoods and climate action.