Tonle Sap Environmental Management

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

RRP: CAM 33418

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON A PROPOSED LOAN AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT TO THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA FOR THE TONLE SAP ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROJECT

October 2002

CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 15 October 2002) Currency Unit KR1.00 $1.00

– = =

riel (KR) $0.00025 KR4,007

For the purpose of calculations in this report, a rate of $1.00 = KR3,900 was used. This was the rate generally prevailing at the time of loan appraisal.

ABBREVIATIONS ADB CFDO CNMC DAFF DEEC DNCP DOE DOF EAEOP ETAP FAO GEF GIS IMSCEE MAFF MOE NGO PIO PIU PMCO PSC TA TSBR TSBR-ED

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

UNDP UNESCO

– –

Asian Development Bank Community Fisheries Development Office Cambodia National Mekong Committee Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Department of Environmental Education and Communication Department of Nature Conservation and Protection Department of Environment Department of Fisheries environmental awareness, education, and outreach program Environmental Technical Assistance Project Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Global Environment Facility geographic information system Interministerial Steering Committee for Environmental Education Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Ministry of Environment nongovernment organization project implementation office project implementation unit project monitoring and coordination office project steering committee technical assistance Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve – Environmental Information Database United Nations Development Programme United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

GLOSSARY Biological diversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 defines biological diversity as the variability among living organisms from all sources including, among others, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; the term includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.

Biosphere reserves. Areas of terrestrial and coastal or marine ecosystems, or a combination thereof, that are recognized internationally within the framework of the Man and the Biosphere Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Biosphere reserves are nominated by national governments and remain under their jurisdiction.

The reserves must meet a minimal set of criteria and adhere to a minimal set of conditions before being admitted to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Each reserve is intended to fulfill three complementary functions: (i) a conservation function (preserve landscapes, ecosystems, species, and genetic variation); (ii) a development function (foster sustainable economic and human development); and (iii) a logistic function (support demonstration projects, environmental education and training, and research and monitoring related to local, national, and global issues of conservation and sustainable development).

Biosphere reserves contain one or more core areas, which are securely protected sites; a clearly identified buffer zone; and a flexible transition area.

UNESCO. 2002. The MAB Programme.

Available: http://www.unesco.org/mab/

Buffer zone. A zone that usually surrounds or adjoins core areas, and is used for cooperative activities compatible with sound ecological practices, including environmental education, recreation, ecotourism, and applied and basic research. In the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR), the buffer zone—an area of about 540,000 hectares (ha)—surrounds the core areas up to the outer limit of the flooded forest.

Community management. The community-based management of local natural resources, including certain designated fishing areas, with support from relevant authorities, and institutions and organizations.

Core areas. Securely protected sites for conserving biodiversity, monitoring minimally disturbed ecosystems, and undertaking nondestructive research and other low-impact uses such as education. In the TSBR, the core areas are located in Prek Toal (21,342 ha), Battambang; Boeng Tonle Chhmar (Moat Kla) (14,560 ha), Kompong Thom; and Stung Sen (6,355 ha). The core areas are characterized by a preserved flooded forest, rich river systems, and biodiversity.

Nearly 100 water bird species are found there, a dozen of which are of international significance. In addition to fish stocks, the areas are known for species such as crocodiles, turtles, macaques, capped langurs, otters, and water snakes.

Fishing gear. Any equipment used for fishing. The Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries describes over 200 different techniques and gear in use on the Tonle Sap and ranging from large-scale gear such as barrage traps and bag nets; middlescale gear such as arrow -shaped traps, drift seine nets, rafted mounted lift nets, and scooping nets; to family-scale gear such as gill nets, small traps, single longlines, small dip nets, and cast nets. Almost all are developed locally.

Fishing lots. Fishing lots are exclusive geographic areas that are awarded through a competitive, public bidding system for a period of 2 consecutive years, with the auction fee payable for each of the two fishing seasons. In 2000, there were 175 fishing lots throughout Cambodia. They range in size from 2,000 ha to 50,000 ha and may include lake areas, river areas, and flooded forest. The largest are found on the Tonle Sap. The operator of each lot has the right to harvest fish according to the burden book for the lot. The burden book describes the open season, the payment schedule, permissible fishing gears, the boundaries, the main geographic features, and the designated public fishing areas. Over half of the fishing lot area was withdrawn from the system recently and designated for community-based management.

Fish sanctuaries. Eight fish sanctuaries have been established on the Tonle Sap. They are set aside to protect fish stocks, improve fish recruitment, and provide dry season refuge areas for nonmigratory fish. Year-round, fishing activities, including small-scale fishing, are prohibited although fishing for scientific purposes is allowed. Seven of the sanctuaries are inside the permanent lake, and one is near the mouth of the Tonle Sap River. Most of the sanctuaries are found in the deeper parts of the lake, and none is in the flooded forest.

Flooded forest. A descriptive term for the particular natural vegetation that originally covered most of the Tonle Sap floodplain. It is now characterized by low forest and shrubs that still account for the productivity of the Tonle Sap. Seasonal inundation. Flooding that can be as low as 8 meters (m) above mean sea level (amsl) or as high as 12 m amsl.

Transition area. An area in which existing stakeholders work together in a variety of economic and other activities to manage and develop sustainably a biosphere reserve's natural resources.

In the TSBR, the transition area of about 900,000 ha lies between the outer boundary of the buffer zone and Highways No. 5 and No. 6.

NOTES (i)

The fiscal year (FY) of the Government ends on 31 December. FY before a calendar year denotes the year in which the fiscal year ends.

(ii)

In this Report, "$" refers to US dollars.

This report was prepared by a team consisting of: O. Serrat, Project Economist, Team Leader; I. Fox, Principal Project Specialist; M. Mitra, Social Development Specialist; K. Emzita, Counsel; and D. Moffatt, Natural Resource Management and Institutional Specialist, Consultant.

CONTENTS Page LOAN AND PROJECT SUMMARY

iii

MAPS

vi

I.

THE PROPOSAL

1

II.

RATIONALE: SECTOR PERFORMANCE, PROBLEMS, AND OPPORTUNITIES A. Performance Indicators and Analysis B. Analysis of Key Problems and Opportunities

1 1 5

III.

THE PROPOSED PROJECT A. Objective B. Components and Outputs C. Special Features D. Cost Estimates E. Financing Plan F. Implementation Arrangements

8 8 8 11 12 13 13

IV.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

17

V.

PROJECT BENEFITS, IMPACTS, AND RISKS A. Environment B. Policy C. Institutional D. Social E. Economic F. Risks

17 17 17 17 18 18 18

VI.

ASSURANCES A. Specific Assurances B. Conditions for Loan Effectiveness

19 19 20

VII.

RECOMMENDATION

20

APPENDIXES 1.

Project Framework 2.

Chronology 3.

Problems Analysis 4.

The Significance of the Biodiversity of the Tonle Sap 5.

Establishing the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Environmental Information Database 6.

Formulating and Implementing a National Environmental Education and Awareness Campaign 7.

General Approach to Community Organization 8.

External Assistance to the Environment and Natural Resources Sector 9.

Summary Cost Estimates 10.

Project Management and Organization 11.

Indicative Activities Schedule 12.

Procurement Arrangements 13.

Contract Packages and Indicative Staffing Schedule for Consultants

21 26 27 31 34 39 43 45 47 50 55 58 59

ii 14.

15.

Improving the Regulatory and Management Framework for Inland Fisheries Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy

SUPPLEMENTARY APPENDIXES (available upon request) A. Tonle Sap Inland Fisheries Sector Analysis B. Detailed Cost Tables C. Terms of Reference for Consultants D. Summary Initial Environmental Examination E. Evaluation of Executing and Implementing Agencies F. GEF Project Brief

62 72

LOAN AND PROJECT SUMMARY Borrower

Cambodia

Classification

Primary: Poverty intervention Thematic: Environmental protection

Environment Assessment

Category B An initial environmental examination (IEE) was undertaken. The summary IEE is a supplementary appendix.

Project Description

In the last 20 years, transactions involving the Tonle Sap's natural resources, especially its fisheries, have been characterized by inequity, fraud, widespread corruption, environmental degradation from unsustainable patterns of exploitation, and escalating conflict. The Project will enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, community-based management of natural resources, and conservation of biodiversity in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR). Without those improvements, investments in the Tonle Sap region will become progressively less productive.

Rationale

The Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and has defined Cambodia's national identity. Fish from the Tonle Sap provide 40–70% of the protein intake of Cambodia's population. The lake is of global significance and was nominated as a biosphere reserve in October 1997 under the Man and the Biosphere Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Yet, the natural resources of the Tonle Sap are a source of conflict among stakeholders.

Inequality of access rights, growing population pressure, severe poverty, insufficient or nonexistent rights of tenure, and cultural and ethnic differences place the lake's ecosystem and the population that depends on it at risk. The 25 years of strife brought about by the Khmer Rouge have diminished the ability to tackle these issues at all levels of Cambodian society. In recent years, many have become increasingly concerned that development and unsustainable exploitation of the Tonle Sap's natural richness, especially clearing of the flooded forest for cash cropping and illegal fishing, threaten the Tonle Sap. King Norodom Sihanouk has warned that Cambodia faces environmental disaster if the fragile ecosystem of the lake is further degraded. Management of the TSBR is a great challenge for the Government. Analysis of problems and opportunities reveals that: (i) natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR is weak; (ii) communities, which have been designated as key players, are not organized for natural resource management in the TSBR; and (iii) management capacity to conserve biodiversity in the TSBR is inadequate.

Objective

The goal of the Project is sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap basin. The objective is to enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, community-based natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation in the TSBR.

iv

Cost Estimates

The total project cost, including contingencies, taxes, and duties, is estimated at $19.4 million equivalent, consisting of a foreign exchange of $8.8 million (about 45%) and local currency of $10.6 million equivalent (about 55%).

Financing Plan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a loan of $10.9 million equivalent from its Special Funds resources to finance about 56% of the project cost. A Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant in the amount of about $3.9 million was formulated with the proposed loan. In addition, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) Capacity 21 program will provide about $623,000 as a grant. The Government will finance about $3.9 million equivalent in local currency.

Loan Amount and Terms

It is proposed that ADB provide a loan of various currencies equivalent to $10.9 million from its Special Funds resources. The loan will have a term of 32 years, including a grace period of 8 years, with an interest charge of 1.0% per annum during the grace period and 1.5% per annum thereafter.

Period of Utilization

Until 30 June 2008

Estimated Project Completion Date

31 December 2007

Implementation Arrangements

The overall project implementation period is 5 years. A project steering committee has been established to advise on implementation, provide a mechanism for resolving implementation problems that go beyond single ministerial mandates, and review progress. A project monitoring and coordination office has been formed in the TSBR Secretariat in the Cambodia National Mekong Committee. Project implementation offices have been set up in the Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; the Ministry of Environment; and the TSBR Secretariat. UNDP's office in Phnom Penh will implement the GEF and Capacity 21 grants.

Executing Agency

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

Procurement

Goods and related services, and civil works to be financed from the loan proceeds will be procured in accordance with ADB's Guidelines for Procurement. Vehicles, equipment, and material will be procured by international competitive bidding where the cost is more than $500,000, or by international shopping where the cost is from $100,000 to $500,000.

Vehicles, equipment, and material valued at less than $100,000 equivalent may be procured under local competitive bidding (LCB) procedures. Minor items estimated to cost less than $50,000 may be purchased directly. Civil works to be financed from the proceeds are small and scattered and may be procured under LCB procedures.

v Consulting Services

International and domestic consultants will support project implementation and capacity building. The consultants financed by ADB will be recruited through a consulting firm in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to ADB for engaging domestic consultants. The Project will also contract out services to international organizations, international and domestic nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and other local institutions. To the extent possible, procurement will be on the basis of competitive procedures. But where the number of service providers is limited, direct selection will be applied, with the prior approval of ADB. Where direct selection does not apply, consultants will be recruited using ADB's quality and cost-based selection method.

Project Benefits and Beneficiaries

Project benefits will stem from improved coordination and planning for natural resource management, organization of communities for natural resource management, and conservation of biodiversity. Project beneficiaries are members of the communities that will be targeted in the five provinces adjoining the Tonle Sap—Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap. Because of the social dislocation that Cambodia has suffered, working cooperatively is not easy. By promoting the cohesion of communities, the Project will raise their efficiency and ability to capture investment and enhance the benefits that they derive from fisheries by improving management, protecting core areas, and reducing the decline of more valuable species in the medium term. Clarification of natural resource use rights will also reduce the conflicts affecting these communities. Other project beneficiaries are the national, provincial, district, and field staff, as well as NGOs, who will receive a significant amount of interdisciplinary and on-the-job training that cuts across professional and social boundaries, including gender. At the global level, mankind will benefit from the conservation of globally significant biodiversity, as will all Cambodians who depend on fish for protein.

Risks and Assumptions

Risks that can be mitigated under the Project pertain to the regulatory framework for inland fisheries, project coverage, sectoral interests, community self-regulation, and manpower availability and supervision.

The principal assumptions are a strong Government sense of ownership of and commitment to the Project and the desire of the communities to self-regulate.

Technical Assistance

ADB will provide a technical assistance (TA) grant in the amount of $540,000 for Improving the Regulatory and Management Framework for Inland Fisheries. The TA will be financed on a grant basis by ADB’s TA funding program.

vi

vii

viii

ix

I.

THE PROPOSAL

1.

I submit for your approval the following report and recommendation on a proposed loan to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the Tonle Sap Environmental Management Project (Appendix 1).1 The report also describes proposed technical assistance (TA) for Improving the Regulatory and Management Framework for Inland Fisheries, and if the Board approves the proposed loan, I, acting under the authority delegated to me by the Board, will approve the TA. II. A.

RATIONALE: SECTOR PERFORMANCE, PROBLEMS, AND OPPORTUNITIES Performance Indicators and Analysis 1.

The Tonle Sap

2.

The Tonle Sap or Great Lake of Cambodia is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, covering an area of 250,000–300,000 hectares (ha) during the dry season. Owing to a unique hydrological phenomenon, the Tonle Sap River draining the lake reverses its flow during the wet season when the waters of the Mekong River flow into the lake to inundate 1.0–1.6 million ha for several months each year. 2 The extensive wetlands born of this cycle are home to a high biodiversity of fish, reptile, bird, mammal, and plant species.3 This biological richness is reflected in the enormous productivity of the Tonle Sap as a fishing area: the lake supports one of the most productive capture fisheries in the world, 4 and provides 40–70% of the protein intake of Cambodia's population. 5 The fisheries, together with the flooded forest and agricultural lands of the inundated area, have underpinned human activity since ancient times. Indeed, the Tonle Sap and the associated cultural heritage of Angkor have defined Cambodia's national identity. 6 Today, the land, water, and biotic resources of the Tonle Sap directly benefit 11% of the Cambodian population and, indirectly, many more in terms of food security.7 The lake also benefits the lower Mekong Basin as a feeding and spawning area for both migratory and nonmigratory fish. It is of global significance for biodiversity conservation (Appendix 2).

3.

Because of its biodiversity, economic, and cultural values, the Tonle Sap is a source of conflict, at times violent. Inequality of access rights, growing population pressure, severe poverty, insufficient or nonexistent rights to land tenure, and ethnic differences place the lake's ecosystem and the population that depends on it at risk. Unfortunately, 25 years of strife brought about by the Khmer Rouge have diminished at all levels of Cambodian society the ability to tackle these issues. In recent years, concern over the Tonle Sap has grown; King 1

2

3 4

5

6 7

The Project is included in the Country Strategy and Program, 2003–2005 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Cambodia (Appendix 2).

Consequently, the water level of the lake varies from 1–2 meters (m) above mean sea level (amsl) during the dry season to 8–11 m amsl during the wet season.

Many fish species migrate between the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap, utilizing the river for spawning and the flooded forest for growth and maturation.

The Tonle Sap yields about 230,000 tons (t) of fish per annum, valued at $150 million–$200 million (based on landing data), of which about 25% is exported, primarily to Thailand. The monetary value of the catch increases through the marketing chain to $250 million–$500 million. Cambodia’s freshwater capture fisheries production of over 400,000 t per year is the fourth largest in the world after the People's Republic of China (PRC), India, and Bangladesh. Some believe this to be an underestimate: in 2000, the National Institute of Statistics estimated production at 442,000 t. Freshwater capture fisheries contribute 5–10% of Cambodia's gross domestic product.

Nationwide fish consumption ranges from 40 to 70 kilograms (kg) per person per year. It is widely believed that the Tonle Sap provides two thirds of fish consumed in Cambodia.

It is on the northwestern shore of the Tonle Sap that Khmer kings built their capital from the 9th to the 13th century.

Cambodia's population numbers about 11.5 million. The population living in the five provinces surrounding the Tonle Sap numbers about 2.9 million.

2 Norodom Sihanouk has warned that Cambodia faces environmental disaster if the fragile ecosystem of the lake is degraded further.

4.

In recognition of the lake's importance, a Royal Decree designated the Tonle Sap as a Multiple-Use Protected Area in November 1993. Furthermore, the lake was nominated as a Biosphere Reserve in October 1997 under the Man and the Biosphere Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), when it joined other natural wonders of the world holding that status.8 But management of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) is a great challenge for the Government. 9 At least, it needs to improve the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries, build consensus and capacity for integrated environmental management in line agencies, organize and empower communities to manage natural resources, and develop the capability for biodiversity conservation. 10 2.

Natural Resource Management Coordination and Planning

5.

The principal policy instruments for natural resource management are the National Environmental Action Plan, 1998–2003; 11 Governance Action Plan, 2001; Second Socioeconomic Development Plan, 2001–2005 (prepared ADB assistance);12 and the draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Other relevant legislation includes the Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management, the Fiat Law on Fisheries Management and Administration that is being revised, and the Royal Decree on the Establishment and Management of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve of April 2001.

Nevertheless, these instruments have not brought about sound management of the Tonle Sap. There are no integrated policies at the national level and no systems or capacity for their development. The Government's recent achievements in decentralization also need support.

6.

The primary interagency institution is the Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC), with a membership of 10 ministries and a linkage with the Mekong River Commission.13 In response to the growing need for coordination and planning, a TSBR Secretariat was established in CNMC by subdecree in September 2001. 14 Establishment in CNMC affirms the TSBR Secretariat's legitimacy as the coordinating body for the Tonle Sap and, thereby, its influence in all sectors of Government. The primary Government agencies responsible for managing natural resources in the TSBR are the Department of Fisheries (DOF) 8

These numbered 408 in May 2002.

The Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) aims to fulfill three complementary functions. They are: (i) conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, and species diversity; (ii) culturally, socially, and ecologically sustainable development; and (iii) research, monitoring, and education. Management of the TSBR should be based on zoning into core areas, a buffer zone, and a transition area.

10 Cambodia's obligations vis -à-vis the Tonle Sap are embodied in more than 10 treaties and conventions, including the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention), 1971; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1979; and the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992. One of the core areas of the TSBR, Boeng Tonle Chhmar, was designated as one of the country's three Ramsar sites in 1999.

11 The Tonle Sap is flagged as a priority in the National Environmental Action Plan, 1998–2002.

12 The National Assembly passed the Second Socioeconomic Development Plan, 2001–2005 on 17 June 2002. The Senate approved it on 8 July 2002.

13 CNMC's role is to advise the Government on all matters related to the formulation of water policy, strategy, management, preservation, investigation, planning, and restoration and the development of the water and other natural resources of the Mekong River Basin within Cambodia.

14 The Subdecree on the Establishment, Role, and Functions of the Secretariat of the TSBR of September 2001 structured the TSBR Secretariat into three divisions for policy, strategy, and networking; research, monitoring, and data management; and administration and training. The TSBR Secretariat's staff numbers 6 out of a total planned complement of 15.

9

3 in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), and the Ministry of Environment (MOE). However, their policies are uncoordinated and broad in focus. For example, the draft Fisheries Law (prepared with assistance from the World Bank) provides long-term goals for managing fisheries in the Tonle Sap but it remains to be completed. Associated legislation, complemented and influenced by a fisheries management framework, is essential.

3.

Community and Lot Fisheries

7.

On the Tonle Sap, fishing is carried out for commercial and subsistence purposes.

Commercial fisheries have been organized under a system of exclusive spatial and temporal use rights of auctioned (large-scale) lots.15 However, the system focuses on revenue generation, instead of sustainable resource extraction and equitable rural development, and has exacerbated conflict in proportion with increasing population pressures16 and economic demands.17 What is more, managing the fishing lot system has always been difficult because of the opacity of the auction system and the unrestricted power of fishing lot operators. In response, in October 2000, a Prime Ministerial decree released 56% (or 500,000 ha) of the former fishing lot area to communities for management.18 There are now more than 160 designated community fisheries (or 300 management units) in the fishing lot area released from commercial fisheries. (The identification of areas for community management has resulted in many cases in the less productive grounds being released.) Community-based management of fisheries resources is bound to play an essential role in better sector performance.19 But policy reform is no guarantee of better management without accompanying improvements in transparency, information, and implementation. The fishing lots were released to communities without regulatory or management structure, funding, or training to support the establishment of community fisheries in these areas. The lots have become, de facto, open access areas. The results are confusion over access rights, alleged uncontrolled exploitation, rampant irresponsible fishing, and further conflict.

8.

