Protected Area Demarcation
Land encroachment is one of the biggest threats facing the Southern Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia. In 2002, 250- 700 acres of forestland were being cleared every month. Since that time, Wildlife Alliance has worked with the government to implement zoning, participatory land use planning, and forest demarcation. Successful demarcation requires physically drawing out and marking the boundaries of protected areas, protected forests, permitted development, agricultural areas, residential zones, and village boundaries in order to prevent illegal sales of land and anarchic land grabbing.
We work together with local authorities and the leaders of commune councils to demarcate land and set up clearly marked boundary posts. The communities support the demarcation process as it gives them the necessary information for claiming land access and legal land ownership in non-protected areas.
The objectives of forest demarcation are to:
- Visibly delineate protected areas;
- Help people understand where they are allowed to cultivate crops and build houses;
- Help people understand where agriculture and development are not allowed, and where law enforcement patrols will take action to protect the forest;
- Educate and inform communities on land issues and land rights;
- Prevent illegal land transactions and land grabbing.
The results of slash-and-burn agriculture in a protected area
