Community Forestry International trained and educated energetic extension workers, both young and old, from the indigenous Tampuan, Jarai, and Kreung tribes of Ratanakiri province. They are now part of an indigenous peoples’ network that is dedicated to protecting the land and forest rights of the unique indigenous communities of Ratanakiri province.

Land is the repository of memory and keeps traces of the past in the absence of a strong written tradition. It is perceived as an open book from which anyone can read and learn about local history: place names, old roads, legends and stories attached to places. For local people, bulldozing the landscape is seen as erasing their history, and disturbing social organisations and traditions.[1] In Cambodia--as in many other countries--land is an extremely important economic resource and asset. Land is livelihood.

Indigenous communities in Cambodia are legally recognized and should thus have been protected by the Land Law and the Forestry Law, entitling them to communal land titles. A number of national and international instruments including the Cambodian Land Law of 2001, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the ILO Convention no. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and the World Bank Safeguard Policy recognize both collective and individual Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

"This study highlights lessons from recent policy, law and practice to improve and secure access to rural land for poorer groups. It focuses on Africa, Latin America and Asia, while also referring to experience from Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

"The Government of Liberia is in the process of drafting new land laws that give people ownership rights over their customary lands. This guide teaches communities how to go through the process of getting papers (deeds) for their land. The end result of doing all of the work explained in this guide will be both papers for your land and a more organized, more united, and more peaceful community ready to develop and grow."

This paper draws on case studies from three communities in Ratanakiri to illustrate

The report introduces most of the existing natural resources management (NRM) networks in Cambodia and analyzes some of the general issues related to networking in Cambodia. The overall objectives of this report are to: Introduce some of the existing NRM networks in Cambodia; describe some of the existing general practices for network management and operation; explore some of the cultural and gender issues related to networks; identify the challenges and successes of existing NRM networks and suggest some recommendations for the future.

Conflict over land, combined with the systematic violation of land rights, is one of the most prominent human rights problems faced by Cambodians. The root of this problem can be traced back to the abolition of private ownership by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. This report provides an overview of the land conflicts and provides recommendations for resolving these conflicts.