On the Tonle Sap, fishers inhabit floating villages (which move with changing water levels) or raised houses in resident communities along the lakeshore. 20 Outside the inundated area, in the five provinces adjoining the Tonle Sap, livelihood systems are based on low-yield, rain-fed paddy production in the wet season. At this level of subsistence, communities are driven to supplement livelihoods with firewood collection or illegal dry season crop production.

As a result, the flooded forest that provides the basis for the Tonle Sap's productive fisheries is disappearing in the face of short-term, low-productivity, and low-value activities.

15

The lots, which until recently numbered 57 and occupied about 940,000 ha of the most productive fishing areas (including those on the Tonle Sap River), are based on auctions of the resource in a defined area every 2 years.

16 Cambodia has a fast-growing population (4% per annum during 1994–1998) of which 54% are under the age of 20.

17 Even so, the Government should benefit from the vast potential rent to be derived from the fishing lots. However, in 2000, DOF collected less than $3 million in concession fees.

18 In conjunction with local authorities, they are to manage, conserve, and use the fisheries sustainably.

19 The benefits of community-based management follow: (i) fishers cooperate in planning to increase or conserve fish stocks; (ii) fishers share the costs and benefits of improved management; (iii) there is better conflict management; (iv) the position of fishers vis-à-vis other stakeholders is enhanced by their being organized; (v) fishers and the Government are willing to share data on and their understanding of the fisheries resources; (vi) fishers are encouraged to adopt a longer perspective; and (vii) enforcement of rules is more effective since they have a high level of acceptance: accordingly, compliance and self-regulation are high.

20 Together, they make up 25% of the 1.2 million people living in the area bounded by Highways No. 5 and No. 6. It is not possible to distinguish between fishers and farmers. Most people are engaged in both activities.

4 4.

Poverty and the Tonle Sap

9.

Five provinces adjoin the Tonle Sap. They are Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap. Despite the vast natural wealth of the Tonle Sap, poverty is widespread: about 38% of the population living in the five provinces fall under the official poverty line, the highest proportion in the country. 21 Around 50% of the villages have 40– 60% of households living below the poverty line, with a peak of 80% in some rural areas of Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang. Poverty is related to extended instability and conflict, and the resultant harm to the population; most of Cambodia experienced more peace and economic growth after 1993, but only since 1998 have areas northwest of the Tonle Sap enjoyed their first real respite from war. Many internally displaced persons, repatriated refugees, internal migrants, and demobilized soldiers are busy reestablishing their livelihoods in what remains a fractured society.22 10.

The inhabitants of the Tonle Sap region receive little schooling. Statistics report an adult literacy rate of about 46% (a figure considered to be inflated as it includes the partially literate), compared with the national average of 63%. The school attendance of children aged 5–14 years is only 63%, compared with the national average of 67%. Lack of education limits the ability to recognize and take opportunities. Low literacy levels, lack of access to environmental education materials (such as posters and books), and dearth of basic information (such as copies of laws, subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars) are not propitious to decision making for natural resource management.

11.

Women constitute about 51% of the population in the Tonle Sap region. Significantly, they also head about 15–30% of households. Female heads of households must both earn income and look after young families. They have few opportunities for participating in community decision making since Khmer tradition ascribes a passive role to women.

Nevertheless, the gender division of labor is changing overall: women and men play progressively interchangeable roles because women are increasingly called upon to meet household needs. In the floating villages, they construct fishing gear and process and sell fish.

In land-based villages, they are actively involved in rice and vegetable production, trading, and forest-based activities (including firewood collection), and also in fish processing and sale. In the latter villages, there is nonetheless a growing trend toward landlessness for households with female heads because of lack of capital and sudden shocks, including health problems.

Nonparticipation in community decision making, scarce opportunities for self-development, and inadequate access to financial services keep the women poor.

12.

The ethnic minorities of the Tonle Sap region are the Vietnamese and Muslim Cham.

Even though most of the Vietnamese were born in Cambodia, they do not have Khmer nationality and are classified as immigrants. This status and the historical animosity between them and the Khmers constrain the Vietnamese contribution to community-based natural resource management.23 Still, they are among the most innovative of fishers. The Cham too are fishers. But they do not experience segregation despite their conspicuous identity.

21

The poverty line is the per capita expenditure needed to secure an intake of 2,100 calories per day.

Social cohesion between groups is still low. Intrinsically, Khmer society lacks organized groups or structures above the family group. The traditionally hierarchical nature of working arrangements, ethnic differences, collective trauma from the Khmer Rouge regime, migration associated with seasonal flooding, as well as income disparities demand special efforts at community organization.

23 The Vietnamese number about 100,000 nationwide. The Cham, who have lived in Cambodia since the 15th century, number 300,000–400,000 in total.

22

5 B.

Analysis of Key Problems and Opportunities24

13.

Analysis of key problems and opportunities reveals that: (i) natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR is weak; (ii) communities that have been designated as key players are not organized for natural resource management in the TSBR; and (iii) management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR is inadequate (Appendix 3).

1.

Fish Stocks and Habitats

14.

Incomplete and fragmented data has hidden the decline of inland fisheries. Still, estimates of annual fish catches have improved since 1998 because of Danish International Development Agency and Mekong River Commission assistance to DOF. Total catch may not be falling due to the ever-increasing fishing effort (though the catch per fisher is). However, the share of large and medium-size, higher-value fish has declined because of the longer time such fish need to reach maturity; intensive fishing; and inadequate regulation of fishing techniques and gear. Thus, a higher proportion of the total catch now comprises small fish used for fishmeal and fermented fish paste production. Crucially, in addition to the irresponsible fishing techniques used, the flooded forest that provides breeding and feeding grounds for all fish and much of the lake's primary productivity is being destroyed. The flooded forest originally covered more than 1 million ha; it had shrunk to about 610,000 ha by the 1960s and now covers only about 362,000 ha (much of which consists of shrubland and secondary scrub with few trees).

Although clearing and dry season burning for agricultural purposes is significant, the main problem is firewood collection for both domestic use and local industries.25 15.

The Tonle Sap is most likely being exploited beyond sustainable limits. Further deterioration may have unpredictable consequences because capture fisheries do not usually decline at regular linear rates; they can collapse suddenly due to irreversible damage to parts of the ecosystem or overfishing. Such a collapse would have serious social and welfare consequences: fish provides most of the protein in the diet of Cambodians and its sales supplement income for the purchase of rice, especially in times of distress brought about by drought, pest outbreaks, or floods.26 Many of the large indigenous species of fish such as the giant Mekong River catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) and aquatic mammals such as the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) are already endangered. Also, collection of eggs and chicks aggravates the threat to several species of waterfowl of global significance.27 The impact of introduced exotic species such as giant mimosa (Mimosa pigra), water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and some carps on the native flora and fauna of the Tonle Sap is unknown; however, their potential threat should be researched.

2.

Natural Resource Management Coordination and Planning

16.

Policy on natural resource management has emphasized sectoral priorities, but interministerial coordination is weak. The existing framework shows many problems including overlapping mandates, uneven implementation, inadequate monitoring and enforcement, 24

See also Feast or Famine? Solutions to Cambodia's Fisheries Conflicts. 2001. A Report by the Fisheries Action Coalition Team in Collaboration with the Environmental Justice Foundation.

25 Firewood and charcoal remain the main source of energy for up to 97% of households nationally, particularly in the rural areas. The demand for firewood and charcoal is predicted to grow. The Cambodia Fuelwood Saving Project in Kompong Chhnang, funded by the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations (FAO), demonstrated that efficiency improvements of up to 50% are attainable through improved design of cooking stoves.

26 Rice is a feature of the Cambodian diet. Fishers need 5–7 kg of fish to buy 1 kg of rice.

27 Estimates of the numbers taken annually reach many thousands.

6 inconsistent permit and registration systems, irregularities in financial management, and absence of consistent mechanisms to declare and manage core areas. The Government has no coordinated management plan for multiple use of the lake and the need to develop common policy objectives for managing the TSBR is acutely felt. There is hope that the TSBR Secretariat will facilitate coordination and fortify cooperation among national agencies, provincial authorities, and civil society. The secretariat’s authority is equal to that of a ministerial department. Its purposes are to: (i) serve as an information clearinghouse open to all; (ii) conduct a nationwide awareness and mobilization campaign for the protection and sustainable use of the Tonle Sap and its watershed; and (iii) effect cross-sectoral policy and strategy coordination. However, the secretariat is new and must be strengthened.

3.

Community Fisheries

17.

Fish stock depletion and habitat destruction could be slowed, even reversed, if communities had a sense of ownership and could self-regulate better. 28 But community-level management systems and capacity are weak or nonexistent. Conflict resolution mechanisms cannot prevent violent interventions because communities and individuals have few incentives to act responsibly. Legal instruments such as the Fisheries Law and the Wildlife Protection Law have been drafted but await public consultation and approval by the National Assembly.29 Community fisheries have been created by prime ministerial decree, not because of stakeholder participation and empowerment. By the same token, DOF's Community Fisheries Development Office (CFDO) was established only recently and offers no standards and guidelines from which community fisheries could develop local approaches to natural resource management that accommodate ecosystem -wide considerations. The Government's endeavors to engage communities in natural resource management should shift further from a fish-production focus to a people focus, where the needs and aspirations of the communities are listened to and valued.

4.

Resource Tenure

18.

The Land Law (prepared with ADB assistance) addresses outstanding issues on land policy by establishing basic access of rural people to private tenure over land. In the five project provinces, with large areas having natural resources used by communities, a system for defining the user rights of communities is also required. In instances, such rights will be both spatial and temporal: different communities will often share rights over forestry and fisheries.

The World Bank has begun to implement a land-titling project; however, the Tonle Sap region is not one of its priorities. Conflict over fisheries is escalating; it will become worse if communities do not have documentation certifying the right of occupancy or use of natural resources. Conflict can be reduced by mapping, physical demarcation where relevant, and land use planning. 30 But the socialization of boundaries is complex and requires long-term commitment.

28

Generally, management of natural resources by strengthened communities leads to equitable distribution of benefits and sustainable use. Still, this assumes that overexploitation has not locked natural resources into terminal decline and made concern for food security paramount to the detriment of the environment.

29 The broad objectives of the Wildlife Protection Law are to provide a clear regulatory framework for management, use, and conservation of wildlife and habitat; establish the management authorities for wildlife issues and specify their duties and functions; define the prohibited and permitted activities and procedures regarding wildlife use; list the offenses, penalties and enforcement procedures; implement certain provisions of CITES; establish the lists of endangered and vulnerable wildlife species in Cambodia; and promote education and awareness of wildlife issues.

If the law comes into effect and is enforced, the regulation framework for wildlife conservation will suffice for most species and areas of the TSBR. However, key biodiversity areas will require vigilance and a targeted enforcement program. They are the three core areas of the TSBR and additional areas that may need to be identified, given the migratory nature of some wildlife species.

30 Maps help local people to locate their own resources and management needs.

7

5.

Policy Framework

19.

The primary focus of the Fisheries Law as regards inland fisheries management is the fishing lot system. But policy needs to consider the sustainability of fisheries and the equitable sharing of its benefits. It should also give weight to the biodiversity of the core areas and buffer zone. Importantly, policy should be developed using participatory techniques. Its technical focus should include concern for: (i) the conservation and protection of aquatic habitats on the floodplains; (ii) enforcement of fisheries legislation to avoid overharvesting; (iii) monitoring of fish catch and the status of fish and wildlife habitats; (iv) community land rights and land use within the buffer zone; (v) technical reevaluation of the location of existing fish sanctuaries and fishing lot boundaries; and (vi) making up the fishing lot system more transparent.

20.

Subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars will be required to implement the Fisheries Law. All need to be drafted for relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Those that relate to community fisheries management and reform of the auction system and burden books are expected to be implemented before adoption of the Fisheries Law. The subdecree on establishment of community fisheries, for example, has been circulated for public comment and redrafted for submission to the Council of Ministers. It proposes to establish a framework for community-based management, in cooperation with technical institutions and others entities.

The subdecree relating to the auction system and reform of the burden books is expected to improve management of the remaining lots and make the process more transparent. But the agenda for reform is placing a considerable burden on DOF, which already suffers from institutional weaknesses and low levels of capacity.31 Urgently, the subdecree on establishing community fisheries needs to be reexamined from the following perspectives: (i) Limiting community-based fisheries management to family-scale fishing.

The definition of family-scale fishing in the Fisheries Law has become obsolete and does not provide a realistic tool for present-day fisheries management. Most family-scale fishers complain that they cannot catch enough fish and must use middle-scale fishing gear. Their activities would therefore be officially excluded from community-based management areas and they would in all likelihood continue to fish there illegally. The definition of family-scale fishing should be reviewed promptly to decriminalize people attempting to provide for their families. The proposed subdecree does not provide incentives to embrace community fisheries. Community-based fisheries management should include all forms of fisheries and involve all stakeholders within the framework of a 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan. (ii) Excluding participants other than Khmer nationals. The status of the Vietnamese minority, born in Cambodia but without valid documentation showing Cambodian nationality, is not clear. Such households live on and fish in the Tonle Sap and would need to participate in community fisheries management. The status of this minority should be examined and ways should be found to address their need for access and full participation in community fisheries. (iii) The requirements for registration. The registration formalities required from community fisheries need to be simplified with respect to statutes and bylaws.

21.

Work on the regulatory framework is also hampered by the absence of a fisheries management plan for the Tonle Sap and an institutional anchor for it. The preparation and 31

In 2000, only 33 fishery officers out of a total staff of 1,557 held postgraduate degrees. About 310 held first degrees and 479 held diplomas or had received certificate-level training. Salaries do not provide encouragement.

8 regular updating of fisheries management plans is a legal requirement in many countries: it complements and influences the regulatory framework in a dynamic and adaptive manner.

6.

Vulnerable Groups

22.

Vulnerable groups in the Tonle Sap region include the distinct Vietnamese and Cham minorities, widows, and other female heads of households. Poverty does not distinguish gender, but households headed by women or those lacking male labor are disadvantaged and have limited opportunities compared with poor households with male heads. In such situations, widows not only have to satisfy the household’s needs but must also care for young children.

This group alone represents 14.6% of total households in the rural areas of the five provinces adjoining the Tonle Sap. 32 It is necessary to engage these groups in managing the Tonle Sap: their vulnerability marginalizes them from decision making and undervalues their contribution to the economy. These stakeholders would also include the population living in the core areas, for whom no resettlement is envisaged under the Royal Decree on the Establishment and Management of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.

III. A.

THE PROPOSED PROJECT 33

Objective

23.

The goal of the Project is sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap basin. Its objective is to enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, communitybased natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation in the TSBR (Appendix 1).

24.

The project area encompasses the TSBR and parts of the five adjoining provinces. It comprises the core areas, the buffer zone, and the transition area that extends to and is ultimately bounded by Highways No. 5 and No. 6. In 1998, about 2.9 million people lived in the project area, of whom about 38% were below the poverty line. About 10% depended wholly on fishing and about 40% had fishing as a secondary occupation. More than 1.2 million people lived in the area bordered by the highways; the population of the core areas was estimated at 4,200 and that of the buffer zone at 66,000. 34 B.

Components and Outputs

25.

To accomplish its objective, the Project has three closely interrelated components: (i) strengthening natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR; (ii) organizing communities for natural resource management in the TSBR; and (iii) building management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR.

32

Siem Reap Province, for instance, has a high percentage of households headed by females (30%), of which 63% are headed by widows.

33 See also Asian Development Bank. 2001. Environments in Transition: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Viet Nam .

The strategy advocated for supporting sound management of the Tonle Sap rests on four building blocks: (i) a policy of gradually improving the system of fisheries management on the lake; (ii) consideration of the interdependence of activities in the inundated zone and those in further fields; (iii) recognition of the multiplicity of projects assisted by funding agencies around the Tonle Sap, and the extent to which synergy can be generated among the various initiatives; and (iv) greater institutional coherence in managing the Tonle Sap. 34 The estimated populations in the core areas were 2,970 in Prek Toal, 695 in Boeng Tonle Chhmar (Moat Kla), and 545 in Stung Sen. These numbers are expected to total 5,655 in 2010.

9 1.

Strengthening Natural Resource Management Coordination and Planning for the TSBR

26.

Establishing a Coordination Framework and Information Dissemination Mechanisms. The Project will strengthen the TSBR Secretariat. It will create the capacity to address legal and coordination issues in the TSBR, rationalize the designation of the various protected areas in the TSBR, and formulate common policy objectives for managing the TSBR.35 The issues include agricultural and fisheries practices (especially pesticides), hazardous goods transport, solid waste management, and ecotourism. The common policy objectives will be formulated by the TSBR Secretariat through quarterly interministerial meetings called and chaired by CNMC. 36 The Project will also develop a TSBR Environmental Information Database (TSBR-ED) to support the secretariat's role as an information clearinghouse open to all. UNESCO will be appointed by direct selection to develop the TSBR-ED (Appendix 5). 37 UNESCO will also be appointed by direct selection to formulate and implement a national environmental education and awareness campaign (Appendix 6). 38 27.

Mapping the TSBR. The Project will prepare orthophotomaps at scale 1:5,000 from new aerial photographs at scale 1:25,000. 39 With the help of aerial photographs, orthophotomaps, and additional satellite imagery as required, the TSBR will be mapped to delineate biosphere zonation (i.e., core areas, buffer zone, and transition area); boundaries of commercial and community fishing lots, fish sanctuaries, and administrative regions; and physiographic features (i.e., inundated areas, vegetation types, and agricultural areas).40 28.

Improving Regulation and Management Planning. The Project will prepare, complete, or, as necessary, amend the Fisheries Law and the subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars associated with it, giving early attention to the subdecree on community fisheries.41 It will also prepare a 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan and set standards and guidelines for formulating community and commercial fisheries management plans, to be disseminated by DOF.42 The Tonle Sap fisheries management plan will n i clude measures urgently needed to halt destructive practices. Later, under the Project, the management plans will be integrated in the common policy objectives to underpin sustainable management and 35

The common policy objectives will delineate an interministerial vision for sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity.

36 This will require: (i) defining the common policy objectives; (ii) identifying stakeholders; (iii) developing the most efficient strategy to elicit comments from and disseminating information to each group of stakeholders; (iv) consulting at the ministerial level to ensure that sectoral interests are considered and made consistent with other national policies; (v) consulting at the provincial level to ensure that the common policy objectives are relevant and implementable; and (vi) disseminating the common policy objectives to stakeholders.

37 UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme has a major physical presence through the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO will build linkages with the TSBR Secretariat through web site development, periodic newsletters, and special publications.

38 UNESCO will work with MOE, the National Commission for UNESCO, schoolteachers, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to develop the campaign. UNESCO will organize environmental tours; short and interactive lectures on environment, ecology, hydrology, and the natural wonders of the Tonle Sap; drawing and painting competitions; exhibition of pictures; and participatory activities such as tree planting.

39 Because weather conditions make it impractical to fly conventional aerial photography when the lake is at its lowest level, a mixture of conventional aerial and laser photography will be used.

40 This project activity should be carried out in full consultation with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction.

41 The new fisheries legislation will be completed with reference to FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

42 To embody local approaches to natural resource management and yet accommodate ecosystem -wide considerations, such plans could: (i) define the rights and obligations of the community; (ii) develop procedures for communities and legal authorities to cooperate in natural resource management and conflict resolution; (iii) develop systems to share information; and (iv) map out approaches to community funding of pilot projects.

10 conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the TSBR. To implement the management plan and make possible its updating, the Project will establish a Tonle Sap fisheries management task force within DOF and build it with on-the-job training. The Project will also assist CFDO to better fulfill its role of organizing communities for natural resource management.

2.

Organizing Communities for Natural Resource Management in the TSBR43

29.

Formulating an Implementation Structure. The Project will review previous approaches to the community organization for natural resource management in the TSBR, refine a preferred approach in consultation with nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and detail project activities to organize communities for natural resource management. In each project province, it will also train staff of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (DAFF), the Department of Environment (DOE), and the NGOs needed to support communitybased natural resource management. After collecting baseline information on the communities, the Project will define a methodology for prioritizing them. The criteria may include expressions of interest, commitment, extent of environmental degradation, and occurrence of conflict.44 30.

Empowering Communities. The trained provincial staff and trained NGOs will then activate commune councils and appropriate village-level structures (such as the village development committees) for community-based natural resource management. Using the orthophotomaps, through a participatory process facilitated by the contracted NGOs, the boundaries of community fisheries and forestry areas will be mapped. Boundaries that do not bring equitable social and economic benefits to the communities will be revised by agreement among the stakeholders, with an eye to environmental protection. The community organization activities that they will implement in about 10–12 communities per province per year will comprise workshops, training of trainers, and social networking. Led by the community fisheries development units, the provincial offices of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and DOEs, in consultation with NGOs, will also encourage communities to formulate natural resource management plans (Appendix 7).

31.

Evaluating Technical Packages in Support of Sustainable Livelihoods. The Project will survey previous and ongoing approaches to the development of technical packages based on sustainable natural resource management and recommend selected packages for replication or further development. These may include: (i) enhancing fish productivity through hatcheries or improved fishing gear design; (ii) enhancing forestry productivity through nurseries, agroforestry, and roadside or village plantings; (iii) improved technologies for value-adding for fish and forestry products; and (iv) disseminating fuel-efficient stoves.45 43

FAO will be engaged by direct selection to provide long-term advisory support to this component. With finance from the Government of Belgium, since 1995, FAO has pioneered a project for Participatory Natural Resources Management in the Tonle Sap Region. The first phase (1995–1998) conducted research and data collection on the flora and fauna of the flooded fores t ecosystem as well as the socioeconomics of fishing and border zone agricultural communities. Forest resource management trials were initiated. The second phase (1998–2001) focused on developing and implementing forest resources management by local communities within the Tonle Sap ecosystem but including activities in the surrounding rain-fed agriculture and upland areas. The project's activities for community-based natural resource management have focused on community forestry mainly in upland forest areas, but some sites have also been involved in community organization in flooded forest areas within the TSBR. A third phase (2001–2003) focuses on expanding successful trials for community-based natural resource management and beginning trials with community fisheries, taking advantage of recent reforms in fisheries management. Throughout, emphasis has been on supporting provincial line agencies.

