Cambodia will receive a $7.4 million grant to combat climate change in Koh Kong and Mondulkiri provinces, after signing a new agreement with the Asian Development Bank on Monday.

The grant will come from the Strategic Climate Fund of the ADB’s Climate Investment Funds, and represents an enhancement of the $19 million Greater Mekong Subregion Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project in Cambodia, established in 2011. The funds are intended to boost the resilience of forest communities, which are highly vulnerable to climate change because of their dependence on fragile ecosystems.

“The grant will improve their adaptive capacity by providing support to improve and diversify their livelihoods, while sustainably managing the resources they are dependent upon,” said Dang Thuy Trang, an ADB environment specialist.

The funding will increase water availability by allowing the construction of 40 rainwater-collecting ponds, as well as the introduction of drought- and salt-resilient crops.

Cambodia has the eighth-highest risk of negative impacts from climate change and limited ability to adapt, according to the World Risk Report 2012.