Phnom Penh, August 2020 - One of the very pressing challenges of our time is environmental change, questioning life on this planet. Driving forces of environmental change are diverse: rapid economic development and urbanization, population growth, economic activities, and climate change, leading to excessive use of natural resources for food, energy, materials and transport, just to name a few. Environmental change is exacerbated by unsustainable agricultural practices, poor natural resource management and climate change. For these reasons, the world is concerned about how to achieve food security for a world population anticipated to exceed nine billion by 2050, while minimizing further environmental degradation.

In Cambodia, the main pressures facing the environment include climate change, land use and land cover change, deforestation, agricultural intensification and mismanagement of both urban and agriculture wastes, affecting availability and quality of water, soil and other natural resources.

In light of this scenario, Cambodia is preparing the fourth State of Environment (SoE) report 2020, forming a foundation for development of policies and programmes for effective environmental protection and sustainable development, as well as their effective monitoring and communication.

A consultative workshop held on 31 August 2020 by the General Directorate of Environmental Knowledge and Information (GDEKI) of the Ministry of Environment (MoE), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was to discuss on an importance of the state of environment in Cambodia. 

This event was aimed at collecting substantive inputs from participants, coming from relevant sectoral ministries and institutions, development partners (DPs), NGOs and academia to improve the Cambodia’s State of Environment report. The report consisted of seven different chapters, including air quality, climate change, biodiversity (forest and wildlife), inland water, land resource and soil quality, waste management and food safety.

The SoE report compiles data on the country’s current environmental issues, social conditions, trends and pressures as well as potential solutions or recommendations. Thereby, it offers useful information for policy makers, planners, researchers, investors, national and international organizations, etc., to make informed decisions and allow for the realization of their respective goals in line with national policies and programmes, while further increasing environmental knowledge, said H.E. Neth Peaktra, Secretary of State of MoE. 

According to Mr Alexandre Huynh, FAO Representative in Cambodia, FAO is proud to take part in this initiative, contributing to the development of two chapters on water management and land resource management.

Soil the most overlooked natural resource, while inland water scarcity is becoming one of the greatest challenges

Water, land and soils constitute the foundation for sustainable agricultural development, essential ecosystem functions and food security. Soil is a finite resource, meaning that its loss and degradation is not recoverable within a human lifespan - It can take up to 1000 years to form one centimeter of soil. Yet, it is the most overlooked natural resource.

In Cambodia, water, land and soil resources have been under continuous pressure of intensification, competing uses, and urbanization, and to satisfy the demand of a growing population for settlement, food and energy production and raw materials. Climate change is of course a common factor contributing to water scarcity.

Land degradation[1] leads to a reduction in the provision of valuable ecosystem services with significant social and economic costs to the country, estimated at USD 677 million which is equivalent to about 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic production (GDP). Furthermore, the share of the cost of land degradation was 37 percent, according to decline in provision of ecosystem services such as food availability and wood production, with a significant impact on people.

Similar to soil, water is a precious but limited resource. Water resources in Cambodia are extremely vulnerable and severe water shortages have been reported annually. Renewable water resources per capita are decreasing annually as population and economic activities including agriculture, industry and urban water supply increase the demand for water. In parallel, Cambodia’s water resources are becoming increasingly polluted by agrochemical, domestic and industrial wastes, making water improper for some uses. Climate change is likely to intensify these existing challenges.

As stated in the National Environment Strategy and Action Plan 2016 - 2023, water demand is highest in agriculture, accounting for 9 333 million cubic meters in 2015, while expecting to grow to 10 380 million cubic meters by 2025, or about 13 percent of the total surface water availability. It is followed by the industry sector, which water consumption is projected to increase by around 15 percent in 2025.

“To improve productivity while limiting impacts on the environment, Cambodia needs to urgently adopt sustainable land, soil and water management practices,” said Mr Alexandre Huynh.

He continued that, “this will require a significant shift in the way land, soil and water are being used and managed, and the transformation of agricultural and food systems. Understanding the status of water, land and soil resources is fundamental for making decisions about sustainable land, soil and water management practices.”