Inundated Forest Fire Prevention and Management Plan Kampong Thom Province 2021-2025.

This Inundated Forest Fire Prevention and Management Plan Kampong Thom Province 2021-2025 is a sectoral policy document at the provincial level. Kampong Thom province consists of a part of the floodplain of the Tonle Sap Lake that has high potential for promoting economic development through fishing, agricultural production and ecotourism development. Due to the geographical situation of Kampong Thom province, uniqueness of biodiversity and situation of degradation of flooded forest by fire occurred every year that negatively affect to fisheries habitat and fisheries stock, this policy document is developed. The Goal is set out as: the inundated forests in Kampong Thom province are well protected, grow and increased under the effective flooded forest management mechanism at provincial, district and commune levels using a participatory forest fire management approach.
To achieve the above goal, the objectives are proposed: 1. Awareness and participation on participatory flooded forest fire management of the target communities and stakeholders promoted. 2. Flooded forest and grassland area affected by wildfire reduced. 3. All the fire-damaged flooded forest areas restored by replanting native tree species to benefit both the ecology and organic food source. Three outputs are identified. Output 1 is: Effective review, risk reduction and readiness for forest fire protection. Activities planned under this Output include stakeholder planning meetings to clarify roles and responsibilities and to establish fire patrol teams. This Output also includes the procurement of firefighting equipment, tools for raising stakeholder awareness, training and field activities to support practical forest fire patrol, forest fire intervention and forest restoration and maintenance. Output 2 is: Improved responsive actions to inundated forest fires. Output 2 focuses on coordinating the response of the authorities and communities to forest fires that are threatening the inundated forests and grasslands. It also aims to strengthen law enforcement and increase number of successful prosecutions in the court system against illegal activities in the inundated forest areas. Output 3 is: Improved restoration of fire damaged areas of inundated forests. The last output focuses on improving the demarcation of fire-affected forest areas that are under rehabilitation; and restoring forest areas that have been damaged by fire, either through protection of natural regeneration or the replanting and maintenance of seedlings.