Jan 18, Local Knowledge in Forest Resource Management in Kompong Chhang, Cambodia By Touch Puthy MA in Sociology-Anthropology Major in Rural Development Department of Sociology Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Jan 18, Research problems Dichotomy: Local knowledge vs Western scientific knowledge French colonial administration: system of private property and land ownership Notion of modern nation-state Forest concessions: (UNHCHR 2004) –6.9 million ha (38% of total land area) granted 29 companies between 1994 – –3.4 million ha (18% of total land area) at 24 locations in 2005 Negative impacts: –Large proportion of forest was degraded –Large parts were also privatized –Access of small farmers to the forests to avail themselves of nature bounties was reduced

Jan 18, Research problems Forest in Cambodia officially cover about 58% of its area. Access to forest resources plays very important roles in the livelihoods of the villagers in Kompong Chhnang; the villagers have recognized that those forest resources are threatened for various reasons and have requested assistance from concern to create community forests. Some families in Prehream Rangsey Village, Rolear Paier District, Kompong Chhnang Provice have no land; thus, forest resources are even vital for their livelihoods Market intervention brings both economic and social impacts to Prehream Rangsey villagers.

Jan 18, Research questions Within the local context of a community forest in Rolear Paier, Kompong Chhnang, how is local knowledge adapted in terms of historical realities and changing of modern time to provide practical knowledge for villagers’ sustainable livelihoods? To what extend, does local knowledge contribute to forest resource management in conservative and sustainable ways?

Jan 18, Research objectives To explore the dynamics of local knowledge of Prehream Rangsey peoples To identify and analyze what factors affect the change of local knowledge in relation to household and community forest resource management To explore how local knowledge contribute to conservative and sustainable management of forest resources

Jan 18, Literature review Dynamics of local knowledge Local knowledge as situated knowledge – local people and specific location with particular ecosystem. “Local knowledge” is used interchangeably with “indigenous knowledge”, “indigenous ecological knowledge”, “traditional knowledge”, “ethnoscience”, and “rural people’s knowledge” etc. Agrawal (1995): “indigenous knowledge” – not only technical but also non-technical insights, such as wisdom, ideas, perceptions and innovative capabilities. He also suggests that there is the contact, diversity, exchange, communication, learning and transformation among different systems of knowledge and beliefs.

Jan 18, Dynamics of local knowledge Local knowledge is not closed, state, unchanging, backward or irrational but dynamic, changing, integrating and receiving the influences form outside. Thrupp (1989) analyses the socio-political, institutional, and ethical issues in understanding the local knowledge system. LK – “indigenous skill”, “traditional knowledge” or “ethnoscience”. Thrupp: LK is rational responses to local conditions and logical adaptations to environmental change. Thompson and Scoones use “rural people’s knowledge” in their analysis of agricultural research and extension practice. The knowledge is embedded in diverse cultural, economical, environmental and socio-political factors that intersect and influence one another.

Jan 18, Dynamics of local knowledge Chambers (1983) “the whole system of knowledge, including concepts, beliefs and perceptions, the stock of knowledge, and the process whereby it is acquired”. He explains development project failures caused by focusing on scientific knowledge rather than rural people knowledge. Rambo (1995): LK is the most practical for identifying problems and constrains effecting resource management. Hobart (1993) analyzes LK in power relations between developers and those to be developed Nygren (1999) focuses on the articulation of knowledge repertories by viewing LK as a process of social negotiation involving multiple actors and complex power relations.

Jan 18, Management of natural resource Property rights in natural resource management Property is defined as rights to benefit from things. State property, private property, common property, and non-property/open access. Hardin (1967) “tragedy of common” State’s role vs. community’s role Local knowledge is socio-political, economical and environmental negotiative.

Jan 18, Management of natural resource “Participatory management approach”, “Community management”, or “Community-based natural resource management” (CBNRM) Korten: community is popularly implying a group of people with common interests, sharing beliefs, norms, and morality. Uphoff referred CBNRM to “community having full and generally autonomous responsibility fort the protection and use of natural resources.”

Jan 18, Access to resource management Ribot and Peluso define access as “the ability to derive benefits from things” or “a bundle of powers over things” Local knowledge leads to power relations – “access” Structural and rational mechanism of access: –Access to technology –Access to capital –Access to market –Access to labor and labor opportunities –Access to knowledge

Jan 18, Limitation of the study Location of the study –Prehream Rangsey Village, Rolear Paier District, Kompong Chhnang, in the centre of Cambodia –Number of families: 214 –Hectares of rice land: 102 (some sole) –Hectares of Chamkar: 4 –Hectares of community forest: 300

Jan 18, Research site, Rolear Paier

Jan 18, Scope of the study Local knowledge based upon specific ecological setting and particular people in Prehreap Rangsey Village. Dynamics of villagers’ knowledge and its contribution to conservative and sustainable management of forest resources within local context Certain factors – technology, capital, market, labor and labor opportunities and knowledge – may affect the change or adaptation of local knowledge in terms of modernization and development

Jan 18, Methodology Secondary data – document research Quantitative data Qualitative data Participation observation and informal interviews Semi-structure interviews Key informant interviews Cross cheeking Mapping

Jan 18, Thanks for your attention!