44 The fishing lot released for community fisheries in Banteay Meanchey will be considered in the selection process.

Any project activity in that lot would be handled from Battambang.

45 Possibilities may exist for broad-scale application of select packages with financial support from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

11

3.

Building Management Capacity for Biodiversity Conservation in the TSBR

32.

Enhancing Management Capacity. The Project will establish and equip protected area management units in Battambang and Kompong Thom towns building on existing MOE facilities. In the three core areas of the TSBR, the Project will also establish and equip core area management centers that will additionally serve as visitor centers. The Project will institute a process for identifying additional core areas within the TSBR, including areas important for preserving biodiversity such as fish sanctuaries. This will necessitate establishment of standardized procedures for specifying the types of protected areas within the TSBR, reviewing the existing core areas and fish sanctuaries, and harmonizing specifications. Supporting these activities will be a training needs analysis, and implementation of staff training programs in protected area and biodiversity management.

33.

Developing Systems for Monitoring and Management. The Project will design and implement a biodiversity monitoring system for the TSBR, targeting in particular indicator species of water birds and fish. It will establish a rapid response mechanism for seasonal protection of biodiversity, especially in fish sanctuaries and Prek Toal, but also at other promising sites in the TSBR.46 Further, it will develop a strategy and carry out an awareness campaign for the control of exotic species, and conduct trials for eradicating or managing them.

The Project will also develop and implement a strategy to better enforce laws and regulations in and around the core areas and other important sites that may be identified in the TSBR to protect biodiversity and natural habitats. Lastly, the Project will identify income-generation activities that directly threaten biodiversity in the core areas and develop alternative livelihoods for both migrants and permanent inhabitants so as to modify those activities.

34.

Promoting Biodiversity Conservation Awareness, Education, and Outreach. The Project will develop and implement an environmental awareness, education, and outreach program (EAEOP) for the TSBR that builds on previous, ongoing, and planned activities of Government agencies and NGOs. The EAEOP will include the provision of about four floating environmental education centers for regular extension services to villages around the TSBR.47 The Project will also ensure that the Department of Education and Communication in MOE liaises with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MOEYS) to integrate the EAEOP into selected schools as part of the cluster schools program. Further, efforts will be made to include environmental awareness in the programs of religious groups and promote the National Environment Day to the population of the Tonle Sap region.

C.

Special Features

35.

Strategic Planning. Sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity should be considered from the perspective of the basin feeding the Tonle Sap. In keeping with this outlook, the Project initiates a framework within which subsequent projects could address generic management and conservation concerns, propagate community-based natural resource management, promote sustainable livelihoods, pioneer stewardship of core 46 47

Prek Toal is probably the most significant water bird nesting ground in Southeast Asia.

The Project will replicate the floating environmental center (Greater Environment Chong Khneas Office [GECKO]) funded under FAO's project for Participatory Natural Resources Management in the Tonle Sap Region. GECKO is moored at Chong Khneas and moves around as necessary. It is used to: (i) extend environmental education to communities, particularly schoolchildren; (ii) build the capacity of schoolteachers in environmental education; (iii) make tourists more aware of the environment; and (iv) generate educational and publicity materials for free dissemination and sale.

12 areas by communities, upgrade basinwide research and database development, or encourage extension services in place of regulation. Infrastructure for waste management, water supply and sanitation, multipurpose landing sites, ecotourism, and expanded rural credit and microfinance may also be appropriate.

36.

Cofinancing. The Project will leverage grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) Capacity 21 program to promote complementarity of operations and sharing of experience (Appendix 8).

GEF aims to meet the incremental cost of achieving global benefits, or the cost of an alternative project to that which a country would have undertaken in its own interest. Its contribution to the Project will build management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR.48 UNDP's Capacity 21 program aims to build capacity for sustainable development. Its contribution to the Project will strengthen the ability of staff of CFDO and provincial line agencies to engage communities in natural resource management.

37.

Social Participation. The Project will promote community organization for natural resource management. Using a process approach, trained provincial staff of the DAFF; DOE; and contracted NGOs will select communities willing to participate in project activities. The communities will be trained in group activities. The poorer sections of the communities and women, particularly those who head households, will be encouraged to take part.

38.

Specific Targeting of Beneficiaries. The Project will provide full opportunities for women, especially those who head households, to participate in community organization, representation, training, training of trainers, and decision-making. The target is to allocate 40% of seats in community organizations to women depending on specific local situations and needs.

Subgroups of women will be organized at village level for training and capacity building for participation and leadership.

39.

Surveys on Livelihood Attributes. Community information collected in the process of prioritizing targets will serve for project monitoring and evaluation. The information will define the communities in terms of natural resource base, social stratification, poverty, livelihood systems, conflict, agricultural production, food insecurity, indebtedness, organization, gender issues, and access to economic resources. After 2 years, an external research institute will be contracted to carry out an evaluation. Using participatory techniques and the baseline information, the institute will assess progress in community organization.

D.

Cost Estimates

40.

The total project cost, including contingencies, taxes, and duties, is estimated at $19.4 million equivalent, consisting of foreign exchange of $8.8 million (about 45%) and local currency of $10.6 million equivalent (about 55%). GEF will cofinance the Project in the amount of about $3.9 million through a grant to be implemented by UNDP. In addition, UNDP's Capacity 21 program will provide about $623,000 as grant.49 The Government will finance about $3.9 million equivalent in local currency (Appendix 9).

48

The World Conservation Society wishes to cofinance, in the amount of $200,000, project activities to develop systems for monitoring and management.

49 Cofinancing by UNDP is contingent on approval of the loan by ADB and cofinancing by GEF.

13 Table 1: Cost Estimates ($ million) Component A.

B.

C.

Base Cost 1. Strengthening Natural Resource Coordination and Planning 2. Organizing Communities for Natural Resource Management 3. Building Management Capacity for Biodiversity Conservation Subtotal (A) Contingencies 1. Physical Contingencies a 2. Price Contingencies b Subtotal (B) Interest Charge Total

Foreign Exchange

Local Currency

Total Cost

2.38 3.10 1.90 7.38

1.82 5.32 2.19 9.33

4.20 8.42 4.09 16.71

0.74 0.35 1.09 0.30 8.77

0.73 0.53 1.26 0.00 10.59

1.47 0.88 2.35 0.30 19.36

Note: Figures may not add up due to rounding. a Based on 10% for all costs except operation and maintenance, for which no contingencies are allowed. b Based on an annual escalation factor of 2.4% (foreign) and 5% (local) over the project period.

E.

Financing Plan

41.

It is proposed that ADB provide a loan of $10.9 million equivalent from its Special Funds resources to finance about $6.6 million in foreign exchange costs (about 75% of total foreign exchange costs) and $4.3 million equivalent of local currency costs (about 41% of total local currency costs). The loan will have a term of 32 years, including a grace period of 8 years, with an interest charge of 1.0% per year during the grace period and 1.5% per year during the remaining term. The Government's contribution will be $3.9 million equivalent (about 20% of the total project cost).

Table 2: Financing Plan ($ million) Source

Foreign Exchange

ADBa Government of Cambodia GEF UNDP (Capacity 21) Total

6.57 0.00 2.05 0.15 8.77

Local Currency

Total Cost

4.34 3.91 1.88 0.46 10.59

10.91 3.91 3.93 0.61 19.36

Percent 56.3 20.2 20.3 3.2 100.0

Note: Figures may not add up due to rounding.

ADB = Asian Development Bank, GEF = Global Environment Facility, UNDP = United Nations Development Programme. a Includes interest charged during construction.

F.

Implementation Arrangements

42.

Project Management. A project steering committee (PSC) chaired by the minister of MAFF has been established to advise on project implementation, provide a mechanism for resolving implementation problems that go beyond single ministerial mandates, and review progress. The members of the PSC are the minister of MAFF, the minister of MOE, the minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the chairman of CNMC, and the governors of the five project provinces, or their representatives. Meetings will take place every 6 months and, if possible, concurrent with CNMC board meetings.

14 43.

MAFF will be the Executing Agency for the Project (Appendix 10). It will implement the bulk of project activities that relate to strengthening natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR and organizing communities for natural resource management in the TSBR. In recent years, it has developed technical and project management skills through practical experience in projects assisted by ADB and other entities. MAFF also has an established network of representation in the five project provinces bordering the Tonle Sap. MOE will implement the activities that relate to building management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR. CNMC will assume an important monitoring and coordinating function and will be responsible for formulating common policy objectives for managing the TSBR through the TSBR Secretariat. The UNDP Country Office in Phnom Penh will implement the GEF and Capacity 21 grants under the national execution modality.

44.

A project monitoring and coordination office (PMCO) has been established to assume responsibility for integrating operations. The PMCO is located in the TSBR Secretariat, and the permanent deputy (environment) of the secretariat has been appointed as project coordinator.

An international project management advisor, a domestic finance and administration consultant, and full-time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff will assist the project coordinator. The PMCO will be responsible for project coordination, including consolidating financial statements, harmonizing equipment specifications and procurement procedures, scheduling project activities, and general administration. The three divisions of the TSBR Secretariat will provide the PMCO with day-to-day technical support. During the first year of the Project, the Policy, Strategy, and Networking Division within the TSBR Secretariat will be strengthened to coordinate legal and policy issues pertaining to the TSBR. It will coordinate activities with the legal drafting groups in central line agencies.

45.

Project implementation offices (PIOs) have been set up in DOF, the Department of Nature Conservation and Protection within MOE, and the TSBR Secretariat. Senior members of staff of these institutions have been appointed as PIO head and will be supported by full-time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff to supervise and manage direct implementation activities under the Project. As such, PIOs will be responsible for planning and budgeting project activities and, as required, supervising and monitoring provincial-level field activities through project implementation units (PIUs). In the PIO in DOF, a fisheries management adviser will assume responsibility for supervising project activities in DOF and its PIUs and elaborating the terms of reference for the service provider for component 2. Within 3 months of loan effectiveness, the PIUs will be set up in each of the five project provinces in the Office of Fisheries in DAFF, and in DOE. Senior members of staff of these institutions will be seconded on a full-time basis as PIU head and will be supported by full-time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff to implement activities in the provinces.

46.

Implementation Period. The Project will be implemented over 5 years. For component 1, activities will concentrate in the first year on: (i) strengthening the TSBR Secretariat's structures and facilities; (ii) formulating common policy objectives for managing the TSBR; and (iii) improving the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries. The focus in the second year will be on: (i) developing the TSBR-ED; (ii) formulating and implementing a national environmental education and awareness campaign; (iii) preparing orthophotomaps; (iv) delineating biosphere zonation and boundaries; (v) refining and adopting the common policy objectives formulated; (vi) setting standards and guidelines—for dissemination by DOF—for formulating community and commercial fisheries management plans; and (vii) building the capacity of CFDO.

15 47.

For component 2, activities in the first year will center on reviewing previous approaches to organizing communities for natural resource management and refining the preferred approach. They will build up from the second year by: (i) strengthening provincial office structures and facilities; (ii) implementing a training program for staff of provincial line agencies; (iii) activating commune councils and appropriate village-level structures for natural resource management; (iv) mobilizing NGOs to support community-based natural resource management and monitor progress; (v) surveying previous and ongoing approaches to the development of technical packages based on sustainable natural resource management; and (vi) recommending selected technical packages for sustainable natural resource management that can be replicated or further developed. The third year activities will revolve around: (i) organizing communities for natural resource management; (ii) reviewing boundaries and describing community resource rights; and (iii) encouraging the formulation of natural resource management plans at the local level.

48.

For component 3, activities in the first year will entail identifying indicator species and designing a biodiversity monitoring system. Project activities during the second year will comprise: (i) establishing and equipping protected area management units and core area management centers; (ii) instituting a process for identifying additional core areas and fish sanctuaries; (iii) conducting a training needs analysis for protected area management and biodiversity conservation; (iv) implementing a biodiversity monitoring system; (v) establishing a rapid-response mechanism for seasonal protection of biodiversity; (vi) developing a strategy and carrying out an awareness campaign for the control of exotic species and conducting management trials; (vii) developing a strategy to enforce laws and regulations in and around the core areas and other important sites; (viii) identifying income-generating activities that directly threaten biodiversity in the core areas and developing alternative livelihoods to modify those activities; (ix) developing and implementing an EAEOP for the TSBR; and (x) establishing floating environmental education centers. In the third year, activities will focus on: (i) implementing the staff training program for protected area management and biodiversity conservation; (ii) implementing the strategy to enforce laws and regulations in and around the core areas and other important sites; and (iii) incorporating the EAEOP into selected schools around the TSBR (Appendix 11).

49.

Procurement. Goods and related services, and civil works to be financed from the loan proceeds will be procured in accordance with ADB's Guidelines for Procurement. Vehicles, equipment, and material will be procured by international competitive bidding where the cost is more than $500,000, or by international shopping where the cost is from $100,000 to $500,000.

Vehicles, equipment, and material valued at less than $100,000 equivalent may be procured under local competitive bidding procedures (LCB). Minor items estimated to cost less than $50,000 may be purchased directly. The civil works to be financed from the proceeds of the loan are small, scattered, and unlikely to attract international bidders. They may be procured under LCB procedures (Appendix 12).

50.

Consulting Services. The Project will require 271 person-months of international and 1,402 person-months of domestic consulting services, mainly in fisheries, natural resource management, environmental protection, environmental education, and community organization. 50 The consultants financed under the loan will be engaged through a consulting firm in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to ADB for engaging domestic consultants. Procurement will be based on 50

About 171 person-months of international and 1,032 person-months of domestic consulting services will be loanfinanced.

16 competitive procedures, but where the number of service providers is limited, direct selection will be applied with the prior approval of ADB. Where direct selection does not apply, consultants will be recruited using ADB's quality and cost-based selection method. The Project will also contract out services to prequalified international and local NGOs and other institutions.

The consultants financed by the cofinanciers will be recruited in consultation with ADB (Appendix 13).

51.

Advance Action. On 30 April 2002, ADB approved advance action for recruiting consultants and procuring goods and related services, and civil works. The advance actions are in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and ADB's Guidelines for Procurement. The Government has been advised that approval of advance action does not commit ADB to finance the Project.

52.

Anticorruption Measures. The Project will comply with ADB's anticorruption policy, particularly in respect of the sections of ADB's Guidelines for Procurement and ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants that relate to fraud and corruption. External auditors will audit the project accounts annually and the Executing Agency will ensure the timely submission of audited accounts.

53.

Accounting, Auditing, and Reporting. All agencies involved in implementation will maintain separate accounts for project-related disbursements. The PMCO will consolidate the accounts from all sources to MAFF, which will then review and submit them to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and ADB. All project accounts will be audited independently annually.

The audit report will include, among others, a statement verifying that funds disbursed by ADB against the statement of expenditures (SOE) have been used as claimed. Project accounts, together with disbursement documentation, will be audited annually with all reports forwarded to ADB and the Government within 9 months of the end of each fiscal year. The Government will open an imprest account at the National Bank of Cambodia or any commercial bank designated by the Government. Second-generation imprest accounts will be opened in the name of CNMC, MAFF, and MOE, which will take direct responsibility for all administrative and accounting requirements relating to the operation and use of such funds. The initial advance for the imprest account will be the estimated expenditures for 6 months, with a ceiling of $1 million. SOE procedures will be used to reimburse eligible expenditures with a total contract value not exceeding the equivalent of $100,000 and to liquidate advances covered in the imprest accounts. The imprest accounts and SOE procedures will be established, operated, and maintained in accordance with ADB's Loan Disbursement Handbook (January 2001). Both will be audited as part of the regular audit of the project's account, with financial statements and audit opinion set out separately within 9 months from the end of the fiscal year.

54.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation. Project performance and achievement of benefits will be monitored based on the project framework. However, given the process nature of the Project, it is anticipated that the framework could evolve during implementation and entail modification of outputs and activities. The PIUs will provide the PIOs with standardized quarterly reports during each year of implementation, detailing the physical and financial progress of activities against targets and summarizing monitoring and evaluation results. In turn, the PIOs will submit to the PMCO consolidated quarterly progress reports. The PMCO will submit to the Government and ADB 6-monthly progress reports that pay close attention to output accomplishment and improvement of activities.

55.

Project Review. During the first 3 years of project implementation, ADB will carry out semiannual reviews. In the third year, ADB and the Government will undertake a

17 comprehensive midterm review. GEF and UNDP grant reporting will comply with GEF and UNDP requirements, respectively. Within 3 months of the physical completion of the Project, the PMCO will make publicly available a project completion report in the standard ADB format.

IV.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

56.

A TA will be provided to improve the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries, giving early attention to the subdecree on community fisheries. The total cost of the TA is estimated at $634,000, comprising foreign exchange of $396,000 and local currency of $238,000 equivalent. The Government has requested ADB to finance $540,000 equivalent, including the entire foreign exchange cost and $144,000 equivalent of the local currency cost.

The TA will be financed on a grant basis by ADB’s TA funding program. The Government will finance the balance of the local currency cost, equivalent to $94,000, largely through the provision of office accommodation and remuneration and per diem of counterpart staff, as set out in the cost estimates and financing plan for the TA. The TA will be implemented over 12 months. The Executing Agency will be DOF. FAO will be selected directly to deliver the services required (Appendix 14).

V. A.

PROJECT BENEFITS, IM PACTS, AND RISKS

Environmental

57.

By engaging many national actors, the Project will activate Cambodia's principal policy instruments for natural resource management. It will also help Cambodia to meet the obligations that are embodied in more than 10 treaties and conventions, and work toward the goals of UNESCO's Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves, 1995.51 B.

Policy

58.

The reform of inland fisheries is placing a considerable burden on DOF. It is urgent to provide a legal basis for sound management of fisheries resources, establish a policy and technical framework that incorporates principles of ecosystem-wide management, and define a shared interministerial vision for managing the TSBR. The Project will improve the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries. It will also create capacity in the TSBR Secretariat to address legal and policy issues, and advance through CNMC the formulation of common policy objectives for managing the TSBR. C.

Institutional

59.

Sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity depends on having adequate capacity at all levels. At the national level, the Project will enhance management systems and develop the capability to coordinate and plan for natural resource management. At the provincial and district levels, it will nurture the capability of Government line agencies and NGOs to assist the communities in managing natural resources. At the local level, the Project will organize and promote community participation in managing natural resources and develop Government line agencies’ capability for biodiversity conservation.

51

The goals of the Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves are to: (i) use biosphere reserves to conserve natural and cultural diversity; (ii) use biosphere reserves as models of land management and of approaches to sustainable development; (iii) use biosphere reserves for research, monitoring, education, and training; and (iv) implement the biosphere reserve concept.

18 D.

Social

60.

Community Organization. Cambodia has suffered social dislocation and working cooperatively is not easy. The Project will promote the cohesion of communities and raise their economic efficiency and ability to capture investment. In relation to governance, the Project will stimulate the decentralization achieved by the first commune-level elections of February 2002, which aimed to build democracy from the grassroots.

61.

Poverty Reduction. The Project will strengthen the self-reliance of the poor and vulnerable groups in communities by giving them a voice in determining future community development and activities in managing natural resources; encouraging them to participate in mapping and delineating of boundaries; enhancing their capacity to organize and manage natural resources; and conducting surveys and making recommendations for technical packages promoting viable, diversified, or alternative livelihoods. Female heads of households and widows will be encouraged to take part in training and group-based activities (Appendix 15).

62.

Ethnic Minorities. The Project will give ethnic minorities opportunities to participate in community organization. It will attempt—through commune councils, commune chiefs, Government staff trained in participatory approaches, and NGOs—to build relations of trust between the Khmers and the Vietnamese minority. 52 The impact of participation on minorities will be monitored. The TA will examine the rights of Vietnamese communities.

E.

Economic

63.

Inland fisheries contribute 5–10% of Cambodia's gross domestic product: a decline in their volume or value would have immediate drastic effects on Cambodia's economy. Aside from the significance of the lake in the economy, impairment of its fisheries would deprive poor people of their main source of protein and undermine their fragile food and health security. 53 In short, the replacement cost of the Tonle Sap's fisheries would be unaffordable. 54 Economic benefits from the Project need to be seen in this light. Other economic benefits that are not easily measured arise from the Project's capacity-building activities, which will continue to be available for development activities in the future. At the global level, loss of the lake's biodiversity would have irreparable consequences for future generations.

F.

Risks

64.

Regulatory Framework. Insufficient review of and delay in preparing, completing, or amending the Fisheries Law and the subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars associated with it are risks. The TA will mitigate them.

65.

Coverage. The Project will refine a preferred approach to community organization and apply it in the five project provinces. Rapid expansion is a risk that the Project addresses in two

52

Cooperation between the Khmers and the Cham minority is not problematic.

