Cambodia designates approximately 7.4 million hectares as protected areas, accounting for 41 percent of national territory under the 1993 Royal Decree on Natural Protected Areas System and the 2008 Protected Areas Law. The Ministry of Environment manages most protected sites through seven categories: national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, multiple use areas, Ramsar sites, biosphere reserves, and marine parks. The system expanded significantly after 1993 following decades of institutional collapse during the Khmer Rouge period from 1975 to 1979, when conservation infrastructure disappeared and enforcement mechanisms ceased to function. The Royal Government established the current protected areas framework through sub-decree in November 1993, initially designating 23 sites. By 2024, Cambodia maintains eight national parks, ten wildlife sanctuaries, three protected landscapes, fourteen multiple use areas, three Ramsar wetlands, and one marine national park, though management effectiveness varies substantially across sites due to funding limitations and jurisdictional complexity.
Virachey National Park covers 332,500 hectares across Ratanakiri and Stung Treng provinces in northeastern Cambodia, established in 1993 as the largest national park in the country. The park extends to the borders with Laos and Vietnam, forming part of a transboundary conservation complex with Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area in Laos and Chu Mom Ray National Park in Vietnam. Elevation ranges from 200 meters in river valleys to 1,448 meters at Phnom Veal Thom. The park encompasses montane evergreen forest above 700 meters, lowland evergreen forest, semi-evergreen forest, mixed deciduous forest, and bamboo forest. Rainfall exceeds 2,000 millimeters annually with a pronounced dry season from November through April. The Ministry of Environment headquarters for Virachey operates in Banlung town, 12 kilometers from the nearest park boundary. Access requires travel through Ratanakiri Province, reachable by National Road 78 from Stung Treng or National Road 19 from Kratie. The park contains documented populations of Asian elephant, dhole, banteng, gaur, clouded leopard, and Malayan sun bear, though population estimates remain uncertain due to survey limitations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature conducted camera trap surveys in 2006 documenting 29 mammal species including yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and pileated gibbon. Indigenous communities including Brao, Kreung, and Kavet peoples maintain traditional use rights within designated zones under the 2001 Law on Forestry, gathering non-timber forest products and practicing rotational agriculture in specific areas. Tourism access operates through the park office in Banlung, which issues permits for multi-day treks ranging from two to eight days. Organized treks require certified guides from the Virachey Ecotourism Training Center, established in 2000 with support from the German development agency GTZ. The park received UNESCO designation as part of the Virachey-Yok Don transboundary protected area complex in 2011, though this designation does not carry the same legal weight as World Heritage status. Illegal logging remains documented within park boundaries, with confiscations of luxury timber including rosewood and other Dalbergia species occurring in 2019 and 2022 according to Ministry of Environment reports. The park employs approximately 50 rangers operating from seven ranger stations distributed across zones one through four of the management system.
Bokor National Park occupies 140,000 hectares on the Bokor Plateau in Kampot and Koh Kong provinces, established in 1993 on land reaching 1,079 meters elevation at Phnom Bokor peak. The plateau rises abruptly from coastal lowlands eight kilometers inland from the Gulf of Thailand. French colonial authorities developed Bokor Hill Station starting in 1921, constructing a casino, hotel, post office, and Catholic church between 1921 and 1925 at approximately 1,000 meters elevation. Construction employed convict labor with documented deaths exceeding 900 workers during the initial building phase according to French administrative records. The site operated intermittently until 1972 when conflict rendered it inaccessible. Ruins of the French buildings remain standing, with the Bokor Palace Hotel and casino structures intact though deteriorated. The plateau receives over 5,000 millimeters of rainfall annually, making it one of the wettest locations in Cambodia. Cloud cover persists most days above 900 meters elevation. Temperature at the plateau averages 19 degrees Celsius year-round, contrasting with coastal temperatures near 28 degrees. The Ministry of Environment granted a 99-year economic land concession covering 11,800 hectares of the national park to Sokimex Group in 2008 for development of Thansur Bokor Highland Resort. Construction proceeded between 2008 and 2012, adding a 420-room hotel, casino, residential units, and golf course facilities. The access road from Kampot town to the plateau, completed in 2012, measures 32 kilometers and replaced a deteriorated French-era track. The development generated substantial controversy regarding protected area integrity, documented in multiple reports by the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association and Global Witness between 2008 and 2011. The park contains populations of Asian elephant, pileated gibbon, silvered langur, and Asiatic black bear according to surveys conducted by Conservation International in 2000. Popokvil Waterfall, located seven kilometers from the former French settlement, descends approximately 18 meters in two main drops and remains accessible year-round. The park includes diverse forest types: lowland evergreen forest below 300 meters, submontane evergreen forest from 300 to 800 meters, and montane cloud forest above 800 meters. The Ministry of Environment maintains ranger stations at three locations but enforcement capacity remains limited given the park's size. Visitor access operates through the main gate on National Road 3, where entrance fees of six dollars for foreigners and two dollars for Cambodians applied as of 2024. The park receives approximately 150,000 visitors annually according to Ministry of Environment statistics from 2023, most arriving as day visitors to view the plateau and French ruins.