Indigenous Peoples called Kouy in Preah Vihear have unique culture, identity, worldviews, and language, tradition, and belief systems for managing natural resources, and knowledge of local ecosystem- all of which stem from their long lasting relationship with their land. Even though their culture, social organization and economy may vary from one group to another, they are vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and oppression. Their knowledge, worldviews and belief systems are assumed to be inferior by most of the Khmer (the major language group of Cambodia). The Kouy are seen as an obstacle to development programmes aimed at ?developing? IPs and therefore, assimilating them into the national mainstream society is not uncommon. The ?development? and ?modernization? processes from both the global forces and nation-state policies often have adverse impacts on indigenous peoples. In general, as a result of such policies, indigenous peoples are gradually losing control over their land and natural resources; they are denied their means of subsistence and in some cases they have been actively displaced. Consequently, their ability to practise their values, culture, traditional knowledge and skills is being quickly eroded and are increasingly threatened. In Preah Klaing commune, indigenous people are gradually loss their land through encroachment from new comers and people from outside. There is need to support IP community to conduct PLUP activities in order to maintain the IP community land, clarifying agriculture land, spiritual forest and residential land. IP communities of the two villages of Preah Klaing commune also faced forest losing by land clearance for ownership from outsiders and rich men. Therefore, the IP communities have gradually losing their forest where they traditionally manage and use. The CF establishment is main activity to support IP communities in the two villages to protect their forest and use in sustainable manner. In protected area of Beung Per, it is controversy that community have no forest area to use as law prohibit, all are protected and conserved, commune and villagers in the O?Pou village requested to PKH to assist them to form as community protected area for them getting some parts of forest area to manage and use. CPA establishment is the way to support the IP community to have better access to forest resources. The two existing CPA had been protected their forest for years, there are potentiality to set up ecotourism in the village, wildlife and Natural Lack and Rocky small mountain where it can be attractive national and international tourist to visit in order to encourage and give a bonus to communities who protect forest and improve income generation through ecotourism activities.

This project is to build up capacity of the communities for them be able to work with community authority and government departments like department of tourism, department of commerce, department land management, department of rural development and Forestry Administration and their organizational capacity is strong in term of management and structural line.

To implement this project will play very significant role to facilitation of the project activities to legal development work for Indigenous community and community in protected area and building capacity and awareness raising on legal issues in order to empower community to natural resources and land management, heritage and biodiversity conservation. Through this project implementation, PKH will has strongly cooperation with IPNN network facilitated by NGO Forum on Indigenous issues in Cambodia, PFLN NGOs network on Plantation Forest and Livelihood of community facilitated by NGO Forum and community forestry Network in Preah Vihear province and PNN community network on community issues in Cambodia. The staff responsible will regularly attend the meetings with them to share and learn on the process of CPA and IP community legal identity development works.