Environmental research

The project on Natural resource conservation in community fisheries areas focuses on raising awareness of fisherman in general to mobilize their participation in natural resources management, particularly to improve the fish stock. Based on VRA findings, local livelihood in Vien Thom village is severely affected due to the decline in fish catch and as the extent and quality of flooded forest continued to degrade, noticeably from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2010. Droughts and floods have also been identified to be another main issue affecting local agriculture based livelihood as well. To address impacts on the local livelihoods from the aforementioned problems, the project will raise awareness and provide training on life skills, conservation and protection of the remaining flooded forests, chicken raising and crop farming, rehabilitation of a lake in the area, and make credits accessible to local community to enhance their livelihoods. 1.2 Project goal Objective 1: To enhance awareness on the importance of natural resources management and conservation with 1,050 households in local communities through distribution and display of awareness materials such as posters, factsheets, leaflets, and through meetings, workshops, and study visits; Objective 2: To improve and rehabilitate 2,364 ha of CFi area through designation of 32 ha natural resource and flooded forest conservation area; Objective 3: To develop capacity of CFi committee and members on sustainable management and use of fisheries resources in the CFi area through strengthened patrolling capacity among the committee and on-going enforcement; and Objective 4: To promote livelihoods of 70 households of the CFi through the provision of revolving fund for improving livelihoods such as fish raising, rice and other crops farming, livestock farming and fishing. 1.3 Expected outputs and main activities Output 1.1 (Objective 1): 640 fishers in the community received training on the significance of management of the resources within the community and life skills. Activities - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on the importance of the management and conservation of the remaining flooded forest; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on the importance of the management of CFi area; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on natural environmental management planning; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on production of seedlings of flooded forest trees and their planting; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on chicken-cum-fish raising; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on fish raising with vegetable growing; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on administration of community revolving fund; - Provide a 2 days training for 80 members of the CFi on appropriate application of chemical fertilizers, manure, pesticides, and EM; - Organize a study tour on management of fish refuge ponds, flooded forest and revolving fund and participation in meetings and workshops; - Production of posters; - Produce leaflets; - Produce banners for display in the community; - Print the natural environment management plan; - Print the manual on production and planting of flooded forest seedling; - Print the manual on chicken-cum-fish farming; - Print the manual on fish raising and vegetable farming; - Print the manual on management of revolving fund; - Print the manual on management of community conservation area; - Print the manual on management and conservation of flooded forests; and - Print the manual on safe application of chemical fertilizers, manure, pesticide, and EM; Output 2.1 (Objective 2): Community conservation area is improved, artificial habitats established and boundary is clearly marked. Activities; - Dredge Boeng Rohal lake, at shallow locations, 100m x 75 m x 1 m with the dug-out dirt used to strengthen the lake surrounding; - Dredge Boeng Knaing lake, at shallow locations, 100m x 40m x 1 m with the dugout dirt used to strengthen the lake surroundings; - Set up artificial fish habitats using 450 trees stumps in the conservation area and demarcate with 120 wooden posts 2.5m long and also prevent illegal fishing; - Release 1,340 brood fish to enhance stocks; - Enhance natural growth of flooded forest at the degraded and burned areas where illegal clearing have been ceased in order to restore the resource; and - Organize events to release brood fish into the community conservation lake. Output 3.1 (Objective 3.1): Patrolling and enforcement are strengthened. Activities - Build community guard post of concrete, 5m x 4m, covered with titled roof for the use by the community; - Prepare a patrolling schedule; - Purchase a boat, 6m x 0.8m, through the commune s procurement procedure; and - Purchase a motored boat, 8m x 0.8m, with 35 HP engine through the commune s procurement procedure. Output 4.1 (Objective 4): 70 households within the CFi receive credits to improved their livelihood activities. Activities - Facilitate the selection of participants to saving groups and its committee with the participation of local authorities; - Develop by-laws for the revolving fund management committee; and - M & E of performance of the revolving fund.

Cambodia