The Typical Intervention Systems of Natural Resource Management in Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia: The Community Based and Modern Approaches

Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, locating in the central floodplain of Cambodia. Owing to its special phenomena of reverse flow and hydrological patterns influenced by Mekong system, the lake is very rich in biodiversity, especially capture fishery resources. Furthermore, the lake is the main source of livelihoods for more than three million people inhabiting the area. Because of its importance for capture fisheries and other economic lucrative activities, and because there is a lack of immediate and appropriate management measures in place, the natural resources of the lake is degrading at a remarkable rate. One of the management issues clearly recognized is a poor enforcement of an active management intervention system that is able to provide regular and timely decision making measures for effective management of natural resources in the lake. This paper examines the typical intervention systems being practiced in Tonle Sap Lake, including the modern and local management approaches directly linking to natural resource management. What managers (government, NGOs officials and local communities) should do with the existing practices of decision making in order to enforce sustainable management of natural resources within the lake. By employing the participatory approach, approximately ten local and modern interventions were identified and assessed. The modern management interventions are being practiced by government agencies, namely rangers and fisheries officers, whilst the local ones are being conducted by the local community. Both categories of interventions were considered for further improvement to have effective and efficient applications suitable to the local context with an attempt to build capacity of the local community and government managers actively engaged in the protection of natural resources in the Tonle Sap Lake. The paper also outlines the challenges being encountered by the two systems of intervention.