The Tonle Sap's importance in respect of food security is certain to increase, given the growth pressure of a large under-15-year-old population (nearing 50%).

54 Policy makers often undervalue inland fisheries. A realistic method of approximating nonmarketed benefits from the Tonle Sap would be to calculate the cost of an alternative for its original products or services, if it can be found. For instance, given the importance of fish in the Cambodian diet, the cost of replacing this source of food should the Tonle Sap’s fisheries suddenly collapse would be at least that of providing in equal quantities 40–70% of the protein intake of the country's population.

53

19 ways: it will avail of the local expertise built up by FAO, and it will consider, in the phasing of community organization, the willingness to participate.

66.

Sectoral Interests. Sectoral interests may hamper interministerial cooperation for natural resource management. For this reason, establishment of the TSBR Secretariat as coordinating body, with a direct reporting line to CNMC, gives ground for optimism. The Project will strengthen the TSBR Secretariat to further temper sectoral interests.

67.

Community Self-Regulation. The Project will demonstrate community self-regulation as a viable alternative to command and control, bearing in mind that change cannot happen overnight. Participation will arise out of a system that is fair and is seen to be so. To this intent, the Project will make clear the benefits of community-based management of natural resources.

68.

Mekong River. Dam construction on the Mekong River and its tributaries would affect fish migration and breeding patterns but also the level of flooding in the Tonle Sap. Concerns have also been raised over plans to clear rapids and widen a shipping lane in the Mekong River to enable cargo boats to navigate between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Thailand in the dry season. A permanent lowering of flood levels in the lake or an alteration in floods would reduce the Project’s benefits.55 This warrants international support to the Mekong River Commission's basin development plan and water utilization program.

69.

Environmental Impact. The Project is classified under environment category B. An initial environmental examination undertaken during project preparation concluded that the Project would have no negative impacts on the environment.

70.

Availability of Human Resources. The availability and capacity of line agency staff for social networking may pose a limitation. To counter this risk, the Project will effect substantial staff training in the first 12–18 months of implementation. It will also contract international organizations and NGOs with experience in Cambodia. 56 VI. A.

ASSURANCES

Specific Assurances

71.

In addition to the standard assurances, the Government has given the following specific assurances, which are incorporated in the legal documents: (i) Counterpart funds. The Government will provide counterpart funds for project implementation on time. The Government will make timely submissions of annual budgetary appropriation requests and ensure prompt disbursement of appropriated funds during each year of project implementation. (ii) Project framework. The Government and the Executing Agency will ensure that they implement the Project in accordance with the project framework, as set out in Appendix 1 of this report, and within the time frame stipulated therein. (iii) Regulatory framework. The Government will ensure that it prepares or amends the Fisheries Law, including the subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars associated with the Fisheries Law, on time, in the form and substance developed by the TA. Within 18 months of loan effectiveness, the draft amendment to the Fisheries Law developed pursuant to the TA will have been 55 56

Data from 1940–2000 shows a clear correlation between water levels at peak flood and fish catch.

One hundred local and 200 international NGOs are in Cambodia. Many carry out environment-related activities.

20

(iv) (v)

(vi)

(vii) (viii)

submitted to the legislator. The Government will further ensure that within 6 months of the promulgation of the amended Fisheries Law, the implementing regulations or subdecrees to the amended Fisheries Law will have been issued.

Mapping. The Government and the Executing Agency will make available to interested parties all mapping and database products.

Gender. The Government will ensure that the Project provides full opportunities for women, particularly female heads of households, to participate in community organization, representation, and decision making. About 40% of seats in community organizations will be allocated to women. Women will be organized for training and capacity building for participation and leadership. They will be selected for training in livelihood development, value-added activities, and establishing linkages with ongoing microfinance programs.

Ethnic minorities. The Government will ensure that the Project benefits ethnic minorities by providing them opportunities to participate in training in community organization. The Project's impact on ethnic minorities will be observed during monitoring and evaluation.

Project monitoring and evaluation. The Government will ensure that community data collected in the process of prioritizing targets serves as baseline information for project monitoring and evaluation.

External auditors, annual auditing, and financial statements. External auditors will be engaged to audit project accounts. The annual audited accounts and financial statements, together with audit reports, in English, will be submitted to ADB within 9 months following the end of the Government's fiscal year.

B.

Conditions for Loan Effectiveness

72.

Prior to loan effectiveness, the following will have been completed: (i) TSBR Secretariat. Directives of the chairman of CNMC will have been issued for the appointment of the necessary staff of the Policy, Strategy, and Networking Division within the TSBR Secretariat, consisting of experts in fisheries, water resource management, land management, agronomy, environmental database management, and law. (ii) Counterpart staff. All necessary staff and facilities for the PSC, PMCO, and PIOs will have been appointed and provided.

VII.

RECOMMENDATION

73.

I am satisfied that the proposed loan would comply with the Articles of Agreement of ADB and recommend that the Board approve the loan in various currencies equivalent to Special Drawing Rights 8,248,000 to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the Tonle Sap Environmental Management Project from ADB’s Special Funds resources with an interest charge at the rate of 1% per annum during the grace period and 1.5% per annum thereafter; a term of 32 years, including a grace period of 8 years; and such other terms and conditions as are substantially in accordance with those set forth in the draft Loan Agreement presented to the Board.

TADAO CHINO President 18 October 2002

Appendix 1

21

PROJECT FRAMEWORK Performance Indicators/Targets

Design Summary Goal 1.1 Sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap Basin Objective 1.1 To enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, communitybased natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR)

1.1

1.1

1.2

1.3

Monitoring Mechanisms

Systems and capacity for natural resource management and biodiversity conservation are in place and functioning

1.1

Natural resource management coordination and planning strengthened by end-year 5 Community-based natural resource management in the TSBR facilitated by endyear 5 Management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR built by end-year 5

1.1 1.2

1.2

Assumptions and Risks

Project performance audit report Parameters of ecosystem (i.e., flooded forest cover, hydrology, biodiversity) from project monitoring and evaluation system Project framework Project completion report Frequency of interMinisterial meetings organized by the TSBR Secretariat Number of communities organized and uptake of recommendations from natural resource management plans Periodic survey and inventory of appropriate indicator species for biodiversity and habitat monitoring Socioeconomic indicators in the five project provinces

??

1.1.1 Project reports 1.1.2 Project reports and policy documents 1.1.3 Minutes of interministerial meetings and policy documents of ministries 1.1.4 Records of database usage and additions 1.1.5 Number of messages and feedback from audiences

??

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

??

??

The Government and communities are committed to sustainable management of the TSBR for multiple use.

The Government is committed to communitybased natural resource management.

The Government is committed to biodiversity conservation.

Components, Outputs, and Activities Strengthening Natural Resource Management Coordination and Planning for the TSBR 1.1

A coordination framework and information dissemination mechanisms are established.

1.1.1 Strengthen the TSBR Secretariat's structures and facilities 1.1.2 Create in the TSBR Secretariat capacity to address legal and policy issues 1.1.3 Formulate common policy objectives for management of the TSBR 1.1.4 Develop a TSBR Environmental Information Database (TSBR- ED) 1.1.5 Formulate and implement a national environmental education and awareness campaign

1.1.1 TSBR Secretariat structures and facilities strengthened by endyear 1 1.1.2 Policy, Strategy, and Networking Division in the TSBR Secretariat strengthened by endyear 1 1.1.3 Common policy objectives formulated by the TSBR Secretariat by the end of the first quarter of year 2, and quarterly interministerial meetings held to refine and adopt them by endyear 2 1.1.4 Service provider appointed by the end of the third quarter of year

??

Service provider is mobilized on time.

Interministerial cooperation takes place and endorses the common policy objectives for management of the TSBR.

22

Appendix 1

Design Summary

Performance Indicators/Targets

Monitoring Mechanisms

Assumptions and Risks

the third quarter of year 1, TSBR- ED operational by mid-year 2, and TSBR- ED updating carried out on a continuing basis thereafter 1.1.5 Service provider appointed by the end of the third quarter of year 1 and environmental education messages formulated by mid-year 2 and disseminated through appropriate media outlets and schools from mid-year 2 and on a continuing basis thereafter 1.2

The TSBR is mapped.

1.2.1 Prepare orthophotomaps at scale 1:5,000 from new aerial photographs at scale 1:25,000 1.2.2 Delineate biosphere zonation and boundaries of commercial and community fishing lots, fish sanctuaries, administrative regions, and physiographic features 1.3 Regulation and management planning are improved.

1.2.1 Aerial photography completed by mid-year 2 and orthophotomaps prepared immediately thereafter 1.2.2 Biosphere zonation and other boundaries delineated from midyear 2 and zonation maps prepared by endyear 2

1.2.1 Contract for aerial photography and processing 1.2.2 Number of zonation maps prepared

1.3.1 Prepare, complete, or as necessary amend the Fisheries Law and the subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars associated with it and develop the 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan 1.3.2 Set standards and guidelines for formulation of community and commercial fisheries management plans 1.3.3 Build the capacity of the Community Fisheries Development Office (CFDO) within the Department of Fisheries (DOF) Organizing Communities for Natural Resource Management in the TSBR

1.3.1 Regulatory framework prepared, completed, or amended and 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan developed by mid-year 2 1.3.2 Standards and guidelines for formulation of community and commercial fisheries management plans set by end-year 1 and disseminated thereafter 1.3.3 Six key staff of CFDO trained by mid-year 2 and study tours conducted by mid-year 3

1.3.1 Gazette records, plan publication, and advisory technical assistance (TA) reports 1.3.2 Standards and guidelines publication and advisory TA reports 1.3.3 Staff and performance records

2.1

An implementation structure is formulated.

?? ?? ??

??

Aerial photography is contracted without delay.

Weather conditions allow aerial photography on schedule.

Mapping is carried out in full consultation with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction.

Regulatory and management framework improvements feed into the common policy objectives formulated by the TSBR Secretariat.

Appendix 1

Design Summary 2.1.1 Refine approach to community organization 2.1.2 Strengthen provincial office structures and facilities in the five project provinces 2.1.3 Implement a training program for staff of relevant provincial line agencies 2.1.4 Develop a selection process and identify communities for organization

2.2

Monitoring Mechanisms

2.1.1 Previous approaches to organizing communities for natural resource management reviewed, preferred approach refined, and service provider appointed by end-year 1 2.1.2 Provincial office structures and facilities strengthened by midyear 2 2.1.3 In each of the five project provinces, 16 staff from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, 4 staff from the Department of Environment, and 4–5 staff of selected nongovernment organizations (NGOs) nominated and trained by end-year 2 2.1.4 Fisheries and forestry communities identified in each project provinces by end-year 2

2.1.1 Design document approved 2.1.2 Project reports 2.1.3 Training records 2.1.4 Number of communities identified

2.2.1 Commune council and village-level meetings address natural resource management by end-year 2 2.2.2 Commune councils and village-level structures actively networking by mid-year 3 with support from NGOs (e.g., Community Aid Abroad, Leucaena Japonica, Southeast Asia Development Program, Community Capacity for Development) 2.2.3 Agreements and endorsements on boundaries and resource rights obtained not later than end-year 3 2.2.4 Formulation of natural resource management plans by communities encouraged from year 3 2.2.5 Independent progress audit reports submitted annually from end-year 2

2.2.1 Number of commune council meetings and records of the meetings 2.2.2 Number of fisheries and forestry communities organized each year in each project province 2.2.3 Number of formal agreements 2.2.4 Number of plans prepared 2.2.5 Independent progress audits by an external research institute (e.g., Cambodia Development Resource Institute)

Assumptions and Risks ?? ??

??

Service provider is mobilized on time.

Preferred approach to community organization is sufficiently practicable to enable rapid replication.

Staff of suitable quality and orientation are made available and are retained.

Communities are empowered.

2.2.1 Activate commune councils and appropriate village-level structures for natural resource management 2.2.2 Conduct community organization for natural resource management 2.2.3 Review boundaries and describe community resource rights 2.2.4 Encourage formulation by communities of natural resource management plans 2.2.5 Conduct independent progress audits

2.3

Performance Indicators/Targets

23

Technical packages in support of sustainable livelihoods are evaluated.

?? ??

??

??

??

??

Commune councils are able to successfully mobilize interest groups.

Line agencies and resource users recognize community organizations.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries directs the interdepartmental cooperation necessary to encourage formulation by communities of natural resource management plans.

The judicial system effectively validates conflict resolution by community organizations.

Suitable NGOs are contracted for community organization and ground truthing.

Stakeholder agreement on boundaries is forthcoming.

24

Appendix 1

Design Summary 2.3.1 Survey previous and ongoing approaches to technical packages based on sustainable natural resource management 2.3.2 Recommend selected technical packages based on sustainable natural resource management for replication or further development

Performance Indicators/Targets

Monitoring Mechanisms

Assumptions and Risks

2.3.1 Technical packages for sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, agroforestry, and community forestry surveyed by the end of the third quarter of year 2 2.3.2 Selected technical packages recommended for replication or further development by endyear 2

2.3.1 Number of technical packages for sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, agroforestry, and community forestry surveyed 2.3.2 Number of technical packages recommended

??

Cooperation with other international bodies and line agencies is forthcoming (e.g., Mekong River Commission, OxfamAmerica).

3.1.1 Two protected area management units and three core area management centers established and equipped by mid-year 2 3.1.2 Identification process for additional core areas and fish sanctuaries instituted by end-year 2 and applied on a continuing basis thereafter 3.1.3 Training needs analysis conducted by the third quarter of year 2 and training program implemented on an annual basis from year 3 until end-year 5

3.1.1 Project reports 3.1.2 Frequency of identification exercises 3.1.3 Training records

??

Staff are made available for training and are retained.

3.2.1 Indicator species for monitoring system identified by the fourth quarter of year 1, system designed by end-year 1, and system implemented from year 2 and on a continuing basis thereafter 3.2.2 Fully resourced rapidresponse team in operation by end-year 2 3.2.3 Strategy and campaign in place by the fourth quarter of year 2 and management trials operational by end-year 2 and on a continuing basis thereafter 3.2.4 Strategy in place by end-

3.2.1 Biodiversity assessment reports and the TSBRED 3.2.2 Frequency of rapidresponse exercises 3.2.3 Surveys indicating that exotic species are being controlled 3.2.4 Records on apprehended poachers and illegal users 3.2.5 Reduction in the number of persons involved in livelihood activities that threaten biodiversity

??

Monitoring accurately targets indicator species and feeds back into decision making.

Exotic species are controllable at existing limits of spread with the resources available.

Officials are not amenable to bribery.

Alternative livelihoods can be identified and sustained, and can replace biodiversity threatening activities.

Building Management Capacity for Biodiversity Conservation in the TSBR 3.1

Capacity for management is enhanced.

3.1.1 Establish and equip protected area management units and core area management centers 3.1.2 Institute a process for identifying additional core areas and fish sanctuaries 3.1.3 Formulate and implement staff training for protected area management and biodiversity conservation

3.2

Systems for monitoring and management are developed.

3.2.1 Design and implement a biodiversity monitoring system 3.2.2 Establish a rapidresponse mechanism for seasonal protection of biodiversity 3.2.3 Develop a strategy, carry out an awareness campaign for the control of exotic species, and conduct management trials 3.2.4 Develop and implement a strategy to enforce laws and regulations in and around the core areas and other important sites 3.2.5 Identify income-

??

?? ??

Appendix 1

Design Summary generation activities that directly threaten biodiversity in the core areas and develop alternative livelihoods to modify these activities

3.3

Performance Indicators/Targets

Monitoring Mechanisms

25

Assumptions and Risks

year 2 and enforcement operational from year 3 and on a continuing basis thereafter 3.2.5 Detrimental activities identified by the fourth quarter of year 2, alternative livelihoods developed by end-year 2, and disseminated thereafter

Biodiversity conservation awareness, education, and outreach are promoted.

3.3.1 Develop and implement an environmental awareness, education, and outreach program (EAEOP) for the TSBR 3.3.2 Provide floating environmental education centers 3.3.3 Incorporate the EAEOP into selected schools around the TSBR

3.3.1 EAEOP developed and implemented by endyear 2 3.3.2 Four floating environmental education centers provided by mid-year 2 3.3.3 EAEOP incorporated in the cluster schools program of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports from year 3

3.3.1 Number of villages and schools hosting outreach events 3.3.2 Number of visitors to floating environmental education centers 3.3.3 Changes to the school curriculum

??

??

??

Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports cooperates in preparing EAEOP. Existing school curriculum is sufficiently flexible to allow uptake of EAEOP. Teachers are made available.

26

Appendix 2

CHRONOLOGY 1.

In response to a request from the Government of Cambodia, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided technical assistance for preparing the Project.1 The objective was to prepare a detailed proposal for investment to develop and support community-based integrated management systems for the fisheries, forestry, and agricultural resources of the Tonle Sap. In July 2001, the implementation consultant submitted a draft feasibility study. In November 2001, ADB engaged individual consultants to reinforce the study with supplementary analyses.

2.

An ADB mission visited Cambodia from 22 October to 5 November 2001. After reviewing the problems facing the Tonle Sap, the Mission concluded that sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity should be considered from the basin's perspective. In keeping with this outlook, the Mission recommended that a first project build management systems and capacity and that provision be made for investment projects once this has been achieved. For the Project, the Mission identified components and costs, executing and implementing agencies, and cofinanciers. It spelled out the requirements for aid coordination and finalized the terms of reference for the supplementary project formulation activities required. From 5 November to 14 December 2001, the individual consultants engaged

by ADB described the Project envisaged, focusing on the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.

Thereafter, on 17–18 December 2001, an ADB Mission visited Cambodia to take stock of the findings.

3.

The ADB Loan Fact-Finding Mission visited Cambodia from 25 February to 15 March 2002 to (i) update available information on all aspects of the proposed Project (including technical, financial, economic, legal, institutional, social, environmental, and policy matters); (ii) consult with a cross-section of prospective beneficiaries and nongovernment organizations; (iii) devote attention to institutional capacities, project costs, and financing arrangements; (iv) secure the active involvement of the Government, as well as adequate and timely counterpart funds for the Project; and (v) clarify prospects for commitments to the Project from other sources . It examined the Project in the context of the Government's development objectives and ADB's operational strategy for Cambodia, and refined the Project's design.

4.

The ADB Loan Appraisal Mission visited Cambodia from 13 May to 5 June 2002 to complete the review and analysis of the loan proposal and the sector to which it relates, including the technical, financial, economic, legal, institutional, social, environmental, and other aspects of the Project.2

1

2

ADB. 1998. Technical Assistance for the Protection and Management of Critical Wetlands in the Lower Mekong Basin. Manila. In support of the technical assistance, ADB agreed that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) execute GEF PDF-B grant technical assistance, for $350,000, to prepare a biodiversity conservation project in the Tonle Sap. UNDP would then take the lead in executing a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant paralleling an ADB project. During project formulation, UNDP determined that Capacity 21 funding could also be sought to build the capacity for sustainable development through participatory and institutional strengthening approaches.

The Mission was joined by D. Greboval, Senior Fishery Planning Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); B. Koemlangan, Legal Officer; FAO; P. Evans, Natural Resource Management Specialist, Consultant, FAO; and Q. Han, Program Specialist, Environmental Sciences and Man and the Biosphere Program, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Appendix 3

27

PROBLEMS ANALYSIS Problems 1.

Natural resource management, coordination, and planning for the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) is weak.

Causes Planning of natural resource management emphasizes sectoral priorities.

Coordination and information dissemination for natural resource management are lacking.

Systemic inefficiencies proliferate, including overlapping mandates, inadequate monitoring and enforcement, inconsistent permit and registration systems, and absence of consistent mechanisms to declare and manage protected areas.

There is no plan or coordination capacity for multiple use of the Tonle Sap.

2.

Communities are not organized for natural resource management in the TSBR.

Low literacy levels, lack of access to basic environmental education resources for schools, and dearth of basic tools for communities (such as copies of laws and subdecrees) to use in the planning and decision making do not encourage environmental management.

Resource use rights are uncertain and communities have few incentives to act responsibly.

Ongoing Government Actions The Governance Action Plan provides, in principle, for a comprehensive legal framework that favors conservation and sustainable development in the land, forestry, and fisheries sectors.

A Royal Decree established the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve in April 2001.

Proposed Project Support

Proposed Project Inputs

Establish a coordination framework and information dissemination mechanisms

Project steering committee (PSC)

Map the TSBR

Project implementation office (PIO)

Improve regulation and management planning

Project monitoring and coordination office (PMCO)

International and domestic consulting services and experts Advisory technical assistance

The Tonle Sap Technical Cooperation Office was established in 1996.

Nongovernment organization (NGO) services Mapping

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status was achieved in October 1997.

Equipment and vehicles Training

The TSBR Secretariat was established in September 2001.

A Fisheries Law is being drafted.

Key legal instruments such as a Wildlife Protection Law and a Fisheries Law have been drafted but have not yet been submitted

Formulate an implementation structure

PSC

Empower communities

PIO

PMCO

28

Appendix 3

Problems the TSBR.

Causes Community fisheries and community forestry organizations are weak.

Community fisheries have been created by prime ministerial decree rather than through policy development and legislation.

Ongoing Government Actions yet been submitted to the Council of Ministers.

The Land Law was promulgated in August 2001.

Proposed Project Support

Evaluate technical packages in support of sustainable livelihoods

Proposed Project Inputs Project implementation units (PIUs) International and domestic consulting services and experts NGO services Equipment and vehicles Training

Communities have neither funding nor expertise to meet their new responsibilities in management of natural resources.

