Executive Summary
The Swedish Government has identified environment and climate change as one of three
thematic priorities for development cooperation. This Environmental and Climate Change
Policy Brief has been written as an input to the Swedish results strategy process for
Cambodia, aiming to summarise the key environmental challenges, constraints and
opportunities and their links to development and poverty reduction in Cambodia.
From this brief review it can be concluded Cambodia’s diverse ecosystems have been
important for economic growth and contributed to improved living standards. The rapid
economic growth created employment opportunities which contributed to the decline in
poverty headcount from 34.7 % in 2004 to 20% in 20111
, although poverty remains a
challenge. Poverty in Cambodia is still mainly a rural problem and more a legacy of decades
of internal conflicts and bad governance than lack of resources or opportunities. The
manifestation of poverty is often linked to lack of access to good-quality natural resources and
productive assets, secure land tenure, and access to markets. The rural poor are facing
increasing challenges due to rapid decline in natural resources.