Country Snapshot - Cambodia
Draft for Public Consultations in Preparation for the "Global Tiger Workshop"
Submit your comments at the bottom of the page
Submit your comments at the bottom of the page
TCL - Tiger Conservation Landscapes
Status of National Tiger Action Plan
Available: Yes
Approval date: 1994
Approval authority: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, Government of Cambodia
Revision expected: No
Key Tiger-Related Statistics
Estimated number of tigers: 10-50 *
* Estimated number of ADULT tigers, source: 2009 IUCN Red List http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15955/0
Subspecies: Indochinese Tiger
Number of Tiger Conservation Landscapes (TCLs) identified: 3
Area of TCL: 74,749 km2
Area of TCL under protection: 31,295 km2
This estimate is for the subspecies occurring in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, but the exact number in Cambodia remains unverified.
Priority Issues and Actions
(from Existing National Tiger Action Plan and/
or Other Sources)
- Wildlife protection legislation
- Improved wildlife crime control
- Capacity-building for crime control
- Substitution of forest-based livelihoods
- Public awareness programs
- Establishment of new PAs
- Hunting management to restore prey-base
- Controlling land-use change
- Framework for tiger monitoring
- PA infrastructure and equipment
- Capacity-building for PA management
Key National Stakeholders
Main Government Agencies: Department of Nature Conservation & Protection (Ministry of Environment); Department of Forestry & Wildlife (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries)
Main Non-governmental Groups: Cat Action Treasury, Puen Pa, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF
Country Membership
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Yes
Global Tiger Forum: Yes
Opportunities for Early Action
- Improving capacity for wildlife crime control
- Improving PA infrastructure and equipment
- Developing framework for tiger monitoring
- Alternative livelihood generation
Comment by Hunter Weiler of Cambodia Forestry Administration
November 12, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Under Main Government Agencies, suggest correcting Department of Forestry and Wildlife to Forestry Administration. The change has been in effect for years. Under Status of National Tiger Action Plan, suggest update. The Forestry Administration, Department of Biodiversity and Wildlife has initiated preparation of a Cambodia National Tiger Action Plan. Estimated completion is March 2010. The 1994 Plan is totally out of date and has not been referred to for years. Suggest breaking up the 6.20MB document that apparently contains all the Action Plans into individual plans that can be downloaded. I and others have not beem able to download the existing document that we get when we click National Tiger Action Plan for any country.
Comment by GTI Admin of Global Tiger Initiative
November 12, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
The National Tiger Action plans should be downloadable. Please click ‘National Tiger Action Plan’ and wait about 15 seconds – a folder with the 6.2 MB PDF should appear – as long as your computer is equipped with Adobe Reader. With regard to tiger population estimates, we have updated the numbers to match IUCN Red List estimates as of January 2009.
Comment by Hunter Weiler of Cambodia Forestry Administration
November 12, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
I have worked in Cambodia since 1998 as Technical Advisor, Forestry Administration, and also directed the CAT Tiger Conservation Project. In the Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam profiles, no individual country tiger estimates are presented. Instead, a total estimate of 1230 tigers is presented for all four countries. How can a total for all four countries be calculated if no individual country estimates are presented? A more accurate estimated regional total is 300. In 2004, WWF, WCS and CAT, responding to the STF Tiger Conservation Unit questionnaire, jointly estimated 5-20 tigers Eastern Plains TCU, 5-20 tigers Cardamoms TCU and 1-10 tigers Northern Plains TCU, for an estimated maximum 50 tigers in Cambodia in 2004. Note Vietnam profile comment by Chris that 50 tigers are estimated to remain in Vietnam (with 6 already dead). I have recently spoken with two international tiger experts with experience in Thailand, and get an estimated maximum of 150 tigers there. For Laos, the estimated maximum is 50. Therefore, an estimated maximum of 300 Indochinese tigers remain in the four countries, about 75% less than the 1230 presented on this website and the STF website!