Cambodia: Country Technical Note on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues

Indigenous Peoples of Cambodia represent 24 different groups, who reside mainly in the upland forests, plains, and mountains of the northern and north-eastern provinces. Indigenous Peoples sustain distinct cultural identities, traditions, religion, and language, from those of the dominant Khmer culture. The livelihoods, spirituality and culture of Indigenous Peoples is strongly tied to their ancestral land and natural resources.

The majority of Indigenous Peoples depend on forest resources, rotational agriculture, and animal husbandry for their livelihoods. Customary laws and Indigenous ecological knowledge are a key part of the sustainable natural resource management practices, which have kept ecosystems of the forests healthy for centuries.