Getting it right

A Cambodian bird-watching venture helps conserve the species and benefit the locals.

Saturday October 27, 2007
Stories by LEONG SIOK HUI
The Star (Malaysia)

It’s 4.30am and pitch dark as we slosh through wet and mucky trails with our headlamps lighting the way.

Loud, raucous croaks from cavorting frogs drown the pitter-patter of our footsteps. Our feet sink into soft mud as we wade through knee-deep water a couple of times.

Deb Kem Oum, the deputy committee chief of Tmatboey’s ecotourism project.

As dawn breaks, a vista of rolling grassland unfolds in front us. After an hour’s trudge, our guide suddenly stops. We tiptoe to him and voilà, about 100m away, high on a tree, we see a Giant Ibis sitting regally in her nest.

Looking through a telescope, I can see its dark plumage, naked greyish head and a long, slightly curved beak.

So what’s the fuss?

Well, the Giant Ibis is one of South-East Asia’s rarest bird species and, in the last century, the bird has rarely been spotted. Scientists say the bird became extinct in Thailand 30 years ago. The Ibis holds a near-mythical status among bird-aficionados, naturalists and conservationists.

And as bird-watcher John Howes quips: “You’re probably one of the first Malaysians to see a Giant Ibis in the last few decades.”

Ecotourism in Khmer country

I am in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province with Kuala Lumpur-based conservation group, Wild Asia and its team of responsible tourism assessors: Rick Gregory and Howes.

Wild Asia is here to check out the Tmatboey ecotourism project, one of the two finalists in the Community- or Family-Run Homestays category in Wild Asia’s Responsible Tourism Awards 2007.

Wildlife Conservation Society’s Ashish Joshia Ingty John.

Tmatboey is a remote village with a population of about 185 families in the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia, an area dubbed the Northern Plains. Traditionally, the villagers lived off rice farming, fishing, forest products and wildlife poaching.

After years of civil war, Cambodia finally threw its doors open to scientists and conservationists in 2000. New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) then discovered a large remaining patch of deciduous tropical lowland forest, grassland and seasonal wetlands – home to a huge variety of water birds and large mammals – in the Northern Plains.

These forests have long disappeared from Thailand and Vietnam. To the scientists’ delight, many of South-East Asia’s rarest species like the Giant Ibis, White-Shouldered Ibis, White-Rumped Vulture (all listed as Critically Endangered under IUCN) and (Globally Threatened) species like the Eastern Sarus Crane and the White-Winged Duck thrive here.

Tmatboey was thrust into the limelight when conservationists identified it as a crucial site for the two Ibis species.

With the help of WCS Cambodia programme and Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment, a group of Tmatboey villagers launched an ecotourism project in 2004 where tourism revenue would be used to conserve the bird population.

John Howes and Sang Mony spotting a bird.

Local guides lead bird-watchers to spot the birds and villagers provide full room and board. Cambodia-based conservation group, Sam Veasna Center (SVC) for Wildlife Conservation was roped in to promote the site and train the guides.

Helping people and birds

A five-hour trundle in a 4WD through muddy potholes and flooded roads took us to Tmatboey. Until early 2007, guests stayed in a villager’s house. On our visit in early September, wooden chalets were being built on a site about 10 minutes’ stroll from the village.

A village ecotourism committee (nine members elected by the community) manages the site – they run the chalets, provide room and board, local guides and ensure tourism profits benefit the community.

“WCS’s role is to help the community develop an alternative livelihood (from ecotourism) that minimises impact on natural resources (the forests), helps the community manage their land-use efficiently (agriculture) and conserve the birds,” says Ashish Joshia Ingty John, WCS’s community conservation management advisor, who accompanied us to Tmatboey.

“We view the community not as a problem but an integral part of the solution (for conservation),” he says.

WCS works in more than 60 countries and helps governments with scientific research and long-term management of conservation areas.

If you spot the Ibises, you fork out an extra US$30 (RM101) that goes towards supporting local projects. In return, the community makes a pact not to disturb or harm the birds.

Home in Tmatboey: A typical village house.

“Prior to this ecotourism venture, if the farmers found a Giant Ibis (their size is similar to a small turkey), they would have killed it for dinner,” admits Ashish, who was previously involved with community development work in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia, for eight years. Over the years, WCS has pumped in about US$100,000 (RM337,000) into the project.

The fruits of their labour

Since 2004, tourist arrivals to Tmatboey have shot up by 35%. In 2006/07, the village committee took over the project from WCS. A total of 78 tourists visited Tmatboey last season and generated US$6,000 (RM20,000) in earnings for the villagers. Out of that, US$2,220 (RM7,500) was used for building roads and six wells (the main source of water supply for the community).

Like his fellow villagers, farmer Deb Kem Oum makes an average of US$150 (RM505)-US$200 (RM673) a year from the sale of rice, pigs, chickens and forest products (like resin-tapping). As a bird guide and the project’s deputy committee chief, Deb, 42, made US$85 (RM290) last year. The money was used for buying school supplies for his children, healthcare and food.

“Aside from the extra income, I picked up many new skills like drawing up proposals for village projects, handling the accounts and learning how to be a guide,” says Deb through our interpreter, Hout Piseth, who works for the Ministry of Environment.

“I also had to do some research to locate the birds, their nests and roosting areas and learn to identify the birds.

“Before this project, we (the villagers) didn’t know the value of wildlife and the importance of preserving them and their habitat,” adds Deb. “Now we also understand things like the impact of rubbish pollution.”

The good news is the bird population is on the increase.

“In 2002/03, there was only a pair of White-Shouldered Ibis at Tmatboey. In 2006/07, it increased to four pairs. The most recent sighting early this year indicated at least five to six pairs of these birds,” says Ashish, who’s from India.

“The Giant Ibis population has stabilised due to less poaching and destruction of their habitats,” he adds.

The challenges ahead

The whole idea of tourism, managing resources and conservation are radical concepts for the villagers. But they are taking everything in their stride, one day at a time.

“One of my main challenges is trying to juggle between farming, running the lodge and guiding the tourists,” admits Deb.

“For the villagers to think they can earn more money from tourism and to take time from their daily chores is difficult for them to conceive at this point,” chips in Ashish.

“We need more tourists to come and convince the community that it’s worth it.”

If the villagers have enough funds in 2007/08, they plan to hire a teacher to teach English.

A bright future

“We try to make the villagers feel the birds belong to them and instil a sense of pride and ownership. So even if the ecotourism venture fails, at least the birds will be protected,” says Ashish.

“Tmatboey is now a model for other communities in Cambodia. It defines a new relationship between people and wildlife that respects the rights of both and allows for mutual co-existence,” he sums up.

The writer’s trip was courtesy of Wild Asia and Malaysia Airlines.

Book a bird tour

• SAM VEASNA CENTER FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION (SVC)
• E-mail: info@samveasna.org or bookings@samveasna.org
• Website: www.samveasna.org
• A typical 4D/3N package costs US$450/RM per person, based on four pax. Price decreases with more people. Trips can be tailored-made.
• The ideal bird-watching season is during the dry season, from November to May. Giant Ibises nest from July-November, while the White-Shouldered Ibises nest from December-March.