Ing, Try

Jensen, Kathe

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u n i ve r s i t y  o f  co pe n h ag e n  Lots of information collected about marine living resources, but where is it? And can itbe trusted?Jensen, Kathe; Ing, TryPublished in:Cambodian Journal of Natural HistoryPublication date:2014Document versionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordDocument license:UnspecifiedCitation for published version (APA):Jensen, K., & Ing, T. (2014). Lots of information collected about marine living resources, but where is it? Andcan it be trusted? Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2014(1), 1-3.Download date: 09. okt.. 20201© Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Phnom PenhCambodian Journal of Natural History 2014 (1) 1–3EditorialGuest Editorial—Lots of information collected about marine living resources, but where is it? And can it be trusted?Kathe R. JENSEN¹ and ING Try²1 Zoological Museum (Natural History Museum of Denmark), Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Email: krjensen@snm.ku.dk2 Fisheries Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Preah Norodom Boulevard 186, P.O. Box 582, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Email: tmmp.cam@online.com.kh or ingtry@ymail.com“Out of sight—out of mind”, is an excuse that has often been used to explain why so litt le is known about biodiversity in the sea. With the exception of what washes up on the beach and what can be seen in the fi sh market, marine biodiversity remains largely hidden from human eyes. This means we have to remind ourselves—or be reminded—that marine biodiversity needs our att ention, care and protection, just like that of forests, mountains and wetlands.  Cambodia has one of the world’s largest inland fi sheries and naturally the focus of international organizations, as well as the national government, has been largely on the conservation and sustain-able use of freshwater fi sheries resources. The unique hydrological features associated with the seasonal reversal of fl ow to and from the Tonle Sap Lake have intrigued scientists from all over the world, and there is great concern about the potential damage caused by constructing hydro-electric power plants across the Lower Mekong water course (see e.g. Hogan et al., 2004; Campbell et al., 2006; Baran & Myschowoda, 2009).  Much less att ention has been given to the marine biodiversity of Cambodia. Marine capture fi sheries, though increasing, remain less than 20% the size of the inland fi sheries, and hence fewer resources have been allocated to this fi eld. Over the years, numerous international projects have operated in the Cambo-dian coastal zone, and much information has been gathered about vulnerable ecosystems, the socio-economics of coastal residents, and the impacts of legislation relating to environmental degradation and use of fi sheries resources.  One of the largest projects, usually called the UNEP South China Sea Project for short, involved seven countries surrounding the South China Sea, over 16 million dollars in direct funding, and about the same amount in local “in-kind” contributions, and lasted from 2002 through 2008 (Vo & Pernett a, 2010). The results from this project have entered the inter-national scientifi c literature (e.g. Vo et al., 2013), and provided government agencies with national reports, trained staff  members, established demonstration sites for the general public (e.g. UNEP, 2007) and published posters and booklets on various ecosystems (e.g. UNEP, 2004).  For Cambodia, this project funded assessments of coral reef, seagrass and mangrove habitats. We now have a fair knowledge of the size of these vulnerable ecosystems and, equally importantly, where they are located. This information constituted the baseline information for developing a National Action Plan for Coral Reef and Seagrass Management in Cambodia 2006–2015 (FiA, 2006). The project also funded the publication of a bilingual fi eld guide to the marine living resources in Cambodia, which unfortunately was printed in far too few copies (Ing et al., 2006).  Smaller projects have taken over and carry out Reef Check and Seagrass Watch procedures to monitor the state of selected reefs and seagrass beds. Some of these projects are carried out by local Cambodian govern-ment employees, but most use foreign volunteers, often marine biology students. Few Cambodians have diving skills or can aff ord the equipment and other associated costs. However, dive shops exist for tourists, and the staff  and boats from these shops have been involved in several projects.  Every NGO has its own “mission and vision”, but this may seem like semantics when applying for foreign grants: you put your pen where the money CITATION: Jensen, K.R. & Ing T. (2014) Lots of information collected about marine living resources, but where is it? And can it be trusted? Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2014, 1–3.2© Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Phnom Penh Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2014 (1) 1–3Editorialis. If the donor wants you to include gender issues, you include them in your application; if they focus on sustainability, you make this a priority goal; and so on. One project may be specifi cally dedicated to seahorses—small threatened fi sh used in traditional medicine. Another project may focus on the economic costs and benefi ts of tourism in coral reef areas. Other projects may focus on socioeconomics and the development of small-scale fi sheries. In spite of this diversity in aims and goals, there is a lot of overlap in the reports that result from these projects. Many socioeconomic questionnaires containing basically the same questions are presented to basically the same people by diff erent projects. Similarly, the same coral reef may be surveyed by transects, manta-tows and random quadrat photography. Unfortunately there are sometimes confl icting results among reports.  The information gathered from this multitude of projects is valuable and useful, but often diffi  cult to locate. In many cases, project teams write status reports for their funding bodies only. Most fi nish their projects with impressive reports on glossy paper, but rarely with an ISBN identifi cation number, and rarely have these reports been subject to peer-review. Some information is available in Environmental Impact Assessment reports in connection with major devel-opment projects, usually in the private sector, but EIA reports are often inaccessible to the public, including scientists, because they are considered the private property of the company. Other information is avail-able only in Khmer-language internal government reports, such as most fi sheries statistics. There is a great need for a comprehensive review of the avail-able data, and to improve the quality and reliability of the data from diff erent studies. The staff  of government agencies, both national and local, try their best to keep up with all the fi ndings from the various projects, but it often looks as if legis-lation is drafted, implemented and enforced at the same time as the fi eld data are collected. One could say that Cambodia implements the holistic, integrated approach from need rather than choice, and “citizen science” was in use here years before it became fashionable in western countries (after the economic crisis drastically cut funding for science).  