There are no standards and guidelines from which community and commercial fisheries could develop local approaches to natural resource management while accommodating ecosystem -wide considerations.

The ability of communities to organize has been diminished by 25 years of strife brought about by the Khmer Rouge.

3.

Management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR is inadequate.

There are few conflict resolution mechanisms.

The Ministry of Environment is a relatively new institution with a growing mandate.

Capacity for management is inadequate.

Systems for monitoring and management of

A Royal Decree established the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve in April 2001.

The Tonle Sap Technical Cooperation Office was established in 1996.

Enhance management capacity

PSC

Develop systems for monitoring and management

PIO

Promote biodiversity conservation awareness, education, and outreach

International and domestic consulting services and experts

PMCO

PIU

Appendix 3

Problems

Causes management of biodiversity are weak.

Biodiversity conservation awareness, education, and outreach are limited.

Ongoing Government Actions UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status was achieved in October 1997.

The TSBR Secretariat was established in September 2001.

Proposed Project Support outreach

29

Proposed Project Inputs NGO services Civil works Equipment and vehicles Training

30

Appendix 3

Box 1: ADB's Tonle Sap Initiative at a Glance (i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

a

The Tonle Sap is probably the most important inland wetland in Southeast Asia. It supports a huge population through its enormous fisheries productivity and water supply and provides the a last refuge for some of Asia’s most globally significant biodiversity. However, human population and development pressures are increasing. In response, the Government established the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) in February 2001 as a focal point of environmental management.

Not surprisingly, the establishment of the TSBR has shed light on the numerous threats to the Tonle Sap, the most immediate of which defined the core problems to be addressed by the Project.

However, each threat to the Tonle Sap has multiple root causes, the severity of which conditions the speed and manner in which they can be addressed. In recognition of the complexity of the agents of change, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recognized that sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity should be considered from the perspective of the basin feeding the Tonle Sap. In keeping with this outlook, the Project initiates a framework within which subsequent projects could address generic management and conservation concerns, propagate community-based natural resource management, promote sustainable livelihoods, pioneer stewardship of core areas by communities, upgrade basinwide research and database development, or encourage extension services in place of regulation. Infrastructure for waste management, water supply and sanitation, multipurpose landing sites, ecotourism, and expanded rural credit and microfinance may also be appropriate.

ADB's Country Strategy and Program, 2003–2005 for Cambodia reflects ADB's sectorwide approach to the Tonle Sap Basin. ADB expects to pursue this approach over a 10-year horizon.

Under the program, the Project (2002) will enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, community-based natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation in the TSBR. Two other loans are also planned: (a) Chong Kneas Environmental Improvement (2004). This project will complement and build on the enhanced systems for natural resource management coordination and planning that are to be developed under the Project. Its objective will be to improve the social and natural environment at Chong Kneas by upgrading existing infrastructure (boat landing and related facilities), providing communal services (water supply, sanitation, and waste collection and disposal), and eliminating threats to the environment resulting from the chaotic exercise of competing claims by residents, fisher folk, tourists, vendors, and boat operators to access via the currently inadequate port facilities. The project will improve living conditions for residents of Chong Kneas, remove health hazards, and provide increased opportunities for employment and development of new livelihoods and small enterprises. (b) Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Sector (2005). This project will complement and build on the enhanced community capacity for natural resource management that is to be developed under the Project. Its objective will be to reduce poverty in poor communities within the flooded area of the Tonle Sap, through decentralized and participatory activities to support rural development. The project will support community mobilization for formulation of development plans and implementation of small-scale infrastructure to enhance rural incomes and thereby relieve pressures on the natural resources of the Tonle Sap basin. In a complementary manner, the project will also provide alternative livelihood activities and further develop the capacity for natural resource management. It will adopt a process approach that strengthens the community’s sense of ownership and capacity through participatory planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

ADB will augment its support for sustainable management and conservation by leveraging grant resources to enable improvements in the livelihoods of the poorest, for instance, through better access to basic and facilitating infrastructure as well as improved access to information, technologies, and training.

Much of this biodiversity came to light only recently, following decades of insecurity and isolation in Cambodia.

Appendix 4

31

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE TONLE SAP 1.

The Tonle Sap covers an area of 250,000–300,000 hectares (ha) in the dry season and is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Its immense wetlands are the result of a unique hydrological phenomenon. When the level of the Mekong River rises, water flows up the Tonle Sap River and spreads over the Tonle Sap floodplain, inundating 1.0–1.6 million ha. In the face of the loss of wetland habitat, the Tonle Sap floodplain's size (by far the greatest continuous area of savannah swamp forest and inundated forest in the entire Asian region), habitat diversity, and relative preservation are of exceptional importance. (Other wetland areas of Cambodia and Southern Viet Nam are widely disturbed.) Almost 200 plant species have been recorded in the Tonle Sap region. This huge wetland system with its habitat diversity supports one of the world’s most productive freshwater fisheries. The ecosystem is essential to the survival of the many globally significant species of birds, mammals, and reptiles found around the lake during migration. The Tonle Sap and its floodplain are also important as a river system.

They regulate the discharge of the Mekong River and prevent flooding and saltwater intrusion into the Mekong Delta.

A.

Flora

2.

The flooded forest of the Tonle Sap is the largest remaining example of this type of habitat in Southeast Asia. Despite the common name, this flooded forest is in fact a diverse unity of habitats, including shrub lands, stunted swamp forests, gallery forests, and submerged and floating aquatic vegetation. About 200 plant species have been recorded and the flora as a whole is distinct from that of other wetlands associated with the Mekong River, especially with regard to woody species. Some restricted-range tree species (Homalium brevidens and Terminalia cambodiana) are endemic to the Tonle Sap and the southern coastal zone of Cambodia and have suffered from exploitation for charcoal production. The flora of the Tonle Sap and its specific adaptations to withstand months of flooding are insufficiently studied and understood.

B.

Fish

3.

The fisheries of the Tonle Sap and the Tonle Sap River account for 15–20% of freshwater capture fisheries in the lower Mekong Basin and represent 50–70% of the catch for Cambodia. The fisheries productivity of the lake is known to be one of the highest in the world: nearly 10 times more productive than the North Atlantic sea fisheries per hectare. This productivity is generally attributed to the flooded forest. A total of 107 fish species has been recorded for the lake only; the number of fish species occurring in the Tonle Sap River is probably higher, and new species are regularly discovered and described.

C.

Invertebrates

4.

Invertebrates are an important component of the Tonle Sap's ecosystem. The available taxonomic information is incomplete but studies so far have identified 46 species of zooplankton. The rich biodiversity of mollusks in the Tonle Sap has been described as striking and 57 species of benthic invertebrates have been identified. Boeung Tonle Chhmar, the Stung Sen River, and Sangke River estuaries are areas with high concentrations of bivalves. Three species of bivalves (Cobicula bocourti, C. cyreniformes, C. moreletiana), two species of prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii, M. lanchesteri) and one species of crab (Somanniathelpusa sp.) have been confirmed for the Tonle Sap. These freshwater invertebrates are an important source of food for people and aquatic wildlife.

32

Appendix 4

D.

Mammals

5.

Some 46 mammal species are likely to occur in the Tonle Sap region. Some large species such as the Asiatic elephant and tiger used to migrate from upland areas to the Tonle Sap through natural corridors. An agricultural belt cutting off the floodplain from upland forest areas now surrounds the floodplain. This isolation has resulted in a decrease in the number of mammal species occurring in the Tonle Sap. The current status of the mammal species directly dependent on the Tonle Sap is poorly documented, but number at least 15 species.

E.

Birds

6.

The Tonle Sap (mainly at Prek Toal, but also at Boeng Tonle Chhmar) sustains the largest colonies of water birds in Indochina, and perhaps in Southeast Asia. Its floodplain is an important breeding area for ducks, jacanas, bustards, rails, herons and egrets, cormorants, darters, ibises, pelicans, and storks. Some 225 species of birds have been recorded in the Tonle Sap region since the 1960s.

F.

Reptiles and Amphibians

7.

The occurrence and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Cambodia are not known well and herpetologists still rely on historical literature. There are probably 42 species of reptiles (including 1 species of endemic water snake, 7 species of turtles or tortoises, and 1 species of crocodile).

G.

Threatened Species

8.

Rapid human population growth and associated development pressures, and demand for natural resources are affecting biodiversity (Table A2.1). Many species found in Cambodian wetlands are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, and 12 species are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 1979.

Table A4.1: Threatened Species Found in Cambodian Wetlands Taxonomic Group

Critically Endangered

Endangered

Birds 2 5 Dolphins and 0 0 Porpoises Turtles and 2 2 Terrapins Other 0 0 Mammals Fish 2 6 Crocodiles 1 0 and Snakes Total 7 13 Note: Categories refer to the IUCN threat category.

Source: 2000 IUCN Red List.

Vulnerable

Lower Risk

Data Deficient

7 0

9 0

0 2

23 2

6

1

0

11

3

4

1

8

0 1

1 0

2 0

11 2

17

15

5

57

Total

Appendix 4

H.

33

The Core Areas

9.

The three core areas within the Tonle Sap floodplain were identified on the basis of their exceptional conservation value (Table A2.2). Prek Toal hosts important breeding colonies of large water birds. Boeng Tonle Chhmar boasts the highest habitat diversity on the floodplain, consisting of a system of creeks, waterways, a permanent lake within the floodplain, and numerous isolated permanent pools. Stung Sen is an area of closed-canopy flooded forest.

Table A4.2: Salient Characteristics of the Core Areas Prek Toal Most important breeding and feeding area for endangered large water bird species Pristine wetland habitat with complex network of permanent streams and water bodies Potential for ecotourism (proximity to Siem Reap and Angkor) Important for fish, mammal, and reptile conservation

Boeng Tonle Chhmar Unique ecosystem with pristine habitats, including a complex network of deep permanent streams, creeks, and water bodies

Unique species composition of ancient stands of trees rare to the Tonle Sap floodplain (elements of lowland evergreen forest)

Aesthetic landscapes Important feeding and staging area for large endangered water bird species

Regionally unique ecosystem, disturbed, but with many primary elements intact Minimal human occupation

Important for fish, mammal, and reptile conservation Minimal human occupation

Minimal human occupation

Stung Sen

34

Appendix 5

ESTABLISHING THE TONLE SAP BIOSPHERE RESERVE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION DATABASE A.

Background

1.

In September 2001, the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) Secretariat was established within the Cambodia National Mekong Committee to facilitate coordination and fortify cooperation among national agencies, provincial authorities, and civil society. However, no information exchange and management system serves its needs. Much data on the Tonle Sap exists and new data is being collected continuously. However, this data is scattered among institutions, projects, and individuals and is in diverse forms: publications, technical reports, workshop papers, seminar proceedings, and digital files. Access is difficult and there is no updated directory or metadatabase for stakeholders to consult. What is more, data quality is often questionable because that there is no mechanism for validation and aggregation. In short, there is no comprehensive environmental information database that offers an official and common service. Developing such a database is urgent to backstop natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR. To this intent, the Project will establish in the TSBR Secretariat an environmental information database (TSBR-ED) that will serve as an information clearinghouse open to all. Fittingly, the TSBR-ED will build on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) experience in environmental data management, especially on its MABnet, and Biosphere Reserve Integrated Monitoring initiative. 1 B.

Approach to Database Development 1.

Objective and Outputs

2.

The goal of the Project is sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap basin. Establishing the TSBR-ED will help to accomplish the objective of strengthened natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR. The needed outputs to establish the TSBR-ED are as follows: (i) building an efficient information clearinghouse mechanism; (ii) establishing a database to support management planning, environmental assessment, and public information; (iii) establishing and maintaining a TSBR web site; (iv) developing TSBR publications on environment and development; and (v) establishing a documentation center. When it is established, the TSBRED will constitute an important tool of Government agencies, specialized institutions, environmental education projects, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and the aid community.

2.

Key Activities by Output a.

Building an Efficient Information Clearinghouse Mechanism

3.

The TSBR Secretariat needs an information clearinghouse mechanism. This mechanism should consist of well-prepared work plans, information services and products, and data management capacity, buttressed by qualified technical staff and equipment. A series of 1

The Biosphere Reserve Integrated Monitoring initiative undertakes a biotic, biodiversity, socioeconomic, and integrated monitoring in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Its goal is to provide a platform for integration of the resulting information and data, thus contributing to a better understanding of the changes that take place in the areas studied, the factors triggering those changes, and the options for planning and management.

Appendix 5

35

technical agreements will be established to facilitate exchange of data and information between stakeholders. Project activities will include elaborating agreements for information collection, management, and exchange; designing and implementing technical work plans; identifying and recruiting qualified technical staff; and installing the equipment required. b.

Establishing a Database to Support Management Environmental Assessment, and Public Information

Planning,

4 The database will integrate or link with existing databases and will be supported by a geographic information system (GIS) and other technologies (Table A5). Efforts will be made to validate and aggregate data and databases to provide a common and official set on natural resource management in the Tonle Sap. The TSBR-ED, however, will not duplicate or replace other specialized databases. Rather, it will compile information from these sources.

Table A5: Geographic Information Data Requirements Topographic Data

Land Use and Land Cover Data

Conservation Data

District center

Land use (1993, MRC)

Distribution of water bird species (MOE)

Commune center

Land cover of the Tonle Sap (1993, FAO)

Protected areas (MOE)

Land cover of the Tonle Sap (1997, MRC)

Biosphere Reserve zonation (MOE)

Special Data Hydrology Water quality and water pollution

Village center District boundaries

Floods Rainfall

Commune boundaries Major roads, power supply lines, and communication facilities

Water bird census (MOE, WCS)

Population (1998,UNFPA)

Reptile census

Fishing lots (MAFF, MOE)

Other wildlife surveys

Community fishing grounds (MOE)

Rivers and drainage Rice field distribution Contours of elevation and digital terrain data

Tourism development

Socioeconomy FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, MAFF = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, MOE = Ministry of Environment, MRC = Mekong River Commission, UNFPA = United Nations Population Fund, WCS = World Conservation Society.

5.

The metadata necessary to establish the TSBR-ED, which will form a crucial part of the overall TSBR-ED and be used as main tool to stimulate information exchange, follows: (i) directory of existing specialized databases, literature, and documentation on the Tonle Sap region; (ii) directory of NGOs working in the Tonle Sap region; (iii) directory of international aid agencies involved in the Tonle Sap region; (iv) directory of previous and ongoing projects in the Tonle Sap region; and (v) directory of Tonle Sap literature.

36

Appendix 5

c.

Establishing and Maintaining a TSBR Web Site

6.

The TSBR web site will serve as the official web-based information desk of the TSBR. Although Internet access for the general public in the Tonle Sap region is still very limited, it is expected that Internet-based information and communication will develop rapidly in Cambodia and that the number of people who can access the TSBR web site will increase very quickly.

Project activities will include: (i) providing detailed information on the Tonle Sap ecosystem, including its biodiversity, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics; management settings; and development challenges; (ii) providing related public domain documents on natural resource management, including the metadata identified, and developing a service to enable registered members to download restricted documents; (iii) linking with other important web sites, particularly those on biosphere reserve practices, including UNESCO's MABnet and Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserve Network (SeaBRnet); (iv) providing an interactive service to answer inquiries and a news desk to announce events on the TSBR; (v) incorporating educational information; and (vi) arranging an easy-to-maintain technical setup for the web site. 2 d.

Developing TSBR Publications on Environment and Development

7.

Some public-oriented publications will be developed in the TSBR-ED, as often as possible in association with other projects in the Tonle Sap region. The publications will be in printed form or on CD-ROM. Related project activities will include designing, preparing, publishing, and distributing the following products: (i) a bimonthly newsletter, titled Tonle Sap Update—Bulletin of the TSBR. This will be a simple product of 2–4 pages, focusing on management and development in the Tonle Sap; (ii) a Tonle Sap Environment and Development Data Report, prepared by the TSBR Secretariat, with the support of the TSBR-ED. This product will be issued annually and will be used as Cambodia’s official environmental data report for the Tonle Sap. It will also serve as a long-standing record for monitoring and evaluation. New information will be added and corrections made as implementation of projects in the Tonle Sap region progresses, and (iii) the five directories in para. 5. e.

Establishing a Documentation Center

8.

The TSBR-ED will house a documentation center to collect and organize related documents such as books, special publications, survey reports, workshop reports, seminar proceedings, and project documents. First and foremost, the documentation center will serve the TSBR Secretariat and the executing and implementing agencies involved in the Project. It will then be opened to other Government agencies, institutions, and NGOs. The documentation center will use UNESCO library software such as CDS-ISIS or WinISIS for management.3 Project activities will include documentation collection, categorization, indexing, management, and servicing.

2 3

It is more cost-effective to use existing web site holders in Phnom Penh. It is also possible for UNESCO to host the web pages, at least initially.

This UNESCO software has been used in libraries and documentation centers around the world for more than 15 years. Some training in its use will be given.

Appendix 5

3.

37

Other Considerations

9.

Operational Strategy. The Project will aim to deliver TSBR-ED services as quickly as possible. The TSBR web site, the bimonthly newsletter, and the five directories will be moved rapidly into service. They will be consolidated and improved thereafter. Database development will focus first on core data and extend gradually to other data attributes.

10.

Client Targeting. Project beneficiaries will include Government agencies, bilateral and multilateral institutions, NGOs, and the general public. They all need general information on the Tonle Sap. Three categories will enjoy specific TSBR-ED services: (i) Government and donor agencies. This category includes line ministries concerned with the Tonle Sap, provincial government offices, and the agencies involved in the Tonle Sap region. Given the responsibility of these bodies in management and development planning, policy work, law interpretation and enforcement, and governance, the TSBR-ED’s main tasks for this group of beneficiaries will include: (a) collecting and providing the major national and international legal and policy documents of relevance to the Tonle Sap and the TSBR;4 (b) collecting and facilitating exchange of documents on TSBR-related projects or meetings supported by the Government and aid agencies with prior agreement with the agencies concerned;5 (c) providing basic but comprehensive and updated conservation, environmental, natural resource, and socioeconomic data through established databases;6 and (d) providing a comprehensive index or meta-database about other existing specialized databases hosted by other organizations, as well as literature and documentation. (ii) Civil society. This category includes all sectors of society, in particular, local village councils, schools, and the private sector. Through the TSBR web site and publications, the TSBR-ED will provide information services on: (a) the regulations and policies regarding natural resource management in the TSBR; (b) the values, characteristics, and sustainability of the Tonle Sap ecosystem; (c) the environmental and developmental problems encountered and the environmental status of the Tonle Sap; (d) previous and ongoing efforts for natural resource management in the TSBR; (e) new development opportunities concerning the TSBR; (f) traditional knowledge and best practices for natural resource management, as well as examples of unsustainable uses; (g) a directory of institutions and NGOs that may be contacted to support community development; (h) a metadatabase on other existing specialized databases, including literature and documentation; and (j) environmental education and awareness. (iii) NGOs. Many NGOs work in the Tonle Sap region. They deal with a broad range of issues, including wildlife protection, conservation, research, environment, community organization and development, education, health, and empowerment of women. These NGOs will be substantial contributors of data for collection, distribution, and verification. They will be a major group of clients targeted by the 4

5 6

For instance, basic documents on the Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves, 1995; the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1979; and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention), 1971.

Much data and information will not be in the public domain. Rules and policies for exchange and distribution will be developed and applied.

This data is usually descriptive. After establishment of the TSBR-ED, a basic GIS capacity will be made available for additional information support, notably through annual publication of environmental data.

38

Appendix 5

TSBR-ED, together with university departments in Cambodia. In addition, the TSBR-ED will develop: (a) a directory of NGOs working in the Tonle Sap region; (b) a directory of aid agencies that are active in the Tonle Sap; and (c) mechanisms whereby NGOs can use the TSBR-ED as a conduit for exchanging experience and making their expertise available.

11.

Using and Linking with Existing Databases. The TSBR-ED will not duplicate existing databases. As much as it can, it will use existing data resources and pay particular attention to metadatabase development. Its object will be to make information available.

12.

Computer Technology. The TSBR-ED will not seek to take high-end and state-of-theart equipment for routine database management and information distribution. Rather, it will use commonly used technologies, such as the PC NT Server and Windows 2000 SQL Server, to back up its web and database service, and PC-based GIS, such as Arc-View and MapInfo, for geographic data processing. This will ensure better maintenance, given the technical capacity of staff and available service in the country. Specific data processing will be contracted to professional data processing workshops in Cambodia or to other facilities in the region. This will ensure that the TSBR Secretariat does not require too many staff or equipment. For the TSBR web site, use will be made of commercial technical maintenance services.

13.

Language. The TSBR-ED will use the Khmer and English languages. Attention will be given to Khmer versions of information products such as web pages, the bimonthly bulletin, and CD-ROMs. Arrangements will be made to translate scientific data into the Khmer language to make it available for educational purposes.

C.

Implementation Arrangements

14.

UNESCO will be appointed by direct selection to establish the TSBR-ED with assistance from its offices in Phnom Penh, Jakarta, and Paris. UNESCO's office in Phnom Penh will coordinate execution. The TSBR Secretariat and UNESCO will prepare the work plan jointly and carry out the detailed design and implementation of the TSBR-ED. Short-term expertise will be needed for system design, standard setting and integration, development of data exchange mechanisms, and preparation of publications. For this, priority will be given to domestic experts.

