The CONSTITUTION provides that state property notably consists of land, undergrounds, mountains, sea, sea-bed, undersea-bed, coastline, airspace, islands, rivers, canals, streams, lakes, forests, natural resources, economic and cultural centers, national defense bases, other building facilities belonging to the state. The Administration, utilization and the assignment of State’s properties shall be determined by the law. Furthermore, the CONSTITUTION stipulates that the State shall preserve and protect the environment and the balance of natural resources, by organizing a precise planning for the management, especially of the land, water, atmosphere, air, geology, ecological system, mines, energy, petroleum, and gas, rocks, sands, gems, forests and forest by-products, wildlife, fish and aquatic resources.
In response to the implementation of constitutional provisions, more than five hundred laws have been made and put into practice according the National Assembly’s website. Among them, there are national environmental laws and international environmental law (Treaties, agreements, conventions, protocols) ratified by Cambodia. However, how effective have those legislations been implemented is not answered in this publication.
This publication is written with a purpose neither to analyze the draft environmental code nor the status quo of the environmental law implementation, but to develop a gateway for research and development for the environmental law and policy in the years to come when Cambodia tries to reform her environmental administration system. The publication is the collection of articles submitted by Cambodian and foreign professors and experts who are interested in the area of the environment law. The articles do not represent the opinions of the editors and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Cambodia. The publication is comprised of six papers written by three Cambodians and three foreigners. Five papers examine contemporary implementation on environmental laws and regulations of Cambodia and one paper examines the latest development of public participation in the Thai legislation on environmental impact assessment.
