The Tonle Sap Lake is home to three types of communities: land-based, water-based and land-water based communities, whose livelihoods are dependent on Lake's resources. This paper examines how fishing communities in...The Tonle Sap Lake is home to three types of communities: land-based, water-based and land-water based communities, whose livelihoods are dependent on Lake's resources. This paper examines how fishing communities in the Tonic Sap Lake make their living in the context of declined resources, increased competition between fishers, the resources politics and the increased trades around the Lake. The paper concludes that in the old day, communities around the lake were related to one another through bartering rice and fish. However, at present, as resources declining, these communities compete over resources, and in doing so, they build relationship and connection with powerful elites including officials, fish traders and the fishing operators, who could protect them in fishing. As a consequence, fishers are trapped in the webs of vicious cycle of poverty, conflicts, corruption and patronage system and exploited and sucked in these webs.展开更多
Cambodia is a country where wetlands cover 30% of the country's total area. The Tonle Sap Lake is an important wetland area of Cambodia and Southeast Asia. However, wetland is under threats from infrastructure develo...Cambodia is a country where wetlands cover 30% of the country's total area. The Tonle Sap Lake is an important wetland area of Cambodia and Southeast Asia. However, wetland is under threats from infrastructure development, land conversion, water withdrawals, pollution, increased population pressure and hydropower dams building and affect the livelihoods of rural communities. The governance of wetlands is a key action in sustaining the wetland services and the well-being of people. The "wise use" is a key concept of wetland governance. Although there is considerable research on the "wise use" and the application of this concept in wetland management, its application in Tonle Sap remains challenged. Hence, this article addresses the question: How wise use is operationalized for the governance of wetlands in Tonle Sap and what implication it has on the wellbeing of peoples and the ecosystem services? It uses a literature review and a case study to analyze the wetland governance in Tonle Sap, Cambodia. The article describes the wetland governance based on ecosystem services, the direct and indirect driver affecting wetlands and how it threatens the livelihood security of wetland dependent communities. It concludes that the officially wise use of wetlands is a problematic in Tonle Sap.展开更多
文摘The Tonle Sap Lake is home to three types of communities: land-based, water-based and land-water based communities, whose livelihoods are dependent on Lake's resources. This paper examines how fishing communities in the Tonic Sap Lake make their living in the context of declined resources, increased competition between fishers, the resources politics and the increased trades around the Lake. The paper concludes that in the old day, communities around the lake were related to one another through bartering rice and fish. However, at present, as resources declining, these communities compete over resources, and in doing so, they build relationship and connection with powerful elites including officials, fish traders and the fishing operators, who could protect them in fishing. As a consequence, fishers are trapped in the webs of vicious cycle of poverty, conflicts, corruption and patronage system and exploited and sucked in these webs.
文摘Cambodia is a country where wetlands cover 30% of the country's total area. The Tonle Sap Lake is an important wetland area of Cambodia and Southeast Asia. However, wetland is under threats from infrastructure development, land conversion, water withdrawals, pollution, increased population pressure and hydropower dams building and affect the livelihoods of rural communities. The governance of wetlands is a key action in sustaining the wetland services and the well-being of people. The "wise use" is a key concept of wetland governance. Although there is considerable research on the "wise use" and the application of this concept in wetland management, its application in Tonle Sap remains challenged. Hence, this article addresses the question: How wise use is operationalized for the governance of wetlands in Tonle Sap and what implication it has on the wellbeing of peoples and the ecosystem services? It uses a literature review and a case study to analyze the wetland governance in Tonle Sap, Cambodia. The article describes the wetland governance based on ecosystem services, the direct and indirect driver affecting wetlands and how it threatens the livelihood security of wetland dependent communities. It concludes that the officially wise use of wetlands is a problematic in Tonle Sap.