For specific technical tasks such as field data collection, data processing, technical maintenance, publication design, and printing, subcontracts will be entered into. UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Secretariat in the Division of Ecological Sciences and the Regional Bureau of Sciences for Asia and Pacific will provide advisory services and supervise the quality of the TSBR-ED's services and products.

Appendix 6

39

FORMULATING AND IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN A.

Background

1.

Sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity are a priority for Cambodia, which relies heavily on land, water, and biotic resources and is on the verge of rapid urban, industrial, and agricultural development. In such cases, environmental policies should be fitted to the conditions and traditions of the country. Implementation will not be successful without the active participation of all citizens, especially those who depend on natural resources.

2.

When Cambodia nominated in 1996 the Tonle Sap for designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a biosphere reserve, the Government recognized that the site should respond to the conservation, development, and logistic functions of a biosphere reserve and that education and public awareness should be given importance. At the national level, information on conservation and sustainable use, as practiced in biosphere reserves, should be included in school programs and teaching manuals and in media efforts. At the local level, involvement of local communities should be encouraged, information for visitors should be produced, and environmental education centers should be promoted.

3.

Since its creation in 1993, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) has worked toward such ends.1 As a result, an Interministerial Steering Committee for Environmental Education (IMSCEE) was established that year with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP’s) Environmental Technical Assistance Project (ETAP). UNESCO was associated with related environmental education activities, particularly with developing environmental education materials for school curricula and producing teacher guides for primary and secondary schools. A special program for educating monks was also put in place. However, many of these activities were interrupted when ETAP ended in 1998. Considering the importance of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) and the severity of the threats against it, it is urgent that progress in environmental education and awareness continue and that a national campaign be mounted in support. This would also help Cambodia to meet obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 that stress the importance of education and public awareness on biodiversity.

B.

Approach to Campaign Formulation and Implementation 1.

Objective and Outputs

4.

The goal of the Project is sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap basin. The objective that formulation and implementation of a national environmental education and awareness campaign will help to accomplish is strengthened natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR, particularly by establishing a coordination framework and information dissemination mechanisms. The outputs needed to formulate and implement the campaign are as follows (i) publicizing the Tonle Sap's environmental importance; (ii) integrating concern for natural resources; and (iii) developing formal and nonformal environmental education. These outputs 1

The Department of Environmental Education and Communication has 23 staff and four offices for education and training, communication, research and documentation, and administration.

40

Appendix 6

will be defined by the target audience, i.e., the general public and the press, decision makers, schoolchildren (at primary and secondary levels), university students, and communities living in the Tonle Sap region.

2.

Key Activities by Output a.

Publicizing the Tonle Sap's Environmental Importance

5.

Encouraging the Press. The Cambodian Communication Institute, which is supported

by UNESCO, will include information sessions on the environment and the Tonle Sap in its training courses. In addition, a document in the Khmer language will be distributed to the press to explain the significance of the TSBR and publicize efforts to enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, community-based natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation in the TSBR. Periodic information conferences for journalists will also be organized. Full use will be made of the TSBR web site to be developed in the TSBR environmental information database (TSBR-ED). The activities will be undertaken in close cooperation with the Ministry of Information.

6.

Enhancing Public Awareness. In rural areas, access to television is still limited.

However, collective television watching is a common practice. A series of spots on the Tonle Sap will be produced and a quiz show will be launched on the subject of biodiversity conservation in the Tonle Sap. An image bank on the Tonle Sap will be created and made available to the press. Radio programs will be encouraged for coverage in Cambodia is wide and reaches remote rural areas. Regular short broadcasts about environmental issues will be launched. To reach the general public, special events will be organized on the theme of the Tonle Sap—theater plays, contests, and traveling exhibits.2 Existing events such as the Water Festival, the National Environment Day, and the Clean Up Day will also present opportunities for a special focus on the Tonle Sap. 3 Participatory activities such as tree planting campaigns will be encouraged and should receive enough press coverage to have a pedagogic impact.

Additionally, use of the pagoda network will provide a way to reach communities, especially in remote areas. Pagodas are present in almost every commune of the country. They are places where people meet and often include libraries and primary schools. UNESCO implemented a Community Temple Learning Center Program in Siem Reap and Battambang in 1994–1999.

The structure of that program proved to be particularly appropriate for non-formal education: 20,000 people completed basic literacy courses, 1,500 completed skill training courses, and 1,500 young children received basic instruction. This network will be used to disseminate information on the environment. The emerging network of community learning centers will also be used. b.

Integrating Concern for Natural Resources

7.

Informing Decision Makers. Establishment under the Project of a web site in the TSBR-ED and production of a bimonthly newsletter, titled Tonle Sap Update—Bulletin of the TSBR will help to inform decision makers. The document—prepared to explain the significance of the TSBR, and publicize efforts to enhance systems and develop the capacity for natural resource management coordination and planning, community-based natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation in the TSBR—will be distributed to ministries and 2 3

The exhibit on the Tonle Sap produced by Krousar Thmey, and supported by UNESCO, could serve as the basis for traveling exhibits.

One of the Peace Walks organized each year could be organized around the Tonle Sap, starting from Angkor.

Appendix 6

41

institutions at the national, provincial, and local levels. Workshops on issues and problems related to management of the Tonle Sap will be organized on an ad hoc basis.

8.

Establishing a Forum for Discussion. The IMSCEE, which was established in 1996 and discontinued in December 1998, will be reactivated and the Ministry of Information will be added to its original members.4 The IMSCEE will meet once a year to discuss environmental education and awareness issues related to the Tonle Sap and to set targets. The TSBR Secretariat will act as its secretariat. c.

Developing Formal and Nonformal Environmental Education

9.

Preparing Educational Materials. As part of ETAP (with assistance from UNESCO), a teacher’s manual for primary schools was prepared and distributed in 1998. At the secondary school level, five of the nine training modules prepared by UNESCO's Asia Pacific Center of Educational Innovation for Development in Bangkok were translated into the Khmer language and distributed through the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. Recently, a set of posters produced by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Secretariat in Paris were translated into the Khmer language and published. They are now being tested among teachers. Much additional material, such as the School Teacher's Guide on the Environment or MOE's Green Book remain unpublished or not distributed. Previous and ongoing work in preparing educational materials will be examined with a view to completing or extending it. The formal monk education program initiated by ETAP will also be continued after considering recommendations from a national workshop held in 1998. Moreover, the status of a manual for Buddhist primary school teachers, which was being prepared then, will be examined for possible completion. In addition, awareness and use of the TSBR web site will be promoted in schools that have access to the Internet.

10.

Improving the Training of Teachers. Training of teachers remains a priority. Four teacher-training centers are located in Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, and Siem Reap. At least two training sessions per annum, each for 20 teachers, will be organized in each center. A field visit to the Tonle Sap will be part of the training. This means that 160 teachers (from primary and secondary schools) will be trained each year. The schools from which they originate will serve as pilot sites for the environmental education and awareness campaign, taking into account the school cluster system. In addition, training and field visits will be organized for teachers in schools within the TSBR, particularly those teaching in the floating villages.

11.

Fostering Nonformal Education Activities. Nongovernment organizations undertake many nonformal education activities. Their activities will be studied with a view to extending or replicating them. Teachers will be encouraged to include nonformal education activities to complement the formal school system. Schools in the TSBR will be involved in more interactive activities, including production of material by children (including audiovisual material when possible) as well as drawing and painting competitions. Field visits to the Tonle Sap will be organized for children.

12.

Expanding Environmental Training at Phnom Penh University. Two years ago, a Department of Environment was established in Phnom Penh University. Under the Project, its students will receive special training on hydrology and wetlands ecology. Field visits will also be organized to encourage students to undertake studies on the Tonle Sap. UNESCO, through its 4

They were MOE; the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports; and the Ministry of Religion and Cults.

42

Appendix 6

World Network of Biosphere Reserves, will facilitate exchange of students between Cambodia and other countries of the Asian and Pacific region endowed with biosphere reserves.5 3.

Methodology

13.

Wherever possible, project activities will complement ongoing initiatives.6 For that reason, a survey will assess existing networks, activities, and materials, and identify additional requirements. This is especially important for teaching materials. Capacity building also implies that the Project will make maximum use of national counterparts and that the role of international experts will be kept to a minimum.

C.

Implementation Arrangements

14.

UNESCO will be appointed by direct selection to implement the national environmental education and awareness campaign with the Department of Environmental Education and Communication within MOE. Designated focal points will be identified in each concerned ministry to ensure that the project activities defined for each ministry are undertaken on schedule. UNESCO’s office in Phnom Penh will be responsible for implementation, in close association with UNESCO’s office in Bangkok. UNESCO’s office in Jakarta and the MAB Secretariat in Paris will backstop activities as appropriate. It is foreseen that the preparatory phase of the campaign will last 6 months and that the campaign itself will spread over the remaining project implementation period.

5

The World Network fosters exchanges between biosphere reserves and facilitates cooperative activities, including scientific research and monitoring, environmental education, and specialist training.

6 These include initiatives carried out by the floating environmental center (Greater Environment Chong Khneas Office [GECKO]) funded under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s project for Participatory Natural Resources Management in the Tonle Sap Region: Osmose; the Wildlife Conservation Society; the Cambodian Family Development Service; and Leucaena.

Appendix 7

43

GENERAL APPROACH TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION 1.

Project activities to organize communities for natural resource management in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) will concentrate in the first year on appointing, in each of the five project provinces, the incremental staff required in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and the Department of Environment; improving office facilities; and identifying qualified nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to facilitate community organization. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will be appointed by direct selection to provide long-term advisory support. 1 2.

From the beginning of the second year, in each project province, 16 staff of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; 4 staff of the Department of Environment, and 4–5 staff of the NGOs identified will be trained in participatory approaches, development of criteria for selecting communities to organize, community organization, participatory land use planning, and preparation of natural resource management plans.2 This staff will be sensitized to gender-and-development concerns. FAO will conduct the required training through on-the-job training, workshops, and seminars.

3.

The Project will collect baseline information on communities to prioritize them, taking account of the particular needs of structures already set up for community-based natural resource management.3 Information on communities collected in the process of prioritizing targets will also serve for project monitoring and evaluation.

4.

Organizing communities for natural resource management will begin with training and advice to promote their cohesion. The rights, responsibilities, and customs of each community structure will be elaborated and individual responsibilities will be clarified. By the beginning of the second year, the process of boundary definition and delineation will have begun using ground survey techniques and the orthophotomaps produced under the Project, as they become available. Areas of communal use, including designated protection areas and local fish sanctuaries, will be delineated and boundaries proposed for agreement through a participatory consultative process. Local techniques for demarcating key boundaries will be applied.

5.

Once the community structures are established, weekly meetings will be held with leaders, members of village communities, representatives of households with female heads, and representatives of poor households to familiarize them with the objective, components, and outputs of the Project; the 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan; and the evolving regulatory framework. The meetings will also offer advice on their natural resource base, the 1

2

3

Specifically, FAO will: (i) conduct, in consultation with NGOs and in a spirit of shared decision making, a review of previous approaches to community organization that have been applied in the Project area, for example by FAO and the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit; (ii) refine, in consultation with NGOs, the preferred approach with reference to the indicative approach given here; (iii) detail, in consultation with NGOs, project activities to organize communities for natural resource management; (iv) marshal staff of the provincial line agencies and the NGOs required in the field; and (v) generally manage the process of organizing communities for natural resource management in the TSBR. In refining the preferred approach, FAO will prepare a comprehensive methodology and work plan and establish an integrated management system comprising management tools such as hierarchy of objectives, tree analysis, stakeholder analysis, project (logical) framework, work breakdown structure, bar chart, Gantt chart, organization responsibility chart, and individual task chart.

Preferably, at least half of the staff from each Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries will be drawn from the Community Fisheries Development Unit.

This baseline information will relate, for instance, to livelihoods, income earning activities, levels of conflict over access to natural resources, conflict resolution mechanisms, nature of indebtedness, households with female heads, ethnic minorities, gender divisions of labor, patterns of control over fisheries activities, and training and extension needs.

44

Appendix 7

rights of different groups of users (which will need to be identified and documented using a variety of methods), their roles and responsibilities as community members, the benefits of equal participation by women, the need to form community bylaws, and conflict resolution mechanisms. These weekly meetings will require that staff travel to the villages at times that suit the schedules of each community. Approximately 6 months will be required before the community agrees on the approach to community-based natural resource management and sufficient capacity is created among community leaders for them to undertake such functions as patrolling, monitoring, accounting, and bookkeeping. Thereafter, staff will continue to interact to encourage communities to formulate natural resource management plans and build the capacity of women to participate in decision making.

6.

Toward the end of the second year, staff in each project province will hold a participatory workshop to publicize the results of community organization and encourage feedback. From the third year, the Project will extend its reach to other communities. At the same time, however, staff will have to backstop the communities organized earlier. Project staff will need to continuously work in the field in training and extension at the village level, training women’s groups for full participation, developing the knowledge and skills of the members of community fisheries and community forestry groups, training the community in participatory demarcation of area boundaries, developing dynamic rules and regulations that will reflect changing scenarios as community-based management systems become stronger, developing resource demarcation, and evolving strategies for natural resource management over time.

Appendix 8

45

EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES SECTOR Project Title

Duration

Source

Objectives

Amount (million)

Area of Operation

Environment and Natural Resources Management of the Freshwater Capture Fisheries of Cambodia Assessment of Mekong Fisheries

Ongoing

MRC, Denmark

To study socioeconomics and community organization for improved management

$2.3

Ongoing

MRC

—

Mekong region

Aquaculture of Indigenous Mekong Fish Species Strengthening Inland Fisheries Management Systems

Ongoing

MRC

To collect data on ecology and socioeconomics for use in planning water management projects and in the design of fisheries management systems To develop aquaculture systems to explore the feasibility of breeding indigenous fish species

—

Mekong region

2001–2004

MRC

—

Tonle Sap

Cambodia Climate Change Assistance

Ongoing

UNDP, GEF

Participatory Natural Resource Management in the Tonle Sap Region

1995–1998 1998–2001 2001–2003

FAO, Belgium

Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management

2000–2003

World Bank, GEF

Natural Resource and Environment Program

2001–2006

Danida

Mekong River Basin Wetland Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme

Ongoing to 2008

UNDP, GEF, Netherlands

To establish databases for (i) national Mekong Basin capture and culture fisheries, and (ii) regional capture and culture fisheries; and strengthening national capacity for data collection, storage, processing, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination To build knowledge and capacity related to climate change by focusing on issues clearly perceived by the Government as environmental and developmental priorities To conduct research and data collection on the flora and fauna of the flooded forest ecosystem and the socioeconomy of fisheries and border zone agricultural communities; and develop natural resource management by local communities To develop an effective national protected areas system that is based on a consistent and well-articulated set of management, financial, and institutional procedures within a well-functioning legal and regulatory framework To sustain environmental resource management based on environmentfriendly, technologically and socioeconomically sound utilization of natural resources by the communities, the private sector, and government; mitigate the detrimental effects of urban and industrial development; and support environmental education, particularly among the younger generation To establish a multisectoral planning process operational at national and regional levels, strengthen the policy framework and macroeconomic environment to support wetland biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, and strengthen the information base to improve management of wetlands, including community-based natural resource management

$0.3

—

$4.9

—

$31.5

National

National

Siem Reap

Ratanakiri and Stung Treng

National

Mekong region

46

Appendix 8

Project Title

Duration

Source

Objectives

Amount (million)

Areas of Operation

Rural Development to Enhance Environment and Natural Resources Agricultural Productivity Improvement

1999–2003

World Bank

To strengthen agronomy, animal health, fisheries and agricultural hydraulics, all of which have capacity building responsibilities

$3.4

North and northeast, including Kompong Thom and Siem Reap

Community-Based Rural Development

2001–2005

IFAD

$22.8

Kompong Thom and Kampot

North East Village Development

2002

World Bank

$6.0

Kompong Cham, Kompong Thom, and Stung Treng

Cambodia Land Management and Administration Support Programme for the Agricultural Sector in Cambodia

2002–2007

World Bank

1995–1998 1999–2003

EU

To sustain increased food production and farm incomes from intensified and diversified crop and livestock production; and increase the capacity of the poor to use services available from the Government and other sources for their social and economic development To promote rural development through direct productive activities, training in agriculture fisheries and vegetable cultivation, microenterprise development, small-scale rural infrastructure, and harbor improvement To improve land tenure security and promote the development of efficient land markets To increase the income of the farming communities and to nourish a prospering life in the rural villages

Stung Chinit Irrigation and Rural Infrastructure

2001–2006

ADB, AFD

$23.8

Northwestern Rural Development

2002–2007

ADB

To increase income and improve quality of life through provision of sustainable irrigation, agricultural extension, and rural infrastructure such as roads and markets To reduce poverty through accelerated rural development

$33.4

National

$39.0

Kompong Speu, Takeo, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, Prey Veng, and Svay Rieng Kampong Thom

$35.3

Battambang, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, and Siem Reap ADB = Asian Development Bank, AFD = Agence Française de Développement, Danida = Danish International Development Assistance, EU = European Union; FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, GEF = Global Environment Facility, IFAD = International Fund for Agricultural Development, MRC = Mekong River Commission, UNDP = United Nations Development Programme.

Source: Asian Development Bank.

47

Appendix 9

SUMMARY COST ESTIMATES Table A9.1: Project Cost Estimates ($'000) Component

Local

A. Strengthening Natural Resource Management Coordination and Planning 1. Coordination Framework and Information Dissemination Mechanisms Established 2. The TSBR Is Mapped

Foreign

Total

942 472

1,357 1,196

2,300 1,667

213 404

158 –

371 404

2,031

2,711

4,742

1. An Implementation Structure Is Formulated

3,443

1,689

5,132

2. Communities Are Empowered 3. Technical Packages Are Evaluated

2,375 19

1,682 218

4,057 237

227

–

227

6,065

3,589

9,654

986 1,002

1,074 773

2,060 1,774

374 138

319 –

693 138

2,500

2,165

4,665

10,596

8,466

19,062

–

298

298

10,596

8,764

19,360

3. Regulation and Management Planning Are Improved 4. Project Management Subtotal (A) B. Organizing Communities for Natural Resource Management

4. Project Management Subtotal (B) C. Building Management Capacity for Biodiversity Conservation 1. Capacity for Management Is Enhanced 2. Systems for Monitoring and Management Are Developed 3. Biodiversity Conservation Awareness, Education, and Outreach Are Promoted 4. Project Management Subtotal (C) Total Project Costs Interest During Construction Total Costs to be Financed

48

Table A9.2: Components by Financier ($'000)

ADB Amount %

A. Strengthening Natural Resource Management Coordination and Planning a. Coordination Framework and Information Dissemination Mechanisms Are Established b. The TSBR Is Mapped c. Regulation and Management Planning Are Improved d. Project Management Subtotal (A) 2. Organizing Communities for Natural Resource Management a. An Implementation Structure Is Formulated b. Communities Are Empowered c. Technical Packages Are Evaluated d. Project Management Subtotal (B) 3. Building Management Capacity for Biodiversity Conservation a. Capacity for Management Is Enhanced b. Systems for Monitoring and Management Are Developed c. Biodiversity Conservation Awareness, Education, and Outreach Are Promoted d. Project Management Subtotal (C) Total Project Costs Interest During Implementation Total Disbursement

Capacity 21

Amount %

Amount

Total

Government

%

Amount

%

Amount

Foreign %

Exchange

Local Currency Duties (Excluding and Taxes)

Taxes

1,967 1,425 133 – 3,525

85.5 85.4 35.9 – 74.3

– – – – –

– – – – –

– – – – 192 51.6 – – 192 4.0

333 14.5 243 14.6 46 12.5 404 100.0 1,026 21.6

2,300 1,667 371 404 4,742

11.9 8.6 1.9 2.1 24.5

1,357 1,196 158 – 2,711

817 304 180 404 1,705

125 168 33 – 326

2,905 3,708 235 – 6,848

56.6 91.4 99.1 – 70.9

– – – – –

– – – – –

420 – – – 420

8.2 – – – 4.3

1,808 35.2 349 8.6 2 0.9 227 100.0 2,387 24.7

5,132 4,057 237 227 9,654

26.5 21.5 1.2 1.2 49.9

1,689 1,682 218 – 3,589

2,804 2,217 18 227 5,267

639 158 1 – 798

1,593 77.3

–

–

227

11.0

2,060

10.6

1,074

802

184

70

3.9

1,774

9.2

773

932

70

61 8.8 138 100.0 496 10.6

693 138 4,665

3.6 0.7 24.1

319 – 2,165

313 138 2,185

61 – 315

240 11.6 –

–

1,705 96.1

–

–

– – 240

– – 5.1

632 91.2 – – 3,930 84.2

– – –

– – –

10,612 55.7

3,930 20.6

611

3.2

3,909

20.5

19,062

98.5

8,466

9,157

1,439

–

–

–

–

–

298

1.5

298

–

–

3,930 20.3

611

3.2

3,909

20.2

19,360 100.0

8,764

9,157

1,439

298 100 10,910 56.4

–

Appendix 9

Item

Global Environment Facility

Table A9.3: Expenditure Accounts by Component - Base Costs ($'000)

Appendix 9

49

50

Appendix 10

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION Terms of Reference for the Executing and Implementing Agencies A.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (i)

(i)

(ii) (iii)

(iv)

B.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) will be the Executing Agency (EA) for the Project. The minister of MAFF will chair the project steering committee (PSC) that will be established to advise on project implementation, provide a mechanism for resolving project implementation problems that go beyond single ministerial mandates and review project progress. As EA, MAFF will also contribute in formulating the common policy objectives for managing the TSBR. MAFF will open a second-generation imprest account and take direct responsibility for all administrative and accounting requirements relating to the operation and use of the funds allocated to implement activities by the Department of Fisheries (DOF) and the departments of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (DAFFs) in the five project provinces.

