Environmental research

The project was developed with the participation of local communities and authorities, community fisheries committees, and local officials from Peam Chor district Office of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and of the Fisheries Administration, and staff of Chetthor organization. Before the project proposal was developed, the community fisheries committees from three communes conducted Vulnerability Reduction Assessment (VRA) in 10 target villages through a process facilitated and coordinated by Chetthor staff and thus defined community s priority issues and needs in relation to climate change (biodiversity) to build their capacity to adapt to climate change impacts. According to the VRA findings, droughts occur frequently, resulting in water shortage particularly for crop and rice farming irrigation in the dry season. Fish catch declines year after year due to loss of flooded forest that provides for fish spawning grounds in the wet season, application of illegal fishing practices, and lack of knowledge and limited management capacity. The decline in rice and other crop production is due to frequent pest infestation and preservation of seeds for some crops such as corn, bean, and rice for farming in the next farming season is not possible. Warmer weather causes human, animals, and crop to suffer from a range of illnesses. This is a challenge for local livelihood and some people become desperate and decide on migration in search for jobs. Families pull their children out of school and send them to work in garment factories to help generate household incomes. Lack of human resource, technology, capital, irrigation scheme, information, and adequate experiences constrain their capacity from adapting to climate change. The project purpose is to restore and improve the state of biodiversity and socio-economy of the rural poor in the area. The project will direct its efforts to the poorest, particularly the households most affected by climate change in the community. The project to be implemented in a district, covering 3 communes and 11 villages in Prey Veng province by the existing community fisheries committees and to support 22 self help groups of 330 members, of them 200 are women. 1.2 Objective People s livelihood is improved, with an increase in fish production and flooded forest area in Prek Chor, former fishing lot # 16. 1.3 Outcomes Outcome 1: The ecosystem is enhanced through the restoration of 2,000 m streams, 1.5 m depth, 5 m top width, and 2 m bottom width, and 3 ha of flooded forest planted. Outcome 2: Community s livelihood is improved and their vulnerability to climate change mitigated through provision of appropriate technology for adaptation to climate change and means to expand their agricultural based livelihood. 1.3 Key expected outputs Output 1.1 (Outcome 1): Prek Chor canal is rehabilitated to provide water for irrigation in the dry season of over 1,857 ha of land (for 1,414 households) to displace current use of underground water from wells that causes soil degradation; Output 1.2 (Outcome 2): Self help groups of 330 households, 55 per cents of whom are women, increased their income from agriculture by 30 percents. 1.4 Major project activities Short term output 1.1.1 (Output 1.1, Outcome 1): Prek Chor 2,000 m, depth 1.5 m, 0.5 m top width and 2 m bottom width is rehabilitated; Activities: - Organise a meeting to raise awareness of the project on biodiversity and protected areas in 11 target villages; - Organise a meeting with fisheries officials and relevant authorities to discuss the plan for the rehabilitation of the stream; - Advertise for service providers through commune procurement committee to rehabilitate the canal; - Organize the procurement of a service provider for the rehabilitation work; - Rehabilitate the canal, 2,000 m long, 1.5 m top depth, 0,5 m top width and 2 m bottom width, and monitor and evaluate the quality of the rehabilitation; and - Monitor and evaluate the service offered by the service provider. Short term output 1.2.1 (Output 1.1, Outcome 1): 3 ha flooded forest reforested to enhance biodiversity and protected by a patrol team. Activities: - Organise a meeting with fisheries officials and local authority to discuss a plan to reforest a flooded forest over 3 ha land; - Purchase 3,600 tree saplings for the reforestation of 3 ha protected area designated for conservation; - Collaborate with local authority, fisheries administration, and relevant stakeholders to plant trees over the 3 ha land; - Produce 2 signs for the newly reforested area; - Patrol teams coordinated by community fisheries committees patrol the forest and ponds within their community fisheries areas; - Organise a meeting with existing community fisheries committees and make sure the committees are able to take the responsibility for water management and utilisation; - Organise a meeting to develop an internal rule for water management and utilisation by the committee; and - Provide a motor boat to community fisheries committees for monitoring, facilitating, and motivating relevant stakeholders to engage in implementing the project successfully; Short term output 1.3.1 (Output 1.1, Outcome 1): 297 community members and 108 members of community fisheries committees and local authority understood of natural resource management and impacts of climate change; Activities: - Organise meetings in 11 target villages - 2 meetings in a village with 297 participants (of whom 200 are women) to rai

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