A/HRC/4/36 page 18 becomes all the more important with the discovery of significant oil reserves in the Gulf of Thailand. Foreign oil companies have reportedly signed contracts for their exploitation. However, these contracts are not in the public domain. 79. Two foreign mining companies have been granted an exploration licence for bauxite over 100,000 hectares in the predominantly indigenous north-eastern provinces. Neither the geographic scope of the licence nor the terms of the licence have been made public, despite concern about the potential impact on local indigenous populations and the environment. C. Indigenous peoples and access to land 80. While indigenous communities in Cambodia face similar problems to other rural Cambodians in relation to diminishing access to land, the impact has an added dimension owing to their special cultural and spiritual relationship with and dependence on traditional lands as a source of livelihood and identity. 81. There is widespread concern about the future of indigenous communities in Cambodia, as they are rapidly and steadily losing their traditional lands to private individuals and companies through illegal or coercive land sales and economic land concessions. This alarming rate of land alienation has grave social, cultural and environmental consequences, and action must be taken before it is too late. 82. A report released in May 2006 by the NGO Forum on Cambodia, a membership organization for information sharing, debate and advocacy on important issues affecting Cambodia’s development, estimates that in Ratanakiri province alone, between late 2004 and early 2006, land alienation increased in severity in 30 per cent of the communes, and continued unabated in the remaining 70 per cent. In provinces such as Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Stung Treng, which have large indigenous populations, land grabbing and economic land concessions have led to deforestation and loss of livelihoods and access to land. 83. The Land Law recognizes the right of indigenous communities to collective ownership of their land, which includes land used for residences and traditional agriculture. Indigenous collective title can be granted over State private or State public land. While this is an important recognition of indigenous land rights, the process of registration of indigenous collective title remains long and uncertain. Pilot projects are under way to register indigenous land in Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri, but the process of registration of collective title and overall policy framework are unclear, with no designated lead Ministry. 84. At the March 2006 Consultative Group meeting of donors and government, it was agreed that a strategy and regulatory framework in relation to indigenous peoples would be finalized by November 2006. However, there is as yet no clear policy or strategy on how to protect and implement the rights of indigenous peoples, including their rights to land. 85. A question commonly asked is: how much land will remain available for collective titling once the administrative process for registration of indigenous collective title is clarified? The process and impact of the alienation of indigenous land has been documented by NGOs, and illustrates the urgent need for interim measures to protect land eligible for indigenous collective ownership.