At the central level, assign to DOF responsibility for implementing all project activities and consolidating progress and financial reports from the project provinces.

At the provincial level, MAFF will assign to DAFFs responsibility for implementing all project activities in their respective provinces (and, in the case of Battambang, any activities relating to the fishing lot released for community fisheries in Banteay Meanchey).

MAFF will review the consolidated project accounts prepared by the project monitoring and coordination office (PMCO) and submit them to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and to the Asian Development Bank.

Department of Fisheries (i)

(ii)

(iii) (iv)

(v) (vi)

DOF will be responsible for all project activities falling within the jurisdiction of MAFF which are managed at the central level: mapping of the TSBR, improving regulation and management planning, strengthening the Community Fisheries Development Office, and evaluating technical packages in support of sustainable livelihoods.

DOF will oversee and ensure complete harmony among all project activities falling under the jurisdiction of MAFF in each of the five project provinces. It will organize and manage regular interprovincial coordination meetings among the agencies involved.

DOF will be responsible for procuring equipment, vehicles, and services required for implementing all project activities falling under the jurisdiction of MAFF. To meet its obligations, DOF will establish a project implementation office (PIO) under the direct responsibility of the director of DOF. A senior member of DOF will be seconded on a full-time basis as PIO head and will be supported by fulltime administrative, financial, and secretarial staff.

DOF will assign counterpart staff and provide furnished office space and local transportation in proportion to the consulting services engaged.

DOF will consolidate the progress and financial reports from each of the five project provinces, and submit to the PMCO quarterly reports on the activities falling within the responsibility of MAFF.

Appendix 10

C.

Departments of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (i)

(ii) (iii) (iv) (v)

(vi) D.

51

DAFF in each project province will be responsible for all activities in its province that fall within the jurisdiction of MAFF. Essentially, this will comprise training of provincial staff and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) needed to support community-based natural resource management, activating commune councils and the appropriate village-level structures, mapping—and, where appropriate, realigning—the boundaries of community fisheries and forestry areas, and encouraging the communities to formulate natural resource management plans.

The DAFFs will also support DOF in its task of mapping the TSBR. Each DAFF will contract the civil works needed to build or refurbish its office facilities and supervise these works.

Each DAFF will identify and contract the NGOs to be trained under the Project and that will subsequently support DAFF staff in organizing communities for natural resource management.

Each DAFF will be responsible for preparing quarterly progress and financial reports on project activities within its province for submission to DOF. To meet its obligations, each DAFF will establish a project implementation unit (PIU) in the Community Fisheries Development Unit of the Office of Fisheries. A senior staff member will be seconded on a full-time basis as PIU head and will be supported by full-time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff.

Each DAFF will assign counterpart staff and provide furnished office space and local transportation in proportion to the consulting services engaged.

Cambodia National Mekong Committee (i) (ii)

(iii) (iv)

(v)

As overall technical coordinator of the Project, the Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC) will assign the chairman as a member of the PSC. CNMC will open a second-generation imprest account and will take direct responsibility for all administrative and accounting requirements relating to the operation and use of the funds allocated for implementing activities under its responsibility.

CNMC will be responsible for formulating common policy objectives for managing the TSBR. CNMC will assign day-to-day responsibility for project monitoring and coordination to the TSBR Secretariat. The secretariat will integrate all project activities, formulate draft common policy objectives for managing the TSBR through quarterly interministerial meetings called and chaired by CNMC, and act as an information clearinghouse open to all, and set up a comprehensive TSBR environmental information database in support of this role. The TSBR Secretariat will establish a PMCO and the permanent Deputy (Environment) will be appointed as project coordinator. The PMCO will have full time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff assigned to it, and the three divisions of the TSBR Secretariat will serve the PMCO by providing day-to-day technical support.

Together with the TSBR Secretariat, CNMC will assign counterpart staff and provide furnished office space and local transportation in proportion to the consulting services engaged. The PMCO will be responsible for project coordination, including consolidation of individual financial statements, harmonization of equipment specifications and procurement procedures, scheduling of project activities, and overall administration. It will consolidate the

52

Appendix 10

quarterly progress reports and accounts prepared by DOF and the Ministry of Environment and prepare the six-monthly reports and the project completion report.

E.

Ministry of Environment (i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

F.

The Ministry of Environment be responsible for implementing all activities relating to building management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the TSBR and for the national environmental education and awareness campaign. The minister of MOE will be a member of the PSC. MOE will contribute in formulating common policy objectives for managing the TSBR. MOW will open a second-generation imprest account and take direct responsibility for all administrative and accounting requirements relating to the operation and use of the funds allocated for implementing activities under its responsibility.

MOE will assign to the Department of Nature Conservation and Protection (DNCP) and the Department of Environmental Education and Communication (DEEC) responsibility for implementing project activities at the central level, and will require them to establish a joint PIO. At the provincial level, MOE will assign to the departments of environment (DOEs) responsibility for the implementing all project activities in their provinces and require them to establish a PIU in each project province.

Department of Nature Conservation and Protection and Department of Environmental Education and Awareness (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

(v) (vi)

(vii)

DNCP and DEEC will work closely in implementing project activities at the central level.

DNCP will be directly responsible for instituting a process for identifying and specifying all types of protected area, for developing systems for monitoring and management, and for assessing and implementing staff training programs.

DEEC will be directly responsible for formulating and implementing a national environmental education and awareness campaign, and promoting biodiversity conservation awareness, education, and outreach within the TSBR. DNCP and DEEC will jointly establish a PIO which will be directly under the director of DNCP. A senior member of staff will be seconded on full-time basis as PIO head and will be supported by full-time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff.

DNCP and DEEC will jointly assign counterpart staff and provide furnished office space and local transportation in proportion to the consulting services engaged.

The PIO will oversee and ensure complete harmony among all project activities under the jurisdiction of MOE at the central level and in project provinces. It will organize and manage regular interprovincial coordination meetings among the DOEs. The PIO will be responsible for procuring equipment, vehicles, and services required to implement all project activities falling within the jurisdiction of MOE. It will consolidate progress and financial reports from project provinces, and submit to the PMCO quarterly reports on the activities falling within the responsibility of MOE.

Appendix 10

G.

53

Departments of Environment (i)

(ii)

(iii) (iv)

(v)

The DOE in each project province will be responsible for all provincial activities in its province under the jurisdiction of MOE. These will essentially comprise establishing and equipping protected area management units and core area management centers, and helping to identify potential new protected areas (core areas and fish sanctuaries) within that province.

The DOEs will also assist in the routine monitoring of biodiversity based on indicator species, provide day-to-day management of trials on exotic species and run the rapid-response and law enforcement teams once established.

The DOEs will be responsible for preparing quarterly progress and financial reports that will be submitted to the PIO. To meet its obligations, each DOE will establish a PIU, preferably within the Office of Nature Conservation and Protection. A senior member of the staff will be seconded on a full-time basis as PIU head and will be supported by full-time administrative, financial, and secretarial staff.

The DOEs, through each Office of Nature Conservation and Protection, will assign counterpart staff and provide furnished office space and local transportation in proportion to the consulting services engaged.

54

Appendix 10

Figure A10: Organization Chart

Project Supervision Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

Ministry of Economy and Finance

Ministry of Environment

Steering Committee Cambodia National Mekong Committee

Provincial Governors

National Level Monitoring, Coordination and Implementation

Project Monitoring and Coordination Office

Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Secretariat

Project Implementation Office

Department of Fisheries

Project Implementation Office

Project Implementation Office

Department of Nature Conservation and Protection Department of Environmental Education and Culture

Provincial Level Implementation

Provincial Governors

Departments of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

Provincial Governors

Project Implementation Units

Project Implementation Units

Departments of Environment

Figure A11.1: INDICATIVE ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE Component 1 Activities

Appendix 11

55

56

Figure A11.2: Component 2 Activities

Appendix 11

Figure A11.3: Component 3 Activities

Appendix 11

57

58 Appendix 13

PROCUREMENT ARRANGEMENTS ($’000)

Item

Civil Works Vehicles Equipment Training/Workshops Consulting Services Local Contracts Operation and Maintenance Administration Total

International Competitive Bidding 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 969 (824) 0 0 0 0 969 (824)

Local Competitive Bidding 496 (321) 0 0 0 0 189 (131) 0 0 1,515 (823) 0 0 0 0 2,200 (1,276)

Consulting Services: QCBS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,161 (2,161) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,161 (2,161)

International Shopping

0 0 1,201 (691) 487 (225) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,687 (915)

NBF = Non-Bank Financing, QCBS = Quality and Cost Based Selection, UN = United Nations.

Note: Figures in parentheses are the respective amounts financed by the Asian Development Bank.

Local From U.N. Shopping Agencies

0 0 0 0 0 0 1,217 (217) 0 0 0 0 3,930 (1,562) 0 0 5,147 (1,779)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,128 (3,657) 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,128 (3,657)

NBF

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 769 0 769 0

Total

496 (321) 1,201 (691) 487 (225) 1,405 (348) 8,289 (5,818) 2,484 (1,647) 3,930 (1,562) 769 0 19,062 (10,612)

Figure A13.1: CONTRACT PACKAGES AND INDICATIVE STAFFING SCHEDULE FOR CONSULTANTS: Component 1 (including FAO & UNESCO) Project Year

Position CONTRACT A

UNESCO-1 FAO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UNESCO2

Project Management Advisor Strategy and Policy Advisor Finance and Administration Specialist Environmental Data Base Designer Publicity and Information Specialist Database Programmer Data Entry Technician (1) Data Entry Technician (2) Map Digitizer Environmental Journalist/Writer Fisheries Management Advisor Imagery and Mapping Specialist GIS/Land Use Specialist Data Entry Technician (1) Data Entry Technician (2) Map Digitizer Fisheries Legal Specialist (International) Fisheries Legal Specialist (Domestic) Fisheries Management Specialist (International) Fisheries Management Specialist (Domestic) Fisheries Biologist (International) Fisheries Biologist (Domestic) Resource Planning and Inland Fisheries Specialist (International) Resource Planning and Inland Fisheries Specialist (Domestic) Community Specialist (International) Community Specialist (Domestic) Training Specialist (Domestic) Environmental Education Specialist (International)

2

3

4

5

30 6 30 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 30 3 6 6 6 6 5 11 5 18 3 3 3 3 3 6 6 6

Environmental Education Specialist (Domestic)

18

Media Specialist Total

104

18 169

International Consultant Domestic Consultant

59

DOF = Department of Fisheries, FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, MOE = Ministry of Environment, PIO = project implementation office, PMCO = project monitoring and coordination office, TSBR = Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, UNESCO = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Appendix 13

PIO/MOE

PIO/DOF

CONTRACT B

PIO/TSBRS

PMCO

1

International Domestic Consultant Consultant (person-months)

60

Project Year

Position

FAO SERVICE CONTRACT

PIU/DAFF

1 Natural Resource Management Specialist/TL Community Fisheries Specialist Agriculture/Forestry Specialist Environment Specialist Training Organizer Community Development Specialist Agricultural Economist (International) Agricultural Economist (Domestic) Fish Product Utilization Specialist

2

3

4

5

International Domestic Consultant Consultant (person-months) 24 20 12 12 12 24 3 6 3

Provincial Teams Community Organization Specialist (1 per province) Community Fisheries Specialist (1 per province) Agriculture/Forestry Specialist (1 per province) Environment Specialist (1 per province) Surveyor (3 per province) Total

160 120 120 120 360 86

910

International Consultant Domestic Consultant DAFF = Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, PIU = project implementation unit.

Appendix 13

Figure A13.2: CONTRACT PACKAGES AND INDICATIVE STAFFING SCHEDULE FOR CONSULTANTS: Component 2 (FAO)

Figure A13.3: CONTRACT PACKAGES AN D INDICATIVE STAFFING SCHEDULE FOR CONSULTANTS: Component 3 (UNDP/GEF) Project Year

Position 2

3

4

5

Protected Area Management Specialist/TL

24

Environmental Training Specialist (International)

18

Environmental Training Specialist (Domestic)

UNDP/GEF

PIO/MOE - DNCP - ONCP - DEEC

1

International Domestic Consultant Consultant (person-months)

20

Biodiversity Specialist

15

Protected Area Manager (International)

12

Protected Area Manager (Domestic x3)

36

Workshop Facilitator

24

Sustainable Livelihood Specialist (Interntational)

6

Sustainable Livelihood Specialist (Domestic)

9

Trainers (2 per core area) Education & Communication Specialist

108 6

Surveyors (inventory & monitoring - 2 per core area) Total

126 81

323

International Consultant Domestic Consultant Appendix 13

DEEC = Department of Environmental Education and Communication, DNCP = Department of Nature Conservation and Protection, GEF = Global Environment Facility, MOE = Ministry of Environment, ONCP = Office of Nature Conservation and Protection, PIO = project implementation office, UNDP = United Nations Development Programme.

61

62

Appendix 14

IMPROVING THE REGULATORY AND MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR INLAND FISHERIES A.

Introduction

1.

The Government of Cambodia marked a bold step forward when, in October 2000, it released a large part of the Tonle Sap's fishing lots for community management. This decision gave impetus to the reform of the regulatory framework for inland fisheries. Work toward a new law on fishery conservation, management, and development had begun in August 1999 (with assistance from the World Bank) and a draft was made available in August 2001. Nevertheless, most observers have felt, in light of the far-reaching implications of that law and the sensitive nature of any change affecting community fisheries, that stakeholders should subject the draft to critical review. Much additional harmonized legislation also needs to be formulated and the Department of Fisheries (DOF) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) is struggling to keep up with the menu of regulatory reform in a transparent and consultative way, especially in the absence of a management plan for the Tonle Sap. B.

Issues

2.

The fishing lot system was introduced in colonial times and has tended to dominate inland fisheries.1 While a potentially powerful and effective fisheries and natural resource management tool, the fishing lot system has become increasingly inequitable, divisive, and destructive. On 24 October 2000, in the face of long-running conflict between local communities and fishing lot operators, a Prime Ministerial decree released 56% of the total fishing lot area from private holdings and turned them over to communities for management.2 In the long term, this change should benefit the population living near inland water bodies, improve fish habitats, and lead to sustainable management of fisheries and other natural resources. But the reform process was driven by prime ministerial decree, and not the result of policy development. The identification and delineation of areas of fishing lots for community-based management have been difficult. Communities have not always been sufficiently involved in this process nor properly informed of changes, and there are reports of irregularities. In certain locations, local authorities and armed forces interfere with legitimate resource users from communities attempting to fish in these lots, even to the extent of arresting them and taking them to court. As the process of redefinition evolves, rapid changes are also occurring in practices that impact fisheries and other natural resources. The reform process is also placing a considerable burden on DOF, which suffers from low levels of capacity. Aside from its stated objective for fisheries management, ti has little management vision and focuses, understandably, on maintaining existing procedures and methods.3 What is more, the absence of a fisheries management plan for the Tonle Sap hampers the work on the draft Fisheries Law and the subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars associated with it.

1 2 3

Fishing lots are auctioned every 2 years to individuals who operate the lots themselves or sublease them to others.

To facilitate this radical change, DOF then established a Community Fisheries Development Office, charged with promoting and supporting community-based management of natural resources.

DOF's objective is to manage Cambodia's fisheries in a sustainable manner to improve the livelihood and nutrition of the people and to increase aquaculture production.

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1.

63

Improving the Regulatory Framework

3.

There is an urgent need to provide a sound legal basis for fisheries, especially inland.

Several subdecrees already have been prepared and some may be implemented before the adoption of the Fisheries Law. However, hasty enactment should be avoided. Some existing drafts have been criticized and need to be reviewed for relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity so as to achieve sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. Among these are subdecrees that have special relevance to the Tonle Sap, such as those on community fisheries and management of fishing lots. Their preparation should be organic and grow out of experience, local practice, potentialities, and needs. In general, a positive approach to ensuring compliance with the law is preferable to a negative approach that requires policing action. Experience demonstrates that negative approaches encourage bribery and extortion, not compliance. The need to consult stakeholders should also be recognized early in the drafting and review process: consultation at both national and local levels should be standard operating procedure.

2.

Improving the Management Framework

4.

A 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan is essential to sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity: most management issues transcend local responsibilities or competences, with repercussions on the ecosystem. A fisheries management plan will provide a policy and technical framework and incorporate principles for ecosystem management, inasmuch as fishing takes place in different zones (i.e., community fisheries, fishing lots, protected areas, and open waters). It will also feed into the common policy objectives for the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) that are to be formulated by the TSBR Secretariat in the Cambodia National Mekong Committee. At the local level, the plan will provide the framework for developing commercial and community fisheries management plans. The preparation and regular updating of fisheries management plans are a legal requirement in many countries: such plans complement and influence the regulatory framework in a dynamic and adaptive manner. 1 C.

The Technical Assistance 1.

Objective

5.

The goal of the technical assistance (TA) is sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap basin. Its objective is to improve the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries, with special attention to the subdecree on community fisheries.

2.

Methodology

6.

To improve the regulatory framework, the methodology for the TA will follow a step-bystep process of stocktaking, drafting, and validation involving stakeholders at national, provincial, and local levels. Stocktaking will involve organizing four national technical consultations. Validation will involve organizing four national consultations aimed at discussing and validating draft reports. To improve the management framework, the methodology for the TA will lay stress on close collaboration with a Tonle Sap Fisheries Management Task Force to 1

Indeed, the Master Plan for Fisheries (2001-2011) in Cambodia (prepared with assistance from the World Bank) refers explicitly to the need to develop management plans for Cambodia's main fisheries bodies.

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be nominated before inception of the TA. It will also emphasize hands-on training of counterpart staff, simultaneous presence of specialists, thorough preparation, and maintaining the momentum of the delivery of key activities.

3.

Key Activities by Output a.

7.

Key activities relate to the following: (i) Mobilizing specialists and conducting basic research on information (including identifying and collating laws and subdecrees); (ii) Reviewing the management of commercial, community, and other important fisheries in the Tonle Sap; (iii) Laying out an approach to improving the regulatory framework for inland fisheries; drafting a preliminary report setting out the scope of the existing regulatory framework, challenges, and opportunities; and making initial recommendations at a legal consultative and training forum; (iii) Articulating a time frame for the review of draft laws, subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars related to inland fisheries, in particular a draft subdecree or amendment to any subdecree on community fisheries management; (v) Refining the approach to improving the regulatory framework for inland fisheries based on responses at the legal consultative and training forum; (v) Conducting further consultations culminating in a legal consultative and training forum in which draft laws, subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars related to inland fisheries, as amended after the consultative process, will be presented; (vii) Drafting a final report setting out final draft laws, subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars related to inland fisheries; and (viii) Consolidating training to increase legislative awareness in DOF. b.

8.

Improving the Regulatory Framework

Improving the Management Framework

Key activities relate to the following: (i) Establishing a Tonle Sap Fisheries Management Task Force in DOF; (ii) Reviewing and evaluating documentation and information on fisheries resources; past and current fisheries management frameworks and practices, especially with respect to access conditions, fishing regulations, monitoring, compliance, and enforcement; national and sectoral policies and priorities, taking into account all sectors relevant to the management of the Tonle Sap; development trends; community organization; livelihood systems; and other socioeconomic aspects relevant to the management of the Tonle Sap's fisheries; (iii) Conducting consultations on community fisheries management, commercial fisheries management, and Tonle Sap fisheries management in general; (iv) Preparing a draft diagnosis, and broad-based and fisheries-specific management principles; (v) Validating the draft diagnosis and management principles through consultation and fieldwork; (vi) Organizing provincial-level group discussions on the draft diagnosis and management principles with representative stakeholders;

Appendix 14

(vii) (viii) (ix) (x) 4.

65

Conducting complementary consultations for further elaboration of the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan; Drafting a 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan (including guidelines for community fisheries management and a code of conduct); Organizing group discussions on the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan at local, provincial, and national levels with representative stakeholders; and Finalizing the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan and transmitting it to the TSBR Secretariat.

Cost Estimates

9.

The total cost of the TA is estimated at $634,000, comprising a foreign exchange cost of $396,000 and a local currency cost of $238,000 equivalent. The Government has requested ADB to finance $540,000 equivalent, including the entire foreign exchange cost and $144,000 equivalent of the local currency cost. The TA will be financed on a grant basis by ADB’s TA funding program. The Government will finance the balance of the local currency cost, equivalent to $94,000, largely providing office accommodation and remuneration and per diem of counterpart staff, as laid out in the cost estimates and financing plan for the TA. 5.

Implementation Arrangements

10.

The TA will require about 19 person-months of international and about 41 personmonths of domestic expertise with legal and management experience in the fisheries sector, particularly inland fisheries.2 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will be appointed by direct selection to deliver the services required. 3 The TA will be managed as a collaborative exercise by ADB and FAO following the long-standing working arrangements between them.4 The methodology and terms of reference for the TA are specific and clearly identified. Hence, ADB's procedures for simplified technical proposals will be used as the basis for contract negotiation. In the event that it is necessary to engage experts outside of FAO, the experts will be engaged in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants.

Equipment will be procured in accordance with ADB's Guidelines for Procurement. To facilitate implementation, DOF will provide logistical support to FAO, including adequately furnished office space and access to communications facilities. DOF will also provide copies of relevant laws, regulations, policies, reports, and other documents. FAO's team will be based in Phnom Penh, but will be expected to travel to the five project provinces, particularly during stakeholder consultations. The Executing Agency for the TA will be DOF. 11.

DOF will establish a Tonle Sap Fisheries Management Task Force headed by the director of DOF and comprising representatives of MAFF; the Community Fisheries Development Office in DOF; the Policy, Strategy, and Networking Division to be strengthened in the TSBR Secretariat; the offices of fisheries in the five project provinces—Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap; and the Legal Committee in 2 3

4

The team will comprise international and domestic fisheries experts with experience in fisheries law, fisheries management, fisheries biology, resource planning and inland fisheries, community organization, and training.

FAO is well qualified to undertake the tasks required. Its Legal Office has considerable experience in giving legal advisory services. These services include assistance to prepare laws, regulations, agreements, and other legal texts; advice on institutional structures and compliance with international law; and capacity building through participatory training of national officials. Its Fisheries Department has considerable experience in promoting efficient, sustainable, and responsible fisheries .

The main elements of these working arrangements are described in a Memorandum of Understanding between ADB and FAO appended to Doc. R77-81 (4 August 1981).

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MAFF. The experts will report to the Task Force and seek its guidance. The Task Force will play a key role in organizing the technical consultations, legal validation consultations, and the envisaged provincial workshops. Members of the Task Force are expected to be the core group of persons who will benefit from on-the-job training under the TA. At the end of the TA, the Task Force will continue to meet regularly to monitor fisheries management, advise on the implementation of legal instruments and various elements of the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan, and prepare 5-yearly updates of the plan.

12.

The TA will be implemented over 12 months from January 2003. FAO will produce (i) an inception report within 4 weeks of the commencement of the TA; (ii) a draft regulatory framework report and a draft Tonle Sap fisheries management plan report 16 weeks after commencement; (iii) a final regulatory framework report and a Tonle Sap fisheries management plan report 1 year after commencement; and (iv) an assignment completion report, outlining progress and any steps to be taken at the end of the TA. On its part, DOF will complete a TA completion questionnaire to report on the value-added of the TA and describe how it will build on it.

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TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK Design Summary Goal Sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap Basin Objective To improve the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries

Performance Indicators/Targets Regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries is in place, functioning, and regularly reviewed.

Technical assistance (TA) performance audit report

A regulatory framework is developed.

Project framework TA completion report

A 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan is prepared.

Outputs A regulatory framework is developed.

Monitoring Mechanisms

The existing and draft regulatory framework for the management of inland fisheries are assessed.

Project framework Project reports

Stakeholders are consulted and their role and interest are identified.

Key Department of Fisheries (DOF) personnel are actively involved.

National and provincial officials are willing and able to collaborate.

DOF submits draft legislation promptly for legislative processing.

Amendments to the regulatory f ramework are proposed after consultations with stakeholders.

Existing fisheries management systems are assessed and constraints and opportunities are identified.

The Government is committed to reforming the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries.

TA completion questionnaire

A process and consultative approach to regulatory framework reform is developed.

A 5-year fisheries management plan for the Tonle Sap is prepared.

Assumptions and Risks

Project framework

Effective cooperation is established with the Community Fisheries Development Office, and the Policy, Strategy, and Networking Division in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) Secretariat.

Key DOF personnel are actively involved.

Project reports Final report submitted to and reviewed by DOF and other Government agencies

The Tonle Sap Fisheries Management Taskforce operates effectively.

Effective cooperation is established with the Community Fisheries Development Office, and the Policy, Strategy, and Netw orking Division in the TSBR Secretariat.

A policy framework for fisheries management is proposed.

A policy framework and technical guidelines for fisheries community management are proposed.

A Tonle Sap fisheries management plan is proposed.

Activities A regulatory framework is developed.

Organize a legal validation consultation to provide guidance for planning and legal work Prepare a report articulating a time frame for review of existing laws and stakeholder

Total of 19 person-months of international expertise: ??Fisheries legal expert and team leader (5) ??Fisheries management specialist (5) ??Fisheries biologist (3)

Project framework Project reports Workshop and technical consultation findings

The Tonle Sap Fisheries Management Task Force is established in DOF. DOF ensures effective stakeholder representation and participation in the consultative process.

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Design Summary

Performance Indicators/Targets

existing laws and stakeholder participation

??Resource planning and inland fisheries specialist (3) ??Community organization specialist (3)

Organize a legal validation consultation to review preliminary drafts and another to review final drafts Prepare a report analyzing draft laws and associated legislation in light of conclusions from the consultative process Prepare final draft laws to be submitted to legislative process A 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan is prepared.

Review and assess existing fisheries management framework, constraints and opportunities Organize technical consultations on community fisheries management, fishing lot management, and the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan Prepare a draft diagnosis and policy principle for the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan and conduct provincial workshops Prepare draft standards and guidelines for formulation of community and commercial fisheries management plans and conduct a validation consultation Finalize standards and guidelines for formulation of community and commercial fisheries management plans and conduct technical consultation Draft the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan and conduct a legal validation consultation Produce the final version of the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan

Total of 41 person-months of domestic expertise: ?? Fisheries management specialist and deputy team leader (12) ?? Fisheries legal expert (11) ?? Fisheries biologist (3) ?? Resource planning and inland fisheries specialist (3) ?? Community organization specialist (6) ?? Training specialist (6) 4 technical consultations are held.

5 provincial workshops are held.

4 legal validation consultations are held (2 for legal review, 1 for review of standards and guidelines for formulation of community and commercial fisheries management plans, and 1 for review of the draft Tonle Sap fisheries management plan).

Monitoring Mechanisms

Assumptions and Risks consultative process.

Recruitment of experts is not delayed.

Appointment of counterpart staff is not delayed.

Counterpart staffs are assigned on a full-time basis.

The team leader effectively manages team members and coordinates activities.

Activities are carried out on a collaborative basis.

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COST ESTIMATES AND FINANCING PLAN FOR THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ($) Item A. Asian Development Bank Financinga 1. Consultants a. Remuneration and Per Diem i. International Consultants ii. Domestic Consultants b. International and Local Travel c. Reports and Communications 2. Equipment and Vehicles b 3. Training, Seminars, and Conferences a. Facilitators b. Training Program c. Workshops and Conferences 4. Surveys 5. Miscellaneous Administration and Support Costs 6. Representative for Contract Negotiations c 7. Contingencies Subtotal (A) B. Government Financing 1. Office Accommodation and Transport 2. Remuneration and Per Diem of Counterpart Staff 3. Others Subtotal (B) Total a

Foreign Exchange

Local Currency

Total Cost

260,000 0 29,000 4,000 30,000

0 44,000 10,000 0 5,000

260,000 44,000 39,000 4,000 35,000

0 10,000 0 0 9,000

5,000 11,000 35,000 10,000 10,000

5,000 22,000 35,000 10,000 19,000

4,000 50,000 396,000

0 14,000 144,000

4,000 64,000 540,000

0 0

70,000 14,000

70,000 14,000

0 0 396,000

10,000 94,000 238,000

10,000 94,000 634,000

Financed by ADB’s TA funding program.

Includes provision for a dual cab vehicle, computers, printers, copying machines, etc., which will be turned over after completion of the technical assistance. c Includes cost of travel and per diem for Government observer invited for contract negotiations.

Source: Asian Development Bank estimates. b

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OUTLINE TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE A.

Introduction

1.

The technical assistance (TA) will be delivered by a multidisciplinary team of international and domestic experts following a consultative process at provincial and national levels. The experts will work in close collaboration with the Department of Fisheries (DOF).

Emphasis will be given to hands-on training of counterparts to ensure that the skills imparted are put to productive use. The activities will be phased and coordinated in a manner that will allow, to the extent possible, simultaneous presence of the experts in the field, adequate preparation of the key activities, and maintenance of momentum in delivery of the TA. 2.

The TA will be implemented in two phases over 12 months. In the first phase (6 months), the experts will: (i) identify, review, and evaluate all relevant available data and information relating to the Tonle Sap’s fisheries; (ii) set out a timeframe for the review of draft laws and subsidiary legislation, in particular the draft subdecree on community fisheries management; and (iii) organize preliminary stakeholder consultation. The second phase (6 months) will involve: (i) preparation and review of a draft Tonle Sap fisheries management plan and legal texts through a consultative process including further stakeholder participation; (ii) submission of a final draft Tonle Sap fisheries management plan and legal texts to relevant government authorities; and (iii) preparation, review, and submission of systems for public access and dissemination of legal information.

B.

Activities 1.

Initial Activities

3.

The experts will: (i) compile, review, and evaluate existing documentation and information on past and current fisheries management frameworks and practices, especially with respect to access conditions, fishing regulations, monitoring, compliance and enforcement, national and sectoral policies and priorities, taking into account all sectors relevant to the management of the Tonle Sap; regional development trends, community organization, livelihoods and other socioeconomic aspects relevant to the management of the Tonle Sap's fisheries; the effectiveness of current fisheries laws and regulations (including draft laws) in (a) the formulation and implementation of national fisheries policies (b) the management, development, and regulation of the fisheries sector, particularly the inland fisheries sector; (c) community-based fisheries management; (d) monitoring, compliance, and enforcement; and (e) other relevant matters; (ii) set out a time frame for the review of draft laws and subsidiary legislation, in particular the draft subdecree on community fisheries management; and (iii) facilitate preliminary stakeholder consultation.

2.

Improving the Regulatory Framework

4.

In the first phase of developing a sound regulatory framework for inland fisheries, the experts will facilitate: (i) consultative processes that will review the management of commercial, community, and other important fisheries in the Tonle Sap; (ii) prepare an inception report that will (a) set out the scope of the existing regulatory framework, challenges, and opportunities, and (b) present a time frame for the review of draft laws, subdecrees, proclamations, and directives or circulars related to inland fisheries, in particular a draft subdecree or amendment to any subdecree on community fisheries management. Commentaries at the legal consultative and training forum will be used to refine the approach to improving the regulatory framework.

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71

The first phase will culminate in the interim report describing preliminary findings and presenting recommendations for revisions considered necessary in the work plan. The preliminary recommendations will include draft laws, decrees or amendments to laws, and subsidiary legislation) to be presented at a legal consultative and training forum.

5.

The second phase will involve (i) further consultations culminating in a legal consultative and training forum where the draft fisheries law or subsidiary legislation as amended after the first consultative process will be presented; (ii) follow-up activities including production of a final report setting out draft final fisheries legal texts with necessary subsidiary legislation, and submission of final legal texts to relevant authorities; (iii) a draft regulatory framework report and a final regulatory framework report; and (iv) consolidation of consultation and training, and development of public access and information systems to increase legislative awareness and to facilitate enforcement.

3.

Improving the Management Framework

6.

The initial activities in developing a 5-year Tonle Sap fisheries management plan (inclusive of community fisheries documentation) will include: (i) establishment of a Tonle Sap Fisheries Management Task Force in DOF; (ii) review and evaluation of documentation and information on (a) fisheries resources; (b) past and current fisheries management frameworks and practices, especially with respect to access conditions, fishing regulations, monitoring, compliance and enforcement; (c) national and sectoral policies and priorities, taking into account all sectors relevant to the management of the Tonle Sap; (d) development trends, community organization, livelihood systems, and other socioeconomic aspects relevant to the management of the Tonle Sap's fisheries; (iii) the conduct of a consultative process on community fisheries management and fishing lot management mechanisms; and (iv) preparation of a draft diagnosis and validation of the draft diagnosis through consultation and fieldwork as appropriate.

7.

The second phase will involve the following activities (i) organization of group discussions of the draft diagnosis and plan principles with representative stakeholders (to be undertaken at provincial level); (ii) complementary consultation as required for further elaboration of the plan; (iii) finalization of a draft Tonle Sap fisheries management plan; (iv) organization of group discussions on the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan at the provincial and national levels with representative stakeholders; and (v) finalization of the Tonle Sap fisheries management plan in DOF and transmission to the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Secretariat.

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SUMMARY POVERTY REDUCTION AND SOCIAL STRATEGY1 1.

About 36% of Cambodia's 11.4 million people2 lived below the poverty line in 1997. 3 The 1998 census revealed that the five project provinces of Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap have the highest incidence of poverty (38%); about 2.9 million people live there (Table A15.1), of whom more than 1.2 million people (250,000 households) live in the area bordered by Highways No. 5 and No. 6. 4 Table A15.1: Population of the Tonle Sap Province

Population

Men

Women

Cambodia Battambang Kompong Chhnang Kompong Thom Pursat Siem Reap Tonle Sap Total

11,437,656 793,129 417,693 569,060 360,445 696,164 2,836,491

5,511,408 388,599 197,691 272,844 172,890 336,685 1,368,709

5,926,268 404,530 220,002 296,216 187,555 359,479 1,467,782

Source: General Population Census of Cambodia, 1998.

2.

Poverty Profile. The socioeconomic problems affecting the five project provinces are common to most, if not all, rural areas in central and northern Cambodia. They fall into seven main categories: (i) inadequate food and water and low productivity; (ii) poor health services and health status;5 (iii) low-quality shelter; (iv) low education and lack of training; (v) poor access; (vi) lack of savings and capital; and (vii) lack of technology and access to extension and training.

However, the five provinces show some of the lowest poverty indicators (Table A15.2).

Table A15.2: Poverty Indicators of the Tonle Sap (%) Indicator

Battambang

Kompong Chhnang

Kompong Thom

Pursat

Siem Reap

Households with female heads Primary education not completed Access to piped water (rural) Access to electricity (rural)

21.7

26.8

28.8

24.2

27.6

68.8

69.9

70.7

68.3

73.2

3.7

0.8

1.7

2.9

0.6

0.0

2.0

0.4

9.6

3.0

Cooking with wood (rural)

97.4

96.7

96.4

95.4

97.2

70.0 78.5 Source: General Population Census of Cambodia, 1998.

82.0

76.0

82.7

Migration within province

1 2 3

4 5

See also ADB. 2000. Cambodia: Enabling a Socioeconomic Renaissance. Manila.

The last official census, conducted in 1962, estimated Cambodia's population at 5.7 million. At current rates, the population will rise to around 14 million by 2005.

A consumption-based absolute poverty line for Cambodia has been defined as adequate income to buy a daily 2,100-calorie food basket plus a small allowance for nonfood expenditure. This is measured at KR54,050 per capita per month, or about $0.45 a day, well below the World Bank's $1 a day measure of extreme poverty.

It also has the second highest average population density (52 persons per square kilometer).

Abdominal diseases prevail and deepen poverty owing to increased health care expenditures and related indebtedness as well as missed opportunities for earning income.

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3.

Vulnerable Groups. Vulnerable groups exist in the five project provinces. They include widows and female heads of households, the physically and mentally handicapped, the orphaned, landless, and the aged with no young to support them. Many demobilized soldiers also seek to reintegrate in the communities. Poverty does not distinguish gender; however, households headed by women or households without male labor are particularly disadvantaged (Table A15.3).

Table A15.3: Women and Employment in the Tonle Sap Items

Number

Percent

Employment Status Employed Unemployed Never employed Homemaker Student Dependent Income recipient Other Total

564,284 9,732 27,670 113,226 25,294 57,951 6,886 2,692 807,735

69.86 1.20 3.43 14.02 3.13 7.17 0.85 0.33

Type of Employment Agriculture, forestry, and hunting Fishing Manufacturing Wholesale and retail trade Public administration and defense Education Health and social work Other community, social, and personal services Total

478,009 10,140 7,896 52,818 3,492 6,432 2,333 3,533 574,016

83.27 1.77 1.38 9.20 0.61 1.12 0.41 1.62

Source: General Population Census of Cambodia, 1998.

4.

Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy. There is a strong correlation between sound natural resource management and poverty reduction. The plight of the poor, including vulnerable groups, can be improved by widening their access to natural resources and doing so is critical to improve living standards in the Tonle Sap region. Conversely, sound management of natural resources is required for sustainable development. In the last 20 years, transactions involving the Tonle Sap's natural resources, especially its fisheries, have been characterized by inequity, fraud, widespread corruption, environmental degradation from unsustainable patterns of exploitation, and escalating conflict. Predictably, the livelihoods of the poor have become more precarious. Under the Project, measures to strengthen natural resource management coordination and planning will help to maintain the base on which the target population, including the poor, depends; measures to organize communities for natural resource management will assist communities to improve livelihood systems; and measures to build management capacity for biodiversity conservation will help to retain the many benefits provided by the Tonle Sap's natural resources (Table A15.4). Enhancing management systems and building capacity will achieve the improvements desired. The design of the Project incorporates three specific strategies to involve the poor and vulnerable groups and give them a voice: (i) Participation. Participation increases the sense of ownership and commitment to interventions and there is a correlation between its breadth and the stability of the partnerships and institutions formed. Project activities to strengthen natural

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(ii)

(iii)

6

resource management coordination and planning will include raising stakeholder awareness of the Tonle Sap's environmental importance through a national environmental education and awareness campaign; and improving regulation and management planning, specifically the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries, in consultation with stakeholders at the provincial and local levels. Inputs from consultations will be integrated in the common policy objectives formulated to underpin sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap. Project activities to organize communities for natural resource management will be founded on participation: devolved natural resource management will reflect substance and show a genuine shift in authority to local people. Measures will include prioritizing target communities by their expression of interest, commitment, the extent of environmental degradation, and occurrence of conflict; activating commune councils and appropriate village-level structures for community-based natural resource management; mapping the boundaries of community fisheries and forestry areas, using orthophotomaps, through a participatory process facilitated by nongovernment organizations (NGOs); and encouraging communities to formulate plans for managing natural resources. These measures will be undertaken after the most suitable approach to community organization has been tailored. To build management capacity for biodiversity conservation, measures will include developing alternative livelihoods in the core areas, both for migrants and permanent inhabitants, and developing and implementing an environmental awareness, education, and outreach program.

Gender. No project is gender-neutral and all can adopt gender-inclusive design features that integrate gender and development concerns. In the five project provinces, nearly 20% of household heads are women. (In Siem Reap, it is about 30%.)6 Project activities to organize communities for natural resource management will include measures facilitating the full participation of women in decision making by (a) gender sensitization, (b) inclusion of up to 40% women members at various levels in community organizations depending on specific situations and needs, and (c) building the capacity of women’s subgroups at village level for effective participation in community organizations, at times determined by women to suit their requirements.

Ethnic minorities. In Cambodia, inland fisheries have a sensitive ethnic dimension. The stake of the Vietnamese and Cham minorities has to be considered when designing management options that involve partnerships with resource users. To strengthen coordination and planning for natural resource management, measures to improve regulation and management planning, specifically the regulatory and management framework for inland fisheries, will examine the issue of the rights of Vietnamese communities in the five project provinces, whose livelihoods depend on the Tonle Sap. Project activities to organize communities for natural resource management will include measures to give the Vietnamese and Cham communities in the five provinces opportunities to participate in community organizations. Through commune councils, commune chiefs, Government staff trained in participatory approaches, and NGOs, these measures will attempt to build relations of trust between the Khmers and the Vietnamese minority. The Project's impact on ethnic minorities will be observed during project monitoring and evaluation.

See also ADB. 2001. Participatory Poverty Assessment in Cambodia. Manila.

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Table A15.4: Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy A.

Linkages to the Country Poverty Analysis

Sector identified as a National Priority in Yes Sector identified as a National Priority in Yes Country Poverty Analysis?

Country Poverty Partnership Agreement?

Contribution of the sector/subsector to reduce poverty in Cambodia: Fisheries and forestry are vital to Cambodia’s population. Poverty is pervasive and the poor depend on natural resources for subsistence. The Government has recognized the need to engage communities in natural resource management. Provided management systems and capacity for natural resource management are built at national, provincial, and community levels, the sector can contribute substantially to poverty reduction.

B.

Poverty Analysis

Proposed Classification: Poverty Intervention Thematic: Environment Protection Poverty around the Tonle Sap is widespread. About 50% of villages have 40–60% of households living below the poverty line. Poverty is related to lack of space for local people to participate and benefit. Households with female heads, households headed by widows, and ethnic minorities are particularly poor and disadvantaged.

C.

Participation Process

Stakeholder Analysis Prepared: Yes Stakeholders number millions. They include local people, ethnic minorities, local governments, as well as Government agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. The roles and responsibilities of stakeholders have been analyzed and delineated.

Participation Strategy: Yes The participation strategy aims to involve the poor and vulnerable groups and to give them a voice. Measures to this effect are woven into the design of the Project. They include raising stakeholder awareness of the Tonle Sap's environmental importance and organizing communities for natural resource management plans.

D.

Social Issues

Subject

Resettlement Gender

Significant/ Not Significant/ None None Significant

Affordability Labor Indigenous Peoples

None None Not Significant

Other Risks/ Vulnerabilities

None

Strategy to Address Issues

Female heads of households and widows, among others, will be targeted for training and participation in community-based activities and decision making. At least 40% of the members of the community structures established should be poor and disadvantaged women.

The Project will not have adverse impacts on the Vietnamese and Cham minorities. It will involve the Vietnamese minority in community organization and help to build relations of trust between Khm er and Vietnamese households with valid citizenship papers.

Output Prepared

None Yes

No No Yes

No