Government staff  depend on scientifi c information to draft meaningful and eff ective regulations. Cambo-dian fi sheries offi  cers, however, usually have to collect fi eld data at the same time they draft manage-ment measures, such as the National Plan of Action for Sharks (Ing et al., 2004). Fortunately international organizations provide guidelines, but data still have to be collected. Although an increasing number of Cambodian ministerial offi  cers have received upper level academic degrees (MSc and PhD), they rarely get the opportunity to be involved in basic research or participate in research publications. There is a need for collaboration between universities and govern-ment agencies that goes beyond supervising graduate thesis projects.  Cambodia is a signatory party to several interna-tional conventions related to marine biodiversity (Nao et al., 2013). This means that Cambodia is expected to participate in meetings, submit national reports, and most importantly, comply with international regula-tions. This has occasionally led to awkward situations. At one time, Cambodia was urged to take measures against illegal fi shing vessels, which were fi shing tuna in the Atlantic Ocean. Obviously no Cambo-dian fi shermen own vessels capable of fi shing tuna in the Atlantic, but somehow these vessels had been registered in Cambodia and were fl ying the fl ag of Cambodia, but without a Cambodian license to fi sh. Recently, the European Union imposed an embargo on fi sheries goods from Cambodia because “despite several warnings” the country had not taken suffi  -cient measures to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fi shing. Cambodia is working on a National Action Plan to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fi shing (NPOA-IUU fi shing), but this takes time and requires funding. Cambodia has four nationally protected areas in the coastal zone: Three National Parks (Bokor, Kep and Ream), and one Wildlife Sanctuary (Peam Krasop, part of which—Koh Kapik—is also a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance). These are all land-based but have a marine component. In addition, the UNEP South China Sea Project introduced a new concept for conserving critical habitats of certain species— Fisheries Refugia—and the South-East Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) assisted Cambodia to implement marine refugia (Ing et al., 2010). A real Marine Protected Area, however, has yet to be formally established in Cambodia. The underwater area surrounding the islands of the Koh Rong Archi-pelago has been mentioned several times, and many reef areas have been surveyed again and again. In spite of all the information available, however, confl icting interests have so far stalled the formal establishment of a Marine Fisheries Management Area.  One of the latest government targets of the Strategic Planning Framework for Fisheries 2010–2019, is to increase aquaculture production by 15% annually. One can only guess at the impacts to vulnerable 3© Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Phnom PenhCambodian Journal of Natural History 2014 (1) 1–3Editorialcoastal environments of such an immense enterprise. Once again, it appears that research and policy devel-opment are carried out simultaneously with cutt ing mangroves and digging ponds. Moreover, this is happening at a time when most western countries are trying to ban imports of cultured fi sh and shrimps from countries that use wild-caught trash-fi sh for feed. In Cambodia, conservation issues, which are often supported by small NGOs, have to compete with development projects, which are often supported by wealthy private companies. Unfortunately, the economy usually wins over ecology. The coastal marine waters of Cambodia house a diverse and possibly unique marine life, and it is important that this resource be protected for future genera-tions (as well as to att ract tourists). Having multiple NGO-supported projects without much coordination of their eff orts has created a lot of information, but has had litt le or no lasting eff ect on the conservation or management of marine resources. The action plans remain plans without action.  It is time for someone in Cambodia to review the existing information and extract data from avail-able reports that might be used for knowledge-based selection of sites to be protected. Also, NGO and inter-national projects should be required to make their fi nal results publicly available at a common website repository in Cambodia. The existing websites that contain some of this information should be urged to collaborate. The conservation of Cambodia’s marine biodiversity is too important to end up as a pile of glossy paper reports on bookshelves in government offi  ces.ReferencesBaran, E. & Myschowoda, C. (2009) Dams and fi sheries in the Mekong Basin. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Manage-ment, 12, 227–234.Campbell, I.C., Poole, C., Giesen, W. & Valbo-Jørgensen, J. (2006) Species diversity and ecology of Tonle Sap Great Lake. Aquatic Sciences, 68, 355–373.FiA—Fisheries Administration (2006) National Action Plan for Coral Reef and Seagrass Management in Cambodia 2006–2015. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Fisheries Administration, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.Hogan, Z.S., Moyle, P.B., May, B., Vander Zanden, M.J. & Baird, I.G. (2004) The imperiled giants of the Mekong. American Scientist, 92, 228–237.Ing T., Jensen, K.R., Pich S. & Va L. (2004) Shark and ray fi sheries in Cambodia: a review of national management activities. Fish for the People, 2, 24–31.Ing T., Jensen, K.R. & Va L. (2006) Field Guide to the Marine Living Resources of Cambodia. Fisheries Administration, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.Ing T., Etoh, S. & Sornkliang, J. (2010) The role of fi shers’ group in the establishment and management of a refugia system: experience of Cambodia. Fish for the People, 8, 32.Nao T., Ing T. & Jensen, K.R. (2013) Relevant international and regional instruments for sustainable development of small-scale marine fi sheries: signifi cance to Cambodia. Fish for the People, 11, 24–31. UNEP—United Nations Environment Programme (2004) Coral Reefs in the South China Sea. UNEP/GEF/SCS Technical Publication No. 2., United Nations Environment Programme, Bangkok, Thailand.UNEP—United Nations Environment Programme (2007) Seagrass Demonstration Sites in the South China Sea. UNEