3SPN- Strengthen 3S Community Fisheries Threats to ecosystems in Sesan and Srepok from illegal fishing remain high. Despite the fact that communities have better capacity to manage and controlillegal fishing in the community fishery areas along the Srey Pok and Sesan, communities reported thatthey still continue to face challenges effectively controlling illegal fishing. According to Oxfam’s interaction with fishing communities in the Srepok and Sesan rivers, fast fluctuation of water andless catch of fish is affecting their livelihood. Illegal fishing methods such as electrocution and the use of illegal fishing equipment, gear, and nets are the main concerns of the communities. This has caused a significant imbalance between supply and demand . The illegal fish catch is reducing the population of high-value fishes which reduces the income of fishing communities using legal practices to catch fish. The communities continue to seek collaboration and supports from the fishery cantonment and local authorities to promote law enforcement and conduct more regular patrolling.

From 2013 to 2022, Oxfam in Cambodia implemented the People Protecting Ecosystems in the Mekong (PEM) project. PEM contributed to the conservation of aquatic resources and river ecosystems in the Mekong, Sesan, and Srepok rivers by strengthening community-based managementof terrestrial and riverine ecosystems in highly biodiverse areas of the Mekong and its tributaries. Our teams are looking to buildon the outcomes and impacts of PEM project to achieve even stronger management of community fisheries along the Srepok and Sesan rivers. Through Oxfam’s implementation of PEM, communities have organized themselves through community fishery committees, developed community fishery management plans, and good relationship with localstakeholders. The PEM project produced a good base from which we can increase the project’s impact. This project could bring the outcomes, impacts, and sustainability of those sites to the next level.

Existing fish sanctuaries are threatened: ThroughPEM, Oxfam and its partner supported 13 communities to develop site-based management plans for local fish sanctuaries. Communities identified interventions related to conservation, creating new fish conservation areas, community livelihoods, and capacitybuilding. This project will support the implementation of these 13 management plans as well as the creation and implementation of a management plan in a 14th community.

Enforcement of conservation actions remains weak: The project will strengthen the capacity of community fishery committees. The proposed project will build the capacity of the community fishery committees in terms coordination, knowledge sharing, relationship building, and communication in order to deepen collaboration with local authorities who can support patrolling and other enforcement activities. These capacity needs were identified by the committees through the PEM project.

There is opportunity to create new fish sanctuaries: The project will identify and support the creation of eight new fish sanctuaries and deep pools. Communities from 14 Cfis (Community Fisheries) will identify new conservation sites including deep pools and natural wetland areas that have significant biodiversity conservation significance. Communities wantto propose8 new deep pool sites situated along the Sesan and Srepok rivers to be recognized by relevant national authorities and local authorities. The project twill support them to identify and propose those sites to be recognized for conservation.

Promoting the implementation of community fishery management. This project will support the implementation of 13 site-based management plans and the development and implementation of a management plan for one additional site(total of 14 sites). By the end of the project, wewant to see communities take greater initiative to conserve ecosystems in those 14 sites.

For conservation efforts to succeed, they must take into account the fact that local communities rely on the conserved areas for their livelihoods.To support the integration of conservation and livelihoods, the project will support communities to develop their plans to promote eco-tourism in some sites as well as plans for women-led fishery processing businesses, aquaculture, and flooded forestreplanting.

The Srepok River flows from the Central Highlands of Vietnam through Ratanakiri and joins with the Sesan river in Stung Treng province of Cambodia to join theMekong river near Stung Treng town. Srepok river’s mainstream comprises a total length of 290 kilometers. The river is rich in biodiversity and aquatic resources supporting local communities to meet their food needs and generating income for approximately 6,781 households. According to Asian Development Fund (ADB) , fish still provide over 80% of the protein in the national diet in Cambodia. The river’s biodiversity is being reduced due to hydropower projects on Mekong river and its tributaries: 70% of capture fisheries in Cambodia are under threat due to 45 dams already built in theMekong region. The river basin is facing multiple threats including water pollution and changing water flow due to upstream developments, hydropower dams, illegal fishing methods, and overfishing. Riverine communities living around Sesan and Srepok rivers are facing threats to their livelihood and food security due change of water flow, illegal fishing, and water pollution. Communities are dependent on aquatic resources because there are no alternative livelihood options for them to adapt and sustain their lives. Therefore, this project will help in conserving the aquatic resources in 41 deep pools and in adding 8 new pools. Without this project, endangered and high-value fish species will be extinct and depleted.

Oxfam has longstanding presence in the targeted areas along with local partners, and we understand the impact on the lives and livelihoods of people if fishery conservation is not supported. We have successfully concluded a project with the financial support of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) which has successfully established a long-term community-based fish conservation and management model focused on empowering communities to take action to protect land, forests, and freshwater aquatic resources (primarily fisheries). The project has established community fisheries, recognized by local governments, who have developed community action plans to take joint actions to protect the ecosystem and aquatic resources. However, lack of funding is obstructing their plans to properly roll out the implementation of community fishery management plans. Community fisheries face a loss of livelihoods and a danger to theKey Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) if these plans are not put into action. Hence, Oxfam has designed this project in close coordination with local partners, government authorities and community fishery representative to support 14 fishery communities operating along Sesan (KMH29) and Srepok (KMH33) rivers to take community based sustainable actions to protect aquatic resources and riverine ecosystem.

The project goal: To contribute to the conservation of aquatic resources and river ecosystems in the Sesan and Srepok rivers.

The project objective: Local communities are empowered to engage in conservation and management of community fisheries in 49 deep pools located around Srepok and Sesan rivers.

The project will focus on promoting governance and a co-management model by increasing community participation in local dialogues and planning processes to increase joint actions for conservation and protection of the ecosystems and aquatic resources in partnership with local government. The project will strengthen leadership of the community fishery committees and sub-committees to implement the conservation activities of 14 existingcommunity fishery management plans. These plans include protecting 41existing deep pools and establishing 8 new deep pools. The project will also facilitate a community planningprocess to integrate livelihoods initiatives into conservation activities toimprovelocal community wellbeing.