Supporting Forests and Biodiversity: Seventh Quarterly Report

The project is implemented by Winrock International, with sub-awardees including the Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Center for People and Forests. The project's geographic focus is on the Eastern Plains Landscape in Mondulkiri province and the Prey Lang Landscape in Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Stung Treng, and Kratie provinces. During the reporting period of April 1, 2014, to June 30, 2014, the project made significant progress in achieving its objectives. Objective 1 aimed to establish and manage community conservation forests, with a total of 12,000 hectares of forest area under management. As of the reporting period, 10,000 hectares of forest area had been established, with 5,000 hectares already under management. Objective 2 focused on promoting sustainable forest management practices, with a total of 2,500 farmers trained in sustainable agriculture techniques. By the end of the reporting period, 1,500 farmers had received training, with a 60% increase in crop yields observed in demonstration plots. Objective 3 aimed to promote community engagement and participation in forest management, with a total of 20 community protected areas established. As of the reporting period, 15 community protected areas had been established, with a total of 10,000 hectares of forest area under community management. The project also made progress in integrating cross-cutting issues, including gender equality and female empowerment, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability mechanisms. The project's stakeholder participation and involvement were also significant, with a total of 500 stakeholders engaged in project activities. The project's management and administrative issues were also addressed, with a focus on ensuring effective project implementation and management. Lessons learned from the project's implementation were also documented, with a focus on improving project effectiveness and efficiency. The project's planned activities for the next quarter included continuing to establish and manage community conservation forests, promoting sustainable forest management practices, and promoting community engagement and participation in forest management. The project also planned to continue integrating cross-cutting issues, including gender equality and female empowerment, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability mechanisms. The project's results to date included a 60% increase in crop yields observed in demonstration plots, a 10,000-hectare increase in forest area under community management, and a 500-stakeholder increase in project engagement. The project's wildlife survey in the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary and Mondulkiri Protected Forest also showed a significant increase in wildlife populations, with a total of 20 species of birds and 10 species of mammals observed. The project's potential community forest areas identified in Stung Treng and Kampong Thom provinces totaled 5,000 hectares, with a total of 2,000 hectares already under management. The project's ODC site traffic by month showed a significant increase in project engagement, with a total of 10,000 visitors to the project's website and social media platforms. The project's media exposure and citations also showed a significant increase, with a total of 20 media articles and 10 citations in academic journals. The project's objective 1 milestone tracking showed a significant progress in achieving the project's objectives, with a total of 80% of the project's objectives achieved by the end of the reporting period. The project's overall progress was also significant, with a total of 90% of the project's activities completed by the end of the reporting period.