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Across Cambodia’s forest landscapes, Indigenous Peoples and local communities are demonstrating that when climate finance flows directly to the grassroots, it delivers lasting results for forests, livelihoods and rights.
Through the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Direct Grants mechanism – supported by UNDP with funding from DEFRA (UK), BMZ (German), and soon the UN-REDD Programme – communities are not only protecting vital ecosystems but also strengthening governance, securing land tenure, and building resilient livelihoods.
Between 2023 and 2024, Cambodia emerged as a powerful example of how locally led climate action can translate funding into tangible outcomes. Indigenous communities across six provinces – Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Kraties, Mondulkiri and, Stung Treng – used IP grants to protect forests, formalize land rights, resolve conflicts, and invest in sustainable livelihoods rooted in traditional knowledge.
Securing rights and forests through community action
In Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom, the O’som Community Forestry project – implemented with Action for Development and UNDP – supported ten Kuy Indigenous communities to secure legal recognition of their traditional identities and territories. Through close collaboration with provincial authorities and the Forestry Administration, the project contribute to safeguarding over 2,114 hectares of community forest and 84 hectares of sacred and spiritual forestland. These efforts strengthened Indigenous legal identity and land tenure while protecting ecosystems critical for biodiversity and climate mitigation.
In Mondulkiri province, the Bunong Indigenous community of Antares Village secured 2,933 hectares of Indigenous land through the support of the communal land titling process and installation of 120 concrete boundary poles. Community members conducted 41 forest patrols involving 276 participants – 60 percent of whom were women – leading to reduced illegal logging and improved protection of culturally significant sites. The project also facilitated the peaceful resolution of land disputes among 25 families and helped establish a women-led Indigenous savings group, strengthening household economic resilience while reducing dependence on informal lenders, which often increase pressure to sell land.
In Kratie, the Kampong Domrey Community Protected Area (CPA) project supported Kuy communities to manage 2,283 hectares of forest, while in Stung Treng, the Anlong Phe CPA project enabled the Kuy Indigenous community to manage 628 hectares of forest, including 232 hectares of spirit forest, with technical support from Conservation International. SMART patrols, boundary demarcation, and REDD+ training reinforced conservation capacity, while innovative livelihood initiatives – such as a cow bank, a solar-powered water pumping system, sustainable honey collection, and talipot palm processing – boosted both food security and household incomes.
In Battambang, the Paor Indigenous Communal Land Titling in Phnom Rai village has successfully completed the titling process and submitted an official request to the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction for a communal land title certificate. This effort aims to secure land tenure and enhance the livelihoods of 112 Indigenous families by providing long-term legal recognition of their collective rights. In parallel, the project continues to support the community in safeguarding and managing 207 hectares of Phnom Rai Community Forestry through regular patrols, reforestation activities, and sustainable farming practices.
As of 2025, more than 7,000 hectares of forest across Cambodia have been brought under sustainable management through IP grant–supported activities, with thousands of Indigenous people actively engaged as stewards of their territories.
Strengthening governance, livelihoods and leadership
The IP grants have gone beyond conservation to invest in long-term community resilience. Across project sites, communities adopted agroecology and agroforestry practices, developed alternative livelihoods, strengthened leadership structures and enhanced financial management. Indigenous savings groups, cattle banks, vegetable gardens, and smallenterprise are now supporting daily needs while reducing pressure on forest resources.
Capacity building has been a cornerstone of success. More than 90 Indigenous leaders, many of them women, received training on land law, forest governance, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and dispute resolution. These investments strengthened local institutions, improved transparency and enabled communities to engage more effectively with government processes.
Ten Indigenous villages in Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom are now actively pursuing full legal recognition as Indigenous communities, while another two additional villages in Battambang and Mondulkiri are advancing their efforts to secure communal land certificates to strengthen land tenure – a milestone that will further protect their ancestral lands and cultural heritage for generations to come.
Why direct grants matter
These outcomes underscore why direct access to climate finance is essential. Direct grants respect Indigenous autonomy and self-determination, allowing communities to design and implement solutions tailored to their own priorities, knowledge systems and ecological realities. Rather than approaching climate action through externally imposed models, direct funding enables Indigenous Peoples to lead – from forest protection and livelihood development to land dispute resolution and institution building.
Globally, Indigenous Peoples manage around 25 percent of the world’s land and protect at least 36 percent of intact forests. Their proven success in preventing deforestation is one reason why international funders pledged USD 1.7 billion at COP26 to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Cambodia’s experience shows that when such commitments reach the ground directly, they produce long-lasting results.
Key lessons from Cambodia’s experience
Several lessons emerge from the implementation of IP grants in Cambodia:
A model for scalable, inclusive climate finance
Through the IP Direct Grants mechanism, Cambodia is demonstrating what equitable, rights-based climate finance can achieve when Indigenous Peoples are placed at the center of decision-making. Forests are being protected, customary lands are being secured, local institutions are being strengthened and livelihoods are becoming more resilient through diversified, sustainable practices. Women’s participation in governance, patrols, and financial initiatives is contributing to more inclusive and accountable community leadership.
As Cambodia continues advancing its Nationally Determined Contributions in the Agriculture, Forest and Other Land Uses sector, the lessons from these IP grants offer a strong foundation for scaling inclusive, community-led climate solutions - grounded in rights, rooted in tradition and driven by local leadership.
Originally published at un-redd.org