Projects

Kampi Village neighbours a series of deep water habitats (pools) in the Cambodian Mekong River.  These deep water habitats support substantial fisheries and are also home to the critically endangered Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris. Significantly, Kampi pool is the most important dolphin habitat remaining in the Mekong River, with a total of twenty dolphins inhabiting the area from a total population of approximately 80. Conservation of the remaining dolphin population is of critical importance.

As such, a provincial law has decreed the area a conservation site and fishing is prohibited - with no other means of livelihood provided to the villagers.  Given that the villager’s primary occupation is fishing, this has created significant problems within the community and has increased pressure on limited resources, with a potential increase in illegal fishing methods (e.g. electric fishing). Currently there is unequal distribution of revenue generated from the dolphin-watching tourism amongst local villagers, with only seven families benefiting from the tourism through tour boat operations.

As part of the “Dolphins for Development” project, CRDT will:

• Work with the SEILA Program to create a Village Development Committee (VDC) at Kampi Village; and provide support and training, education and monitoring of the VDC;
• Provide villagers with the materials and training to construct toilets;
• Train villagers to construct and maintain integrated fish culture ponds;
• Train farmers on improved agricultural and small livestock production techniques both in the village site and at Kabal Koh Government Agronomy station;
• Distribute a diverse range of vegetable seeds and seedlings during the training;
• Conduct training on small livestock production rearing vaccination and health care and at the University of Tropical Agriculture in Takmao, Kandal; and
• Show selected farmers successful duck raising undertaken by local villagers in Srie Nonong village in Takeo.

This project will be undertaken in close co-operation with the Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project’s activities at Kampi, Village, which focus on diversification of livelihoods through dolphin-watching eco-tourism and effective management of dolphin-watching at the site. A dedicated education and awareness project will be run parallel with community development activities, to stress the importance of natural resources, particularly dolphins and fisheries in the area.

This project will dramatically improve the food security of the people Kratie Village. Improved agricultural practice will lead to greater and more diverse crop yields, decreased rates of malnutrition. This will subsequently increase disposable incomes. Associated benefits through a reduction in fishing pressure, would have significant benefits for the sustainability of dolphins and fisheries in the area.