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The Cardamom Mountains Trust Fund, Cambodia

The Cardamom Mountain range in Southwest Cambodia represents Southeast Asia's largest stretch of intact forest and is home to several endangered species. This includes some of the last remaining large mammal species found in Southeast Asia. The mountains also protect the headwaters of five major rivers that feed rice fields and fishing grounds in the Tonle Sap and Gulf of Thailand.

Three decades of civil war and conflict protected the Cardamoms, but since peace returned to Cambodia in 1998 there is growing in-migration, forest clearing and hunting. Additionally, the current government moratorium on logging could be lifted at any time.

ADMCF is working to set up an trust fund that would help two leading conservation groups to secure an annual budget to cover the recurrent management, policy, monitoring and law enforcement costs, with disbursements linked to measurable conservation targets.

Status

In January 2008, ADMCF commissioned a technical assistance project to determine the capital requirements and structure of the trust fund. This involves detailed cost and revenue analyses of different conservation scenarios, the development of a business plan and legal assessment. It is anticipated that the study will be concluded in July 2008 after which ADMCF will assist in capitalising the fund, both directly with the project partners and also through fund raising.

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