The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC | Cambodia | Environment, Natural Resources & the Blue Economy Global Practice | IBRD/IDA | Investment Project Financing | FY 2019 | Seq No: 6 | ARCHIVED on 22-Jun-2022 | ISR50403 | Implementing Agencies: Kingdom of Cambodia, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Rural Development Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 30-May-2019 Effectiveness Date: 17-Oct-2019 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 12-Dec-2022 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: Original Closing Date: 31-Dec-2025 Revised Closing Date: 31-Dec-2025 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The Project Development Objective is to improve protected areas management, and to promote ecotourism opportunities and non-timber forest product value chains in the Cardamom Mountains-Tonle Sap landscape. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Component 1: Strengthen Capacity for Protected Areas (PAs) Landscape Planning and Management:(Cost $9.68 M) Component 2. Strengthen Opportunities for Ecotourism and Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) Value Chains:(Cost $18.09 M) Component 3. Improve Access and Connectivity:(Cost $23.86 M) Component 4. Project Management, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation:(Cost $5.95 M) Component 5:Contingent Emergency Response Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Risk Rating Substantial Substantial Implementation Status and Key Decisions The Project concluded the preparation of the Destination Vision and Investment Plan (DVIP) for ecotourism and on ecotourism policy reforms to promote private sector investments. With the ecotourism destination vision agreed, the selection of priority rural road segments and associated ecotourism infrastructure can progress as planned. Despite progress on a number of components over the last few months, overall project activities are delayed by approximately one year due to COVID-19 and some procurement delays. The land reclassification process under Sub-decree No. 30 that has affected project activities and the protected status of some parts of the project area remains a concern and an action plan is under preparation to mitigate potential negative impacts on project activities. 6/22/2022 Page 1 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance Moderate Moderate Substantial Macroeconomic Moderate Moderate Moderate Sector Strategies and Policies Moderate Moderate Moderate Technical Design of Project or Program Substantial Moderate Moderate Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Substantial Substantial Substantial Sustainability Fiduciary Substantial Moderate Moderate Environment and Social Substantial Substantial High Stakeholders Moderate Moderate Moderate Other -- Substantial Substantial Overall Substantial Substantial Substantial Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes To improve management of selected protected areas IN01108690 ►Protected areas under improved management (Hectare(Ha), Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,064,431.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Work is ongoing to zone protected areas. The area counted as having improved management will be based on increases in the Management Effectiveness Training Tool (METT) scores for the corresponding PAs based on the baseline METT score. The baseline METT survey has been finalized, but the summary report and final scores are slightly delayed and are expected in the next months. Initial findings show that the score for effective management of all Protected Areas is ranging from 38% to 65% (average: 53%). Comments: On this basis, the MoE sets the baseline of the METT score at 53%, and suggests for a PA to be considered under improved management, it must score at least 60% AND an increase by at least 10% from its individual baseline at the end of the project. This methodology has been developed under guidance of a World Bank consultant. 6/22/2022 Page 2 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) To promote ecotourism opportunities IN01108807 ►Visitors in selected community-based ecotourism sites (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 128,000.00 128,000.00 128,000.00 219,500.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Work is ongoing on ecotourism planning. The fieldwork under Destination Vision and Investment Plan process has been completed, and the overall process will be finalized by end of June. The baseline survey, which was only carried in 2021, reviewed also prior documentations and suggests that in 2019, 493,131 visitors were recorded to CBETS, and that in 2021, 718,624 visitors were recorded, thus far exceeding the target under this indicator, suggesting that the baseline and target figures were based on different data. In addition, this rapid growth in visitor numbers reflects that boom of nature-based tourism among national tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that project activities on the ground had not taken off at the time of the baseline study in 2021, the increase in visitors can not yet be attributed to Comments: the project. The WB team is supporting the MOE in estimating an updated end target, based on developments due to international COVID-19 travel restrictions and significant adverse impacts on the tourism sector, the increase in national tourism, but also based on the availability of more detailed data. Additionally, the WB team is encouraging MOE to collect not only overall visitor numbers, but information on national vs. international tourists, gender, spending of tourists, etc. While the target number will be recorded in the MOE M&E logframe, and updated in a formally revised results framework around the time of project mid-term review, more detailed information on the visitors will support the analysis of the project outcomes and attribution. To promote non-timber forest product value chains IN01108806 ►Community groups with an increase of one or more on index of natural resources value addition (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 The index of natural resources value addition has been developed by the Project’s M&E firm and data was collected during the baseline survey. Progress has been made on the Blue Mussel value chain. A community-based blue mussel enterprise (CBBME) group consisting of 53 (246 individual and 135 females) community protected area (CPA) family members who practice blue mussel farming within the CPA area has been established. A community- based enterprise management structure and the by law to govern the enterprise group members was developed and agreed by the group members, approved by the chief of Peam Krosob commune and Comments: Director of the Provincial Department of Environment, Koh Kong Province. Value chain assessments are under way and capacity-building activities have been undertaken for indigenous pig, honey, acacia, and cardamom. No assessment has been presented on the bamboo value chain. MOE will hire IUCN to support the engagement of the private sector and to support the MOE on developing Prakas and technical guidelines for the agreed policy reform agenda identified in the World Bank report on Conservation-friendly Economic Activities. To improve protected areas management, and to promote ecotourism opportunities and non-timber forest IN01108808 ►Proportion of beneficiaries of BDS that are women (Percentage, Custom) 6/22/2022 Page 3 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 A training need assessment (TNAs) to define and design training needs to promote and strengthen women entrepreneurs in business development services (BDS) was conducted in six community-based ecotourism (CBET) target sites. Based on the TNAs results, BDS training materials/modules and training plans were also developed including 1). Personal and business goal setting, 2). Business financial Comments: management and 3). Leadership and human resource management. In 2021, four two days BDS training events focused on personal and business goals setting were conducted in seven CBETs project target sites contributing to building awareness and capacity of 110 (64% female) CBET committee members. In 2022, the BDS firm will be on board and will build on the training for women already carried out. IN01108809 ►Targeted community members satisfied with benefits of the project (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 75.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Citizen Engagement (CE) activities have progressed. The MOE CE team has prepared a CE strategy and workplan, which is being rolled out. The team aims to not only collect feedback through the satisfaction survey, but to create a low key feedback loop that allows for feedback and action in real time. Activities include feedback/consultation workshops with different community groups (e.g. women’s groups, producer groups, etc.), capacity building on feedback provision to communities, creation of Facebook or Telegram groups (most common forms of communication in Cambodia), for community members to provide inputs to project activities, capacity building for project team to address community feedback in an effective and timely manner. Comments: With the above, the CE team is aiming to create a low key feedback loop that allows for a productive exchange between the communities and the project team. A community satisfaction survey has not yet been undertaken given that the project is still in early implementation of services. The satisfaction survey as designed during the baseline assessment needs to be revised and developed further, and a baseline survey needs to be carried out for this indicator. During the Mission in January 2022, MOE and the task team agreed to collect examples of said satisfaction survey, for MOE M&E and CE team to develop the survey. The survey is planned to be carried out by September 2022. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components 1. Strengthen Capacity for Protected Area Landscape Planning and Management IN01108810 ►1.1 Cloud-based geospatial platform for integrating data and information for PAs planning and enforcement operational (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 With support from UNDP, the work has progressed well in the last months. The inventory of existing Comments: spatial data and information to be integrated into the Cambodia Environmental Management Information 6/22/2022 Page 4 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) System (CEMIS) and Information System and Decision Support (ISDS) is being carried out by a sub- contractor of UNDP. Initial findings suggest that stakeholders tend to be reluctant to share data and information which will demand more awareness-raising and discussion on user rights and technology, as well as one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders. The Beta version of the platform (stage 1 of the indicator (0-5)) has not yet been developed but is due in the first half of 2022. IN01108813 ►1.2 Protected Areas enforcement strategy operational (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Although some Law Enforcement (LE) training has been undertaken, a comprehensive LE strategy and associated action plans have yet to be developed to guide activities under this project and those of Comments: partners. Slow negotiation between MoE and the selected company for LE advisory is also contributing to the delays. IN01108815 ►1.3 Share of targeted communities using innovative technologies in PAs monitoring (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 75.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 No communities have yet been engaged in PA monitoring, as PA management plans are currently being developed. However, the project is providing capacity building to community-protected area (CPA) Comments: patrolling group members and rangers in using the SMART tool for forest patrolling. IN01108817 ►1.4 Protected Areas management plans adopted (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Of the MoE 10-steps PA management plan development process, the following progress has been made:  Two PAs (Phnom Aural WS and Beoung Tonle Chhmar MUA) completed step 8 (Second draft of management plan report developed)  One PA (Phnom Samkos) reached step 7 (First draft of PA management plan prepared and reviewed) Comments:  One PA (Central Cardamom NP) reached step 2 (Dissemination workshop with Protected Area Zoning and Management Development Working Group held)  Two PAs (Southern Cardamom NP and Stung Sen MUA) completed step 1 (Protected Area Zoning and Management Development Working Group established) IN01108818 ►1.5. Share of targeted CPAs with at least one woman in the CPA management committee (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 16.00 16.00 95.00 50.00 6/22/2022 Page 5 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Of the 25 CPAs targeted to date, 24 have established a PA management structure. The 24 CPA management structures established through the CPA development process indicate that a total of 59 out of the 232 committee members (25%) are women. Only one CPA has no female members. Mostly, women serve as accountants of the committee, but there are also two out of the 24 CPAs where the chief of the committee is female. Given these numbers, the target under this indicator has been reached: Of the current 24 CPA management committees supported by the project, 95% have female members. Comments: However, their positions within the committee don't allow for much room to contribute to decision-making. Thus the Gender and Citizen Engagement team of MoE is working with the women on leadership skills, public speaking skills, etc., to improve their decision-making power, and is raising awareness amongst communities and committees. The mentioned above, the project is tracking additional information on the role of women in the committees. 2. Strengthen Opportunities for Ecotourism and NTFP Value Chains IN01108811 ►2.1 Potential tourist sites in selected PAs with infrastructure operational (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Work on ecotourism planning has progressed well, with the Destination Vision and Investment Plan (DVIP) process entering its final phase (to be completed end of April 2022). This plan will lay out the Comments: priority investments, and construction will likely commence in 2023. Initial proposals for three visitor centers have been made, and a cost-benefit analysis will inform the next steps on those centers. IN01108814 ►2.2 New tourism enterprises with sufficient capacity (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 The Project has not established new tourism enterprises in the area yet. The Business Development Services (BDS) consulting firm will be on board in Q2 of 2022, and will support the development and operation of BDS training modules and curricula that will be used to provide training to all 15 CBET target sites. A capacity development plan (CDP) was developed by the MoE team. Thus far, 10 trainingss have been provided to 323 people (104 women) from CBET communities, rangers, and relevant local authorities: two trainings on basic concepts and principles of hospitality and service management, one training on the foundation of bookkeeping and financial management, three trainings on eco-tour guide Comments: ethics and good practices, foundation of and communications, understanding visitors and how to manage group tours, and four trainings on women entrepreneurship. The project has started with training on bookkeeping and reporting on the 15 CBETs. The gender consultant is working closely with the ecotourism team to specifically carry out training for women. The BDS firm is expected to be on board in March 2022, with training activities starting in July/August 2022. IN01108816 ►2.3 NTFP value chains improved with new infrastructure, technology, and market access (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 6/22/2022 Page 6 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Work is progressing on the non-timber forest product (NTFP) and development of conservation compatible economic enterprises. Six value chains to be supported have been identified and activities have commenced particularly on the blue mussel value chain. Assessments and consultation with community protected area (CPA) Committees are ongoing, to identify, develop and implement community enterprise groups for blue mussel products in Peam Krosop; indigenous pig raising in Chub Tasokh, Comments: Preythom Anlong Thom, natural honey in Chub Tasokh and Preythom Anlong Thom; Cardamom in Tumpor and O Choam and Softwood (acacia) in Steung Thmey and native species restoration in Rolak Kong Cheorng. So far, one blue mussel enterprise group with 53 families has been established. The blue mussel products have been promoted in a mall in Phnom Penh. 3. Improve Access and Connectivity IN01108812 ►3.1 Average travel time to potential tourism sites in selected PAs (Hours, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 6.00 6.00 6.00 2.00 Date 30-May-2019 22-Oct-2021 25-Feb-2022 31-Dec-2025 Work is underway by MRD PIU to identify the first phase of road segments for rehabilitation under the project. When identified, the MRD team will undertake assessments including travel time on road Comments: segments. Methodology for measuring average travel time will be developed by MRD. Performance-Based Conditions Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P165344 IDA-64330 Effective USD 50.66 50.66 0.00 5.45 43.65 11% P172351 TF-B2422 Effective USD 4.42 4.42 0.00 0.20 4.22 4.5% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P165344 IDA-64330 Effective 30-May-2019 16-Aug-2019 17-Oct-2019 31-Dec-2025 31-Dec-2025 P172351 TF-B2422 Effective 06-May-2020 21-Jul-2020 21-Jul-2020 31-Dec-2025 31-Dec-2025 Cumulative Disbursements 6/22/2022 Page 7 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (P165344) Restructuring History There has been no restructuring to date. Related Project(s) P172351-AF Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project 6/22/2022 Page 8 of 8