Below, please find the non-technical summary of the ESDD carried out in Central Cardamom Mountains and an update of the progress and impacts achieved in safeguards implementation.
Background
Central Cardamom Mountains legacy landscape is a program implemented by Conservation International (CI) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment of the Royal Government of Cambodia. The program area is located in the central zone of the Phnom Kravang National Park, previously the Central Cardamom Mountain National Park, covering 4013 km².
From February to June 2021, the Community Insights Group (CiG), conducted environmental and social due diligence (ESDD) for Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) for the Central Cardamom Mountains (CCML) landscape, Cambodia. The assessment was conducted on behalf of Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) development bank. For further details on Central Cardamom Mountains legacy landscape (LL), supported by CI, please consult the program page.
Methodology
Despite best efforts to adapt to and conduct field work under COVID-19 safety protocols with international and national consultants, travel to the field did not prove possible given the February COVID outbreak in Cambodia. The ESDD therefore needed to rely on desktop reviews and remote interviews with key stakeholders, which included program staff, conservation experts, Indigenous Peoples from academia, organizations and donors working in the Cardamom LL, and independent NGOs and journalists.
Main Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
The ESDD assessed the program-funded activities as well as the contextual risk and impacts. The findings determined that human rights violations and criminalization of environmental and human rights defenders is a high contextual risk linked to law enforcement in Cambodia. Illegal logging, the possible approval of new hydropower and infrastructure projects within the CCML, and the Sub-Decree 30 on conversion of state-owned public land raise contextual risks of adverse impacts to important ecosystems and cultural heritage sites, potential resettlement and access restrictions, and adverse impact upon Indigenous Peoples. Program-funded risks include access restrictions, human rights abuse by law enforcement agents, and insufficient compliance with Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
ESDD Categorization
The Central Cardamom Mountains LL has been classified as category A (high risk) based on the findings of the ESDD. The program’s highest risks are related to contextual risks.
Foreseen Mitigation Measures as per ESAP
The Central Cardamom Mountains LL environmental and social action plan (ESAP) aims to continually improve the management of the program’s environmental and social risks and impacts. It includes the development of a stakeholder engagement plan, a program grievance redress mechanism, a socio-economic baseline assessment, a law enforcement security assessment, an Indigenous Peoples plan and process framework, and a cultural heritage plan, as well as a gender assessment and a gender action plan. A steering committee will be set up to share information with other important stakeholders and programs engaged in the conservation of the landscape and to provide oversight to safeguard implementation.
For more information, please consult the following link: