Prey Nup (Cambodia, Kampong Som). 23/06/2004: Child playing on a mangrove tree. Mangrove areas along polder dams is essential to prevent erosion through sea waves. (Photo: John Vink/ Magnum)23-01-2009
By Anne-Laure Porée and Ros Dina
Ka-set in English
Mangroves typically form buffer zones between sea and land and can be specifically found in tropical regions. The Cambodian Research Centre for Development predicts they will be the first to suffer the effects of climate change in Cambodia. They will be the largest area to go under water, in particular in Koh Kong, in the Southwest of the country... by 2100. But the most unrealistic in this scenario would be for mangroves to survive until then. According to Jos Stieks, who is attempting to preserve about a thousand hectares of mangrove forests situated in Prey Nup, province of Preah Sihanouk, “if men continue to kill the mangrove at this rate, there will be nothing left in ten years.”
Who are the killers?
In Prey Nup, many observers blame illegal fishing – perpetrated by the Vietnamese, Thai, but also Cambodians – and the destructive methods used in that process, like setting up between two wooden poles a net that catches everything and thereby contributes to disrupt part of the food chain by depriving larger predators of their meal. Mangrove areas serve as nurseries for baby fish, crabs, shrimp and other molluscs, so their disappearance means that the reproduction of these species will become impossible, while the regeneration of such ecosystem takes years.
Areas where mangrove forests are not destroyed by fishermen are used by private investors – mostly local ones – who cut trees cut in order to start shrimp farming or acquire land, as demonstrated in studies carried out by the GRET (Research and Technological Exchange Group) on polders in the Prey Nup area.
Another major threat : logging. Some collect mangrove wood to turn it into coal. The rhizophora – a beautiful genus of mangrove trees with roots plunging into the water like countless tentacles – is renowned for the excellent quality of coal it can give. Sometimes, men also build houses on the banks of mangrove forests or use branches to demarcate their land.
A case in point
Do the alleged killers know that they putting their own future in jeopardy? Some believe so. Jos Stieks recalls the case of a crab collector who was aware he would lose his job in a few years' time as crabs were already becoming rare. “The problem is that they have no alternative,” Jos Stieks points out. Indeed, there is a lack of everything – human resources, technical abilities, money. After ten years spent working with communities in the wildlife sanctuary of Peam Krasaop (near the town of Koh Kong), Kim Nong, deputy director of the Environmental Education Department and project leader on the participatory management of coastal resources in the Ministry of Environment, concludes that you have to show the way first. “When I arrived in 1997, local authorities told me, 'We cannot prevent people from cutting wood, otherwise they will die.' to which I would reply, 'If the mangrove forests disappear, how will you survive?' As it turned out, most people considered that was not their problem but that of the Ministry of Environment. They saw things on a short term basis. I acquired their trust after several years, when they saw that fish and shrimp returned in the protected mangrove areas.”
The promises of eco-tourism
Unfortunately, the return of fish prompted local communities to intensify their fishing. Kim Nong therefore worked with them to decrease it and introduce them to the benefits of eco-tourism. This accordingly led to the design of an eco-walk on the outskirts of the town of Koh Kong, at the eco-tourist site of Boeung Kayak village (Peam Krasab commune). There, a path made of concrete slabs crosses over mangrove branches, runs through the foliage and leads to a suspended bridge and a panoramic viewpoint offering an impressive view over the mangroves. Cambodian families happily stroll in the middle of nature and carefully throw their trash in the wooden bins placed along the way. After passing a forest of branches, they can settle in lodges shaded by the mangroves and overlook the dark and quiet waters, as bright as mirrors. In 2008, some 31,000 people, mostly Cambodians, visited the place,. “Mangrove forests represent the whole life of the people here,” Om Man, second deputy at the commune council of Peam Krasab, argues. “The jobs of all the villagers are directly connected to it, in particular fishing. Protecting the mangrove means protecting ourselves.” (see text box) A few families earn extra money by selling food, sweets and drinks to tourists, or by driving them to the site from town on their motorbikes, while some fishermen also offer boat trips.
Conservation and its impact on everyday life
In the rest of the Peam Krasaop wildlife sanctuary, eco-tourism is almost non-existent. Some fifteen rangers control the area, protected since 1993, when the Ministry of Environment was created in Cambodia. This is not due to a lack of willingness but of resources – mangroves can only be accessed by boat and gasoline is expensive. However, Kim Nong believes that successful cooperation with communities has shown political decision-makers they could delegate part of the initiatives and management to local communities.
In Prey Nup, Jos Stieks considers the creation of a completely unconventional type of farming which consists in renewing the primary mangrove in the most natural possible way. He intends to prove to locals that conserving and protecting their environment also represents a way of improving their own daily life. His message is pragmatic, “Nature is your capital. Maintain it and just take the interests it offers.”
Scientific research: a deadly weapon?
Mangrove areas are as endangered as coral reefs. But they are little known and even though eco-tourism has become popular in Cambodia, they receive little interest from political officials. These wetlands are rarely monitored and their documentation is fragmented and scattered, which contributes to their over-exploitation according to some experts. “Without any scientific research, you cannot prove the damage caused. But in Cambodia, you must always provide a reason for doing something,” one of them sums up. “Decision-makers are sensitive to scientific argument,” another one points out. “If you are going in the wrong direction of action and nobody knows it, you will continue doing it And if scientific data proves you are not doing the right thing, then it is a completely different story...”
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How useful are mangroves?
They provide shelter for salt water fish, shrimp and crabs to reproduce themselves.
They represent natural barriers between land and sea, and protect the coast from winds, storms, hurricanes or even tsunamis by absorbing wave energy.
They protect the coasts from erosion.
They retain sediments.
They allow for a type of micro-climate stabilisation.
They act as a natural water filter and contribute to cleaning the water.
In Prey Nup (South of Cambodia), they protect polder dams from being destroyed by the sea and paddy fields from sea salt deposits.
Who are the killers?
In Prey Nup, many observers blame illegal fishing – perpetrated by the Vietnamese, Thai, but also Cambodians – and the destructive methods used in that process, like setting up between two wooden poles a net that catches everything and thereby contributes to disrupt part of the food chain by depriving larger predators of their meal. Mangrove areas serve as nurseries for baby fish, crabs, shrimp and other molluscs, so their disappearance means that the reproduction of these species will become impossible, while the regeneration of such ecosystem takes years.
Areas where mangrove forests are not destroyed by fishermen are used by private investors – mostly local ones – who cut trees cut in order to start shrimp farming or acquire land, as demonstrated in studies carried out by the GRET (Research and Technological Exchange Group) on polders in the Prey Nup area.
Another major threat : logging. Some collect mangrove wood to turn it into coal. The rhizophora – a beautiful genus of mangrove trees with roots plunging into the water like countless tentacles – is renowned for the excellent quality of coal it can give. Sometimes, men also build houses on the banks of mangrove forests or use branches to demarcate their land.
A case in point
Do the alleged killers know that they putting their own future in jeopardy? Some believe so. Jos Stieks recalls the case of a crab collector who was aware he would lose his job in a few years' time as crabs were already becoming rare. “The problem is that they have no alternative,” Jos Stieks points out. Indeed, there is a lack of everything – human resources, technical abilities, money. After ten years spent working with communities in the wildlife sanctuary of Peam Krasaop (near the town of Koh Kong), Kim Nong, deputy director of the Environmental Education Department and project leader on the participatory management of coastal resources in the Ministry of Environment, concludes that you have to show the way first. “When I arrived in 1997, local authorities told me, 'We cannot prevent people from cutting wood, otherwise they will die.' to which I would reply, 'If the mangrove forests disappear, how will you survive?' As it turned out, most people considered that was not their problem but that of the Ministry of Environment. They saw things on a short term basis. I acquired their trust after several years, when they saw that fish and shrimp returned in the protected mangrove areas.”
The promises of eco-tourism
Unfortunately, the return of fish prompted local communities to intensify their fishing. Kim Nong therefore worked with them to decrease it and introduce them to the benefits of eco-tourism. This accordingly led to the design of an eco-walk on the outskirts of the town of Koh Kong, at the eco-tourist site of Boeung Kayak village (Peam Krasab commune). There, a path made of concrete slabs crosses over mangrove branches, runs through the foliage and leads to a suspended bridge and a panoramic viewpoint offering an impressive view over the mangroves. Cambodian families happily stroll in the middle of nature and carefully throw their trash in the wooden bins placed along the way. After passing a forest of branches, they can settle in lodges shaded by the mangroves and overlook the dark and quiet waters, as bright as mirrors. In 2008, some 31,000 people, mostly Cambodians, visited the place,. “Mangrove forests represent the whole life of the people here,” Om Man, second deputy at the commune council of Peam Krasab, argues. “The jobs of all the villagers are directly connected to it, in particular fishing. Protecting the mangrove means protecting ourselves.” (see text box) A few families earn extra money by selling food, sweets and drinks to tourists, or by driving them to the site from town on their motorbikes, while some fishermen also offer boat trips.
Conservation and its impact on everyday life
In the rest of the Peam Krasaop wildlife sanctuary, eco-tourism is almost non-existent. Some fifteen rangers control the area, protected since 1993, when the Ministry of Environment was created in Cambodia. This is not due to a lack of willingness but of resources – mangroves can only be accessed by boat and gasoline is expensive. However, Kim Nong believes that successful cooperation with communities has shown political decision-makers they could delegate part of the initiatives and management to local communities.
In Prey Nup, Jos Stieks considers the creation of a completely unconventional type of farming which consists in renewing the primary mangrove in the most natural possible way. He intends to prove to locals that conserving and protecting their environment also represents a way of improving their own daily life. His message is pragmatic, “Nature is your capital. Maintain it and just take the interests it offers.”
Scientific research: a deadly weapon?
Mangrove areas are as endangered as coral reefs. But they are little known and even though eco-tourism has become popular in Cambodia, they receive little interest from political officials. These wetlands are rarely monitored and their documentation is fragmented and scattered, which contributes to their over-exploitation according to some experts. “Without any scientific research, you cannot prove the damage caused. But in Cambodia, you must always provide a reason for doing something,” one of them sums up. “Decision-makers are sensitive to scientific argument,” another one points out. “If you are going in the wrong direction of action and nobody knows it, you will continue doing it And if scientific data proves you are not doing the right thing, then it is a completely different story...”
-------------
How useful are mangroves?
They provide shelter for salt water fish, shrimp and crabs to reproduce themselves.
They represent natural barriers between land and sea, and protect the coast from winds, storms, hurricanes or even tsunamis by absorbing wave energy.
They protect the coasts from erosion.
They retain sediments.
They allow for a type of micro-climate stabilisation.
They act as a natural water filter and contribute to cleaning the water.
In Prey Nup (South of Cambodia), they protect polder dams from being destroyed by the sea and paddy fields from sea salt deposits.
3 comments:
again, educate the local people and general public to understand the usefulness of saving the mangrove forest and its importance for their environment will help a lot when people can understand the usefulness. education is never enough. please keep drill it to the people. god bless.
they don't even save the main forests let alone mangroves. people in hun xen have no concept of running a country. only sex. money, power, gun talk.
No big deal, forest and man-grove will grow back. Right now, we need the money. Please don't listen to Ah loser-oversea who beg of welfare for eternity.
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