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Biodiversity Monitoring at the Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia: A Comparative Assessment of Local Methods

Environmental Management volume 50, pages 707–720 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper assesses local biodiversity monitoring methods practiced in the Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia. For the assessment we used the following criteria: methodological rigor, perceived cost, ease of use (user friendliness), compatibility with existing activities, and effectiveness of intervention. Constraints and opportunities for execution of the methods were also considered. Information was collected by use of: (1) key informant interview, (2) focus group discussion, and (3) researcher’s observation. The monitoring methods for fish, birds, reptiles, mammals and vegetation practiced in the research area have their unique characteristics of generating data on biodiversity and biological resources. Most of the methods, however, serve the purpose of monitoring biological resources rather than biodiversity. There is potential that the information gained through local monitoring methods can provide input for long-term management and strategic planning. In order to realize this potential, the local monitoring methods should be better integrated with each other, adjusted to existing norms and regulations, and institutionalized within community-based organization structures.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the funding support from USEPAM/DANIDA. We are also grateful; to Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience (M-POWER) for an additional grant to support the field work; to Dr. Rajendra Shrestha and Prof. Henning Schroll for giving continuous advice while writing this paper; and to Dr. Ram Baskakoti, Dr. Richard Friend, Dr. Robert Arthur (World Fish Centre), and Dr. Robert Steinmetz (biologist of WWF Thailand) for providing valuable comments on the research methodology. Special thanks go to local community people in the study site, rangers, fishery officers and relevant stakeholders who have provided information and facilitation process during the fieldwork. We thank three anonymous peer-reviewers for giving excellent and concise comments to make this paper publishable.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Room 112, Building A, Campus I Toul Kok, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Sophat Seak

  2. Natural Resource Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Km 41, Paholyothin Road, Klang Luang, Bangkok, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

    Sophat Seak

  3. Centre for Mountain Ecosystem Studies, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China

    Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

  4. Regional and Rural Development Planning, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Pathumthani, Thailand

    Gopal B. Thapa

Authors
  1. Sophat Seak
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  2. Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt
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  3. Gopal B. Thapa
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Correspondence to Sophat Seak.

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Seak, S., Schmidt-Vogt, D. & Thapa, G.B. Biodiversity Monitoring at the Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia: A Comparative Assessment of Local Methods. Environmental Management 50, 707–720 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9909-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9909-3

Keywords

  • Local biodiversity monitoring
  • Community-based monitoring
  • Biological resource monitoring
  • Biodiversity monitoring
  • Tonle Sap