Cambodia

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

South-Eastern AsiaApplies 2026–2030Source: National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2030

1. Overview

Cambodia's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2030) succeeds the 2016 NBSAP and is presented as "the national framework for halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, while strengthening nature's contributions to people" [§6]. It is structured around three National Goals* to 2050, six Key Result Areas***Cambodia groups its 23 national commitments into six Key Result Areas (KRAs). This is a Cambodia-specific structural choice, not a GBF category. KRAs shuffle the sequence of Targets (for example, KRA 4 covers Targets 9–13; KRA 5 covers Targets 5 and 15–17) while each Target retains GBF numbering.Cambodia's NBSAP sets three national 2050 Goals covering ecosystems and species recovery (Goal 1), sustainable use and equitable benefit-sharing (Goal 2), and the enabling environment (Goal 3). These are distinct from the four 2050 GBF Goals (A–D)., and 23 national commitments mapped one-to-one to the GBF Targets.

The 2050 vision is that "Cambodia's biodiversity and ecosystems are valued, conserved, restored, and sustainably used… delivering equitable benefits that enhance the wellbeing, cultural heritage, and sustainable development of all Cambodians" [§60]. Because Cambodia uses the label "Target" for its 23 commitments with the same numbering as the GBF, no further terminology annotation is required. Five "Enabling Conditions" (labelled A–E) are framed as conditions for delivery rather than commitments in their own right.

Supporting instruments referenced throughout include the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Code (2023) as the consolidating legal framework, the Cambodia Strategy for the Environment (2023–2028), the National Protected Area Strategic Management Plan (2017–2031), and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 (2025) [§17–§22]. Oversight sits with the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD); day-to-day coordination is led by the Ministry of Environment (MOE).

Cambodia's 2026 NBSAP pairs a terrestrial protected area system that already exceeds the 30x30 threshold (39% of national territory) with a stark marine shortfall at roughly 1.5% of the 48,719 km² marine area. Distinctive structural features are a quantified three-scenario financing architecture tied to the 2026 National Biodiversity Finance Plan, a bespoke Cambodia Species Index tracking population trends via a traffic-light summary, and a Community-Based Natural Resource Management backbone of 193 Community Protected Areas and 464 Community Forests that substitutes for centralised management across much of the country.

Sources:

  • §6 — Executive Summary
  • §17–§22 — Introduction > Key Result Areas 1–6
  • §60 — Part II > 2.1 Vision

2. Ecological Context

Cambodia sits within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot and contains habitats extending from the seasonally inundated grasslands and swamp forests of the Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake) to the montane evergreen forests of the Cardamom Mountains [§35]. The country supports more than 3,000 plant species, over 600 birds, 160 mammals, and at least 274 globally threatened species — 46 Critically Endangered, 99 Endangered, and 129 Vulnerable [§35]. It retains regional strongholds for Gaur, Banteng, the Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon, the Giant Ibis (Cambodia's national bird), the Irrawaddy Dolphin, the Siamese Crocodile, and the Mekong Giant Catfish, and hosts the largest remaining Southeast Asian populations of three Critically Endangered vulture species, supported by coordinated nest monitoring, anti-poisoning campaigns, and community-led "vulture restaurants" [§35, §100]. Inland fisheries yield 400,000–500,000 tons annually, among the world's largest inland fish outputs [§122].

Forest cover has declined from about 73% of national land area in 1970 to 58% in 1997 and 38% by 2021 [§87]. Tonle Sap reverse flow has fallen by more than 56% and the lake's wet-season area has shrunk by over 20%, linked to dry-season irrigation and sand mining [§89]. Along the Gulf of Thailand, satellite analysis documents mangrove loss in Koh Kong and Kampot since the 1990s, with Cambodia's mangroves now assessed Vulnerable globally; seagrass beds have been damaged by trawling and push-net fishing [§37, §89]. The South-East Asian subspecies of Bengal Florican declined 55% in displaying males in the Tonle Sap floodplain between 2012 and 2018 [§37]. In Prambei Mom Community Forest, 22% of adult male Banteng recorded showed snare injuries [§37]. Long-term monitoring of the Tonle Sap documents an 88% decline in overall fish populations across 17 years of catch data, with over 74% of species affected [Target 18 analysis].

Climate pressures are already manifest. The 2015–2016 drought was characterised as a once-in-50-year event; major floods caused 347 deaths in 2000, 250 in 2011, 168 in 2013, 15 in 2022, and 27 in 2024 [§116]. Salinity is recorded in tube wells and ponds several kilometres inland in Koh Kong, and warming of 3.1°C by the 2090s is projected under RCP8.5, with Phnom Penh's urban heat island reaching up to 4°C above surrounding areas [§116]. Phnom Penh alone releases about 2.0 tons per day of plastic into the Mekong during the wet season, equivalent to 42% of city plastic waste; researchers and fishermen report that "around 90% of all fish now carry plastic particles in their stomachs" [§111].

Sources:

  • §35, §37 — Biodiversity status and trends
  • §87, §89 — Forest cover and Tonle Sap
  • §100 — Vulture conservation
  • §111 — Plastic pollution
  • §116 — Climate hazards
  • §122 — Inland fisheries

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

The NBSAP sets 23 national commitments mapped one-to-one to the GBF Targets, grouped into six Key Result Areas. Per-Target treatment is in Section 8.

KRA 1 — Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration

GBF Target 1 commits to biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning across the national–provincial–district–commune hierarchy, with quantified 2030 end targets: at least 40 approved land-use master plans meeting biodiversity criteria, 100% of the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) network mapped, and at least 50% of important high-biodiversity areas under biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans — a measurable commitment. GBF Target 2 commits to restoring at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, marine and coastal ecosystems by 2030, up from 10% under the 2016 cycle — a measurable commitment, delivered via the Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program (ERIP, 255,000 ha target in the Tonle Sap Basin) and the Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (CSLEP, 275,425 ha operational and scaling to 521,000 ha) [§86, §90]. GBF Target 3 commits to conserving at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas and at least 10% of marine and coastal areas through protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) by 2030, with 75% of protected areas carrying approved zoning and management plans and at least 30 OECMs formally recognised — a measurable commitment [§91]. Terrestrial coverage already stands at 39% across 49 protected areas and 193 Community Protected Areas; marine coverage is approximately 1.5% of the 48,719 km² marine area, making the marine gap the central Target 3 challenge [§97].

KRA 2 — Species, Threat Reduction and Climate Resilience

GBF Target 4 commits to halting human-induced extinction of threatened species, with the Cambodia Species Index (CSI) operational as a national composite indicator and at least 25% of priority threatened species placed under Species Conservation Action Plans — partially quantified; classified as a directional aspiration [§99, §104]. GBF Target 6 commits to identifying, prioritising, and controlling major invasive alien species, with an updated National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan (NISSAP) aligned to the ENR Code — a directional aspiration [§105]. GBF Target 7 commits to substantially reducing pollutant pressures; the Law on Wastewater Systems (2024) carries a standalone measurable sub-commitment of 45% urban wastewater treatment by 2030 — otherwise a directional aspiration [§110, §112]. GBF Target 8 frames biodiversity resilience under NDC 3.0 (2025), which commits Cambodia to a 55% greenhouse-gas reduction relative to business-as-usual and to halving deforestation by 2030; these quantified commitments sit in the NDC rather than the NBSAP itself, which expresses Target 8 as a directional aspiration [§115, §117].

KRA 3 — Mainstreaming Across Government and Society

GBF Target 14 commits to integrating biodiversity values into policies, regulations, planning and financial flows, supported by Integrated Economic-Environmental Model findings that full implementation of forest and land-use measures would yield roughly USD 31 billion in total returns and a USD 118 billion national wealth uplift, of which only 12% (USD 3.7 billion) would be visible without natural-capital accounting [§168, Target 14 analysis] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 18 commits to eliminating, phasing out, or reforming harmful incentives (Economic Land Concessions are named explicitly as a historic driver of deforestation) and scaling positive incentives — directional aspiration, with quantification deferred to the 2026 National Biodiversity Finance Plan update [§175]. GBF Target 19 commits to mobilising finance through national budget, innovative financing, partnerships, and international support; quantified indicator baselines are USD 33 million (national budget, indicator 19.2) and USD 38 million per year (non-national-budget funds, indicator 19.1), with 2030 end targets framed as "sustained real-term increase" — measurable for baselines, directional for end points [§178, §265]. GBF Target 20 commits to capacity-building, technology transfer, and joint research, including a proposed national Center of Excellence for Biodiversity — directional aspiration. GBF Target 21 commits to establishing and maintaining the Cambodia Environmental Management Information System (CEMIS) as the central biodiversity data platform, which came online in 2025 — directional aspiration with operational milestones.

KRA 4 — Community-Based Management and Benefits

GBF Target 9 commits to sustainable wild-species use for IPLC benefit via Community Protected Areas, Community Forests, and Community Fisheries [§121] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 10 commits to sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry, including the distinctive "Green Army Camps" measure enlisting the Ministry of National Defence as a biodiversity-positive producer network [§126] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 11 commits to restoring, maintaining, and enhancing nature's contributions to people through nature-based solutions [§131] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 12 commits to biodiversity-inclusive urban planning with a headline equity indicator of access to green or blue space within a 30-minute walk [§136] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 13 commits to initiating the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources, implemented domestically through Sub-Decree No. 104 (2023) — Cambodia's Nagoya Protocol implementation instrument [§141, §143] — directional aspiration.

KRA 5 — Biodiversity-Positive Business and Sustainable Consumption

GBF Target 5 commits to sustainable, safe, and legal harvest and trade of wild species, integrating One Health surveillance; indicators target "continuous increase" in serious-crime prosecutions and "progressive decline" in CITES Appendix I illegal trade cases [§147] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 15 commits to reducing negative business impacts through monitoring, assessment, and disclosure requirements, using the Siema REDD+ Project (180,000 ha, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, MOE–WCS–IPLC partnership) as the named working model for results-based biodiversity finance [§152, §221] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 16 commits to reducing overconsumption and waste generation by at least 30% by 2030 from a 2025 baseline [§157] — a measurable commitment. GBF Target 17 commits to biosafety legislation and administrative measures; Cambodia maintains a precautionary stance on living modified organisms and has not authorised commercial cultivation [§162] — directional aspiration.

KRA 6 — Inclusive Governance and Participation

GBF Target 22 commits to equitable, inclusive, and gender-responsive participation of IPLCs, women, youth, and persons with disabilities in biodiversity decision-making, including a Citizen Science Partnership for Biodiversity Conservation and FPIC procedures [§22] — directional aspiration. GBF Target 23 commits to gender equality in biodiversity conservation and NBSAP implementation; quantified baseline data exists (female civil service representation rose from 23% in 2015 to 42% in 2022) but no numeric 2030 representation target is set [§22, Target 23 analysis] — directional aspiration.

Sources:

  • §22 — KRA 6
  • §86, §91, §99, §105, §110, §115 — Targets 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
  • §121, §126, §131, §136, §141 — Targets 9–13
  • §147, §152, §157, §162, §168 — Targets 5, 15, 16, 17, 14
  • §175, §178, §265 — Targets 18–19 and indicator baselines

4. Community-based management: the CBNRM backbone

Cambodia's 2026 NBSAP names Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) as the primary delivery vehicle across at least six GBF Targets (3, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 22). The scaffold comprises 193 Community Protected Areas (CPAs) registered under the Law on Protected Areas (2008); 464 Community Forests (CFs) under Sub-Decree No. 79 on Community Forestry Management (2003); Community Fisheries (CFis) under the Royal Decree on the Establishment of Community Fisheries (2005), Sub-Decree No. 25 (2007), and implementing Prakas No. 316 (2007); and a parallel layer of Indigenous Communal Land Titles (ICLTs), Marine Fisheries Management Areas (MFMAs), Fisheries Refugia, sacred forests under customary law, and privately managed conservation areas [§97, §128].

The framework is the foundation for Cambodia's emerging OECM policy. Candidate OECM categories explicitly include sacred forests, fisheries refugia, community-based ecotourism sites, and — under a distinctive Cambodian choice — sites on Ministry of National Defence lands [§97]. Specific configurations demonstrate scope: the Monks Community Forest in Oddar Meanchey (18,261 hectares, co-managed by Buddhist monks and villagers) [§131]; Community Fish Refuges embedded in rice-field systems around the Tonle Sap, which research shows can increase fish biomass and species richness in surrounding rice fields [§131]; over 100,000 mangroves planted through Community Fisheries in Kampot and Koh Kong, with a blue-carbon assessment estimating that stronger tenure and co-management in coastal CFis could sequester about 46,500 tons of CO2-equivalent annually [§131]; and the Phum Tmey CFi in Kep combining mangrove planting with participatory marine resource management [§131].

The approach pairs with wildlife-friendly incentives — nest protection payments and the Ibis Rice premium-price scheme — that link conservation outcomes for threatened species (White-shouldered Ibis, Giant Ibis, Bengal Florican) to community livelihoods [§101, §104]. Institutional anchoring sits with the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) and its Ethnic Minority Development Department for IPLC engagement, with MOE and MAFF leading technical management [§23, §214]. The 2026 NBSAP acknowledges past shortcomings: under the 2016 cycle, IPLC participation was often "ad hoc or symbolic, rather than embedded in formal governance structures," and issuance of Indigenous Community Land Titles has been slow [Target 22 analysis].

Sources:

  • §23, §97, §128 — Institutional arrangements and policy frameworks
  • §101, §104 — Species-livelihood incentives
  • §131 — CFi, CPA, and CF case examples
  • §214 — MRD / Ethnic Minority Development Department

5. Delivery Architecture

Cambodia's 2026 NBSAP is delivered through a tiered coordination framework led by the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) for high-level oversight, with the Ministry of Environment (MOE) as national biodiversity focal agency through its General Directorate of Policy and Strategy [§23, §207]. Inter-ministerial coordination and technical validation are provided by the Biodiversity Technical Working Group (BTWG) — 36 representatives from line ministries, academic institutions, and local communities, meeting at least twice a year [§208, §275]. Forest-related mitigation is coordinated with the existing REDD+ Taskforce, Secretariat, and Policy Unit to align enforcement, PA management, and restoration with REDD+ safeguards and MRV requirements [§206].

Lead sectoral mandates are: MAFF on sustainable agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and agrobiodiversity; MLMUPC on biodiversity-inclusive land-use planning; MOWRAM on wetland and water ecosystem conservation; and MOEYS on biodiversity education [§23, §209]. Sub-national delivery operates through decentralisation reforms under the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development (NCDD), which is transferring environmental management functions and resources to provincial administrations. Commune Investment Plans (CIPs) are the main vehicle for local biodiversity actions, particularly under the environment budget line [§23, §210]. Annual National Biodiversity Forums and an annual national biodiversity symposium institutionalise multi-stakeholder engagement [§71, §211].

Delivery draws on a dense layer of instruments. Spatial planning rests on the National Policy on Spatial Planning (2011), National Policy on Green Growth (2013), Prakas on Land Development (2018), Law on Land (2001), Law on Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (2016), and Sub-Decree No. 72 (2009) on Commune/Sangkat land-use planning [§83]. Protected areas operate under the Law on Protected Areas (2008), the National Protected Area Strategic Management Plan (2017–2031), and Zoning Guidelines for Protected Areas (2017) [§94]. Forestry delivery uses the Law on Forestry (2002), Sub-Decree No. 79 (2003), the National Forest Program (2010–2029), the National REDD+ Strategy (implemented via a nested approach with a National Forest Monitoring System and registry), and the Siema REDD+ project in Mondulkiri Province [§88, §128, §221]. Fisheries sit under the Law on Fisheries (2025) — which mandates protection and rehabilitation of flooded forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs — and the Strategic Plan for Fisheries Conservation and Management (2020–2029) [§88, §128]. Climate coordination uses NDC 3.0 (2025), the Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan (2024–2033), and the Long-Term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality (2021) [§117, §133]. Access and benefit-sharing is implemented through Sub-Decree No. 104 (2023) and ABS provisions in the ENR Code; biosafety through the Law on Biosafety (2008) with MOE as National Competent Authority [§143, §164]. Flagship market mechanisms include the Cambodian Sustainable Finance Principles adopted by the Association of Banks in Cambodia, Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC) green, social, and sustainable bond guidance, and Geographical Indications including Kampot pepper [§154].

Sources:

  • §23, §71, §206–§214, §275 — Institutional arrangements
  • §83, §88, §94, §128, §133, §143, §154, §164, §221 — Policy frameworks and flagships
  • §117 — NDC 3.0

6. Monitoring and Accountability

Monitoring is structured around a single national Results Framework covering the 23 Targets and their indicators, aligned with GBF indicators and NDC 3.0 (2025) to reduce duplication [§32, §253]. For each indicator the framework specifies name, definition, baseline year, data source, methodology, frequency, responsible institution, and 2030 end target. Implementation indicators — budgets, capacity, plans, areas restored — are updated annually from administrative records; outcome indicators on ecosystem extent, species populations, water quality, and disaster impacts are refreshed every two to five years using remote sensing, field surveys, and statistical data; Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice surveys are repeated periodically. Some baseline values are flagged "to be updated for Cambodia's Seventh National Report to the CBD" [§253].

CEMIS functions as the national clearinghouse hosting indicator datasets, with progressive integration to sectoral databases, community-based monitoring tools, and external platforms including GBIF and ASEAN mechanisms [§32, §239, §253]. Cambodia is an Associate Participant in GBIF with over 1.3 million species records published, and its Clearing-House Mechanism website is to be restored and linked to CEMIS [§240].

Reporting operates on three cycles: (1) annual internal progress updates led by MOE; (2) a mid-term review in 2028; and (3) an end-of-term evaluation in 2030 feeding Cambodia's Eighth National Report to the CBD, due June 2029 [§269–§272]. Annual reporting is operationalised through the 2026 NBSAP Annual Results Reporting Template (Annex 4), comprising an Indicator Reporting Form (a pre-filled protected Excel sheet with current-year fields open for editing) and an Action Reporting Form capturing implementation status, outputs, budget planned and spent, linked indicators, and next steps [§276–§280]. The mid-term review may adjust the Implementation Action Plan and, "if necessary, selected targets or milestones" while maintaining GBF consistency [§271].

Cambodia commits to opening its NBSAP reporting to independent scrutiny, which may include technical peer review by universities, invited reviews by development partners, structured consultations with civil society and IPLCs, and — "where feasible within national legal and institutional frameworks" — oversight-body review. The NBSAP candidly notes that Cambodia "does not currently have a legislated biodiversity commissioner or equivalent" [§272]. Inclusive-governance safeguards include sex-disaggregated reporting across MOE, MAFF, and community governance structures; a national IPLC database to be established and updated; institutionalised gender ratios within biodiversity-related authorities; and grievance mechanisms in protected areas and NBSAP projects [§75, §200, §205, §268]. The Self-Assessment for Gender Equality (SAGE) tool is referenced for project-level gender assessment [§205].

Sources:

  • §32, §253 — Monitoring framework
  • §75, §200, §205, §268 — Inclusive-governance indicators
  • §239, §240 — CEMIS integration and GBIF
  • §269–§272 — Reporting and review cycles
  • §276–§280 — Annex 4 reporting template

7. Finance: the BIOFIN architecture and the 2026 NBFP

Cambodia's biodiversity finance architecture is built on the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) lineage — the Policy and Institutional Review, the Biodiversity Expenditure Review, the Finance Needs Assessment, and the National Biodiversity Finance Plan (NBFP) completed in August 2021 [§179, §182]. BIOFIN is led by MOE and implemented by the General Secretariat of the NCSD.

Quantified baseline and gap

The Biodiversity Expenditure Review estimated biodiversity-related expenditure in 2018 at USD 112 million — about 2% of the national budget and 0.5% of GDP, rising to USD 124 million including recurrent expenditure [§182, §223]. The Finance Needs Assessment estimated the 2018 requirement at USD 305 million, implying a financing gap of approximately USD 195 million, with projected annual needs rising to USD 652 million by 2022 [§223]. Development partners accounted for roughly 63% of 2018 expenditure and government for 37%. Of the government share, around USD 33 million (29%) was financed through recurrent budgets; sub-national administrations accounted for only USD 1.7 million (1.6%). Lead biodiversity spenders were MAFF (35%) and MOE (14%), with additional shares in MOWRAM (11%), MRD (9%), MLMUPC (8%), MPWT (7%), and MME (6%) [§179]. Non-government funding nearly doubled from about USD 98 million (2015–2019) to USD 188 million (2020–2024), with bilateral donors contributing USD 95 million, multilaterals USD 63 million (World Bank, FAO, GEF), philanthropic USD 13 million, and other sources USD 17 million; the GEF STAR biodiversity allocation rose from USD 3.4 million (GEF-7) to USD 4.7 million (GEF-8) [§179].

The 2026 NBFP update and three-scenario architecture

An updated NBFP aligned to the 2026 NBSAP is to be prepared in 2026 with target-level cost envelopes and three consolidated 2026–2030 financing scenarios [§28, §223]:

  • Domestic-led pathway — increases biodiversity-tagged spending within fiscal constraints.
  • Co-financing pathway — international public finance underwrites enabling reforms and early capital expenditures.
  • Leveraged pathway — adds private and innovative finance to close remaining gaps.

The Resource Mobilization and Finance Plan (2026–2030) is organised around four principles: additionality (new finance expanding the envelope); alignment (financial flows progressively aligned with biodiversity through budget planning, public investment, and state-owned enterprise decisions); equity (fair outcomes for IPLCs with FPIC); and effectiveness (highest measurable biodiversity returns) [§24].

Domestic, international, and innovative instruments

A biodiversity budget tagging pilot led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) is scheduled for 2026, potentially covering MOE, the General Directorate of Forestry and Wildlife, the Fisheries Administration, and selected sub-national administrations, with any trajectory reflected in Medium-Term Expenditure Framework ceilings [§218, §25]. International finance is sequenced through the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, World Bank IDA, the Asian Development Bank, and bilateral partners, with a rolling three-year donor pipeline maintained within the NBFP and disbursements reported via national budget tagging [§219, §25].

Innovative instruments include phased Payments for Ecosystem Services expansion (existing pilots at Phnom Kulen and Kbal Chhay; the NBSAP notes PES "has not yet been legally formalized"); nested REDD+ and blue-carbon programmes; green or sustainability-linked bonds under the Sustainable Finance Roadmap (2024–2026) led by the National Bank of Cambodia, MEF, and UN ESCAP — an unusual central-bank engagement in biodiversity finance; voluntary biodiversity credits within a government-endorsed framework with a registry function potentially integrated into CEMIS; debt-for-nature swaps subject to creditor analysis; and assessment of a potential Nature and Climate Fund with endowment, sinking, and revolving windows [§222, §27, §220]. The statutory Protected Area Fund foreseen under the Law on Protected Areas (2008) remains non-operational [§94, §222]; the Central Cardamom Mountains National Park trust fund launched by Conservation International in 2016 (USD 10 million target) was established offshore in Singapore in the absence of a Cambodian trust law [§222].

The Siema REDD+ Project in Mondulkiri Province — approximately 180,000 hectares within and around Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, delivered through a MOE–WCS–IPLC partnership — is named as the working model for results-based biodiversity finance. Revenues from Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standard credits are reinvested in protected area management, community development, and livelihood alternatives [§221].

Incentive reform and monitoring

The 2026 NBFP update will quantify harmful incentives for reform under Target 18 — including fiscal transfers and subsidies that drive habitat conversion — and propose phase-out timelines with compensatory measures to protect vulnerable households; positive incentive schemes such as tax deductions for certified biodiversity-friendly production will be costed and integrated into the MEF tax policy calendar [§223, §28]. Progress under Target 19 is tracked through CEMIS against headline indicator baselines of USD 33 million (national budget) and USD 38 million per year (non-national-budget funds, based on the 2020–2024 average of USD 188 million), with 2030 end targets framed as "sustained real-term increase" [§225, §265]. A mid-term finance review in 2027 is to assess whether the financing mix remains fit for purpose and whether Target 18 reforms are delivering reallocation of harmful subsidies [§225].

Sources:

  • §24, §25, §27, §28 — Resource Mobilization and Finance Plan
  • §94, §179–§183, §218–§223 — BIOFIN, NBFP, and mechanisms
  • §220, §221 — Sustainable Finance Roadmap and Siema REDD+
  • §225, §265 — Target 19 monitoring and indicator baselines

8. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning | Addressed

Commits to biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning across the national, provincial, district, and commune hierarchy, with 2030 end targets of at least 40 approved land-use master plans meeting biodiversity criteria, 100% of the KBA network mapped, and at least 50% of important high-biodiversity areas under biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans. Anchored by the National Policy on Spatial Planning (2011), Law on Land (2001), Law on Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (2016), Sub-Decree No. 72 (2009), and the ENR Code (2023). Strategic Environmental Assessment is mandatory under the ENR Code but the NBSAP notes it "remains largely advisory and is not yet applied systematically as a binding requirement across sectors." KBAs are not officially recognised but are designated as the reference layer for identifying high-biodiversity areas. MLMUPC leads.

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration | Addressed

Commits to restoring at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, marine, and coastal ecosystems by 2030 (raised from 10% under the 2016 cycle). Flagship programmes are the Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program (ERIP, 255,000 ha target, 51 million tons CO2e mitigation benefit, 70,400 direct beneficiaries) and the Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (CSLEP, 275,425 ha operational, 521,000 ha target). The Circular Strategy on Environment (2023–2028) adds an annual target of one million trees planted nationwide, supported by indigenous-species nurseries. A national ecosystem geodatabase aligned to the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology is to be updated biennially. A blue-carbon pathway estimates about 46,500 tons CO2e per year from improved coastal CFi tenure.

GBF Target 3 — Protected areas (30x30) | Addressed

Commits to at least 30% terrestrial and inland water and at least 10% marine and coastal coverage via protected areas and OECMs, 75% of PAs with approved zoning and management plans, and at least 30 OECMs formally recognised. Terrestrial coverage is already 39% across 49 PAs and 193 CPAs; marine coverage is approximately 1.5% of the 48,719 km² marine area (under 4% including non-PA conservation), making the marine shortfall the headline Target 3 challenge. Cambodia maintains 43 KBAs with 53% of KBA area inside PAs, four KBAs completely outside PAs, and 13 KBAs less than 20% protected. An OECM framework is under development; candidate categories include sacred forests under customary law, Community Fisheries, MFMAs, Community Forests, Indigenous Communal Land Titles, Fisheries Refugia, community-based ecotourism sites, and — distinctively — sites on Ministry of National Defence lands ("Green Army Camps" / OECM promotion). Cambodia references the BBNJ agreement despite jurisdictional limits to the Exclusive Economic Zone.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery | Addressed

Commits to halting human-induced extinction, with the Cambodia Species Index (CSI) — a national composite indicator adapting WWF Living Planet Index methodology, reporting through a traffic-light summary across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine taxa — operational by 2027 and species numbers reported biennially. At least 25% of priority threatened species are to have Species Conservation Action Plans under implementation. Ex-situ programmes at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre and the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) cover Siamese Crocodile, Bengal Florican, White-shouldered Ibis, Giant Ibis, and Royal Turtle head-starting. Five bird species are flagged for urgent action: White-Winged Duck, Masked Finfoot, Bengal Florican, White-Shouldered Ibis, and Giant Ibis. Wildlife-friendly incentives (nest protection payments, Ibis Rice) link community livelihoods to species protection.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest and trade | Addressed

Commits to sustainable, safe, and legal harvest and trade of wild species with One Health surveillance integrated. Indicators track natural-resource crime cases brought to court (continuous increase in detection and successful prosecution of serious cases) and CITES Appendix I illegal trade cases (progressive decline). Baseline enforcement data: in 2016 the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team conducted more than 400 undercover operations, rescued over 3,200 animals, apprehended 66 traders, and received over 1,400 calls to the wildlife crime hotline. A National One Health framework and integrated zoonotic surveillance system are to be operationalised by 2029. Cambodia has been a Party to CITES since 1997. Cross-border coordination with Vietnamese provinces (Mondulkiri–Vietnam bilateral meetings) is explicitly cited.

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species | Addressed

Commits to identifying, prioritising, and controlling major IAS and updating the National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan (NISSAP, originally 2016) to align with the ENR Code (2023). Named established invasives include Giant Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pigra), several tilapias, Common Carp, Silver Carp, Bighead Carp, African Catfish, and Giant Gourami. No single comprehensive IAS law exists; relevant articles sit in the Law on Environmental Protection (1996), Law on Forestry (2002), and Law on Fisheries (2025). A National Communication Strategy for IAS Management targets officials, importers, communities, and the public. A national IAS list and guidance is to be updated at least every three years. The NBSAP notes that no national count or area affected by invasives has yet been quantified.

GBF Target 7 — Pollution reduction | Addressed

Commits to substantially reducing pollutant pressures including nutrients, pesticides, hazardous chemicals, and plastics. The Law on Wastewater Systems (2024) carries a measurable sub-commitment of 45% urban wastewater treatment by 2030. Plastic metrics are quantified: Phnom Penh releases about 2.0 tons per day of plastic into the Mekong during the wet season (42% of city plastic waste); approximately 90% of sampled fish carry plastic particles in their stomachs. An Extended Producer Responsibility Roadmap for packaging is in development with UNDP support. Cambodia is Party to the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Conventions and the Global Framework on Chemicals (2023).

GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity | Addressed

Commits to reducing climate impacts on biodiversity via nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based approaches, and disaster risk reduction. NDC 3.0 (2025) carries the quantified commitments — 55% greenhouse-gas reduction (up from 27% in 2015 and 41.7% in 2020) and halving deforestation by 2030 — with restoration of mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. The National REDD+ Strategy is implemented via a nested approach linking project-level activities to national accounting, supported by a national forest reference level, the National Forest Monitoring System with MRV, a safeguards information system, and a national registry. Green Climate Fund support is to target ecosystem-based adaptation in floodplains and mangroves, resilient PA management, community livelihood transitions, and blue-carbon opportunities.

GBF Target 9 — Sustainable use of wild species | Addressed

Commits to sustainable wild-species management for IPLC benefit, delivered via 193 Community Protected Areas, 464 Community Forests, Community Fisheries, and Indigenous Communal Land Titles. The Cambodia Species Index tracks used species for stable-or-increasing trends. Ibis Rice and nest-protection payments provide operational wildlife-friendly premium-price products aligned with threatened-species protection. Research on wild relatives of food crops (Vigna, Oryza) and native ornamentals contributes to the sustainable-use data base. A comprehensive policy or law on sustainable use and conservation of wild fauna and flora, including quotas, seasons, and permitting, is to be developed.

GBF Target 10 — Agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, forestry | Addressed

Commits to sustainable production landscapes and seascapes through wildlife-friendly, deforestation-free supply chains, agroforestry corridors, agroecology, integrated pest management, and eco-certification. The distinctive Green Army Camps measure enrols the Ministry of National Defence as a biodiversity-positive producer network, training military families in IPM and organic inputs and forming producer cooperatives to market deforestation-free products. Jurisdictional zero-deforestation agreements align producers, buyers, and local authorities. Practice standards use the CamGAP Certification Manual (2019).

GBF Target 11 — Ecosystem services (NbS) | Addressed

Commits to restoring, maintaining, and enhancing nature's contributions to people through nature-based solutions. Illustrative programmes include the Monks Community Forest (18,261 ha) in Oddar Meanchey; Community Fish Refuges in Tonle Sap rice fields that increase fish biomass and species richness; over 100,000 mangroves planted in Kampot and Koh Kong; and the Phum Tmey CFi in Kep. The blue-carbon estimate of 46,500 tons CO2e per year from stronger coastal CFi tenure frames the climate co-benefit. The Asian Forest Cooperation Organization is rehabilitating the 592-hectare Nakta Thmor Prong site in Preah Sihanouk.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity | Addressed

Commits to biodiversity-inclusive urban planning with quantified urban heat island evidence (Phnom Penh +1.16°C, Siem Reap +1.19°C relative to non-urban areas; urban-rural differentials up to 4°C). Policy scaffolding: Phnom Penh Green City Strategic Plan (2016–2025), Phnom Penh Sustainable City Plan (2018–2030), Sustainable City Strategic Plan (2020–2030) for secondary cities, and the Phnom Penh Land Use Master Plan (2035) under Sub-Decree No. 181 (2015). Headline equity indicator is access to green or blue space within a 30-minute walk.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources and ABS | Addressed

Commits to initiating fair and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Sub-Decree No. 104 (2023) implements the Nagoya Protocol domestically (Cambodia ratified in 2015), establishing procedures for Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Mutually Agreed Terms, and benefit-sharing. ABS provisions are reinforced by the ENR Code (2023), with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts designated for traditional knowledge aspects. The NBSAP candidly notes that TK legal protection "remains limited" and that digital sequence information "is also not clearly addressed in existing provisions."

GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming | Addressed

Commits to integrating biodiversity values into national, sub-national, and private-sector policies, regulations, planning, and financial flows. Integrated Economic-Environmental Model findings indicate that full implementation of forest and land-use measures under NDC 3.0 would reduce cumulative CO2 emissions by about 1.6 billion tons by 2050, yield a cumulative GDP increase of roughly USD 3.6 billion, a national wealth uplift of around USD 118 billion, and additional ecosystem service flows of USD 6.6 billion — a total return of approximately USD 31 billion, of which only 12% (USD 3.7 billion) would be visible without natural-capital accounting. Site-level valuations include Veun Sai–Siem Pang National Park (~USD 130 million per year), Phnom Penh peri-urban wetlands (USD 30 million per year), and Pursat River Basin forests (at least USD 99 million).

GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure | Addressed

Commits to reducing negative business impacts via monitoring, assessment, and disclosure across operations and supply chains. Mechanisms include Environmental and Social Impact Assessment under the ENR Code (2023), the Cambodian Sustainable Finance Principles adopted by the Association of Banks in Cambodia, SERC green/social/sustainable bond guidance, Geographical Indications (Kampot pepper and other regionally branded products), and the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric for business impact. The Siema REDD+ Project is named as the working model for results-based business–biodiversity finance, with voluntary-market revenues reinvested in PA management and community livelihoods.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption | Addressed

Commits to reducing overconsumption and waste generation by at least 30% by 2030 from a 2025 baseline. Phnom Penh generates over 3,500 tons of waste per day, of which about 80% is dumped or burned; organics represent 52–64% of municipal waste; plastics approximately 21% of Phnom Penh waste (more than 213,000 tons annually). The ENR Code (2023) mandates plastic-free zones, special state levies on non-recyclable packaging, and prohibits open burning or dumping. Delivery vehicles include Sub-Decree No. 168 (2017) on plastic bag management, the 2008 National 3Rs Strategy, the National Policy on Urban Waste Management (2020–2030), a draft Extended Producer Responsibility Roadmap, and 4Rs campaigns supported by UNDP.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety | Addressed

Commits to functioning biosafety legislation and administrative measures. Cambodia maintains a precautionary approach — no commercial cultivation or field trials of living modified organisms is authorised — positioning it distinctly from regional neighbours (Philippines Bt corn 2003 and Golden Rice 2021; Vietnam GM maize 2014; Myanmar Bt cotton). The Law on Biosafety (2008) designates MOE as National Competent Authority with a Scientific Advisory Team and a National Steering Committee on Biosafety. Biosafety is structurally linked to ABS through Sub-Decree 104 (2023).

GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies | Addressed

Commits to eliminating, phasing out, or reforming harmful incentives and scaling positive incentives, with quantification deferred to the 2026 NBFP update. Harmful-incentive diagnostics name Economic Land Concessions as a historic driver of deforestation and large-scale monoculture conversion; forestry concession regimes reclassified forest areas as "degraded" to legitimise timber extraction; fisheries regulatory gaps act as de facto incentives for overharvesting, with the Tonle Sap showing an 88% decline in overall fish populations across 17 years of catch data and over 74% of species affected. The ENR Code (2023) provides the legal basis for Payments for Ecosystem Services, biodiversity offsets, and eco-taxes.

GBF Target 19 — Finance mobilisation | Addressed

Covered in depth in Section 7. Baseline indicators are USD 33 million (national budget, 19.2) and USD 38 million per year (non-national-budget funds, 19.1), with 2030 end targets framed as "sustained real-term increase." The three-scenario 2026 NBFP (domestic-led, co-financing, leveraged), the 2026 biodiversity budget tagging pilot, and a mid-term finance review in 2027 structure delivery. Central-bank engagement through the Sustainable Finance Roadmap (2024–2026) is a distinctive feature; Siema REDD+ is the named results-based flagship.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology | Addressed

Commits to capacity-building, technology transfer, and joint research. A proposed national Center of Excellence for Biodiversity would be anchored in the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity, universities, and NGO partnerships. The National Forest Monitoring System (built for REDD+) is leveraged as an existing biodiversity-monitoring foundation. A National Capacity-Building and Knowledge Development Plan (2026–2030) is to be developed under MOE coordination in 2026. Field tools referenced include SMART (transitioning into the SMART–EarthRanger Conservation Alliance), remote sensing, drones, environmental DNA sampling, and acoustic sensors.

GBF Target 21 — Data and information | Addressed

Commits to a user-friendly national biodiversity information system. The Cambodia Environmental Management Information System (CEMIS) came online in 2025 as the national clearinghouse, developed by MOE with UNDP technical assistance and World Bank financial support under CSLEP — built on a Spatial Data Infrastructure framework with open standards, FAIR data principles, role-based access, and bilingual Khmer–English interfaces. A Citizen Science Knowledge Hub is to be added for traditional knowledge and community-contributed data. Cambodia's CBD Clearing-House Mechanism website is currently inactive and is to be restored and linked to CEMIS. Over 1.3 million Cambodian species records are published to GBIF.

GBF Target 22 — Inclusive participation | Addressed

Commits to equitable, inclusive, and gender-responsive participation of IPLCs, women, youth, and persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Rural Development's Ethnic Minority Development Department is formally designated the lead on indigenous community recognition and NBSAP engagement. A Citizen Science Partnership for Biodiversity Conservation is to be established to advance recognition of citizen science data in biodiversity governance. Sub-Decree 104 (2023) frames FPIC and grievance mechanisms in PAs and NBSAP projects. The NBSAP directly names 2016-cycle shortcomings: participation was often "ad hoc or symbolic" and Indigenous Community Land Title issuance has been slow.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality | Addressed

Commits to gender equality in biodiversity conservation and NBSAP implementation. Quantified baseline data: women's share of the civil service rose from 23% (2015) to 41% (2018) to 42% (2022); women in Vice-Chief-of-Office to Director-General roles from 24.33% (2018) to 27% (2022); women held two provincial-governor positions (8%), seven municipal/district/khan-level governor roles (3.43%), and 22% of Commune/Sangkat chief roles (up from 17.7% in 2017) in 2022. Frameworks include the National Policy on Gender Equality (2024–2034), Neary Rattanak VI (2024–2028), and the Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Plan for the Environment (2026–2030) aligning with the NBSAP period. The Self-Assessment for Gender Equality (SAGE) tool is referenced for project-level gender assessment. No numeric 2030 gender representation target is specified.

KMGBF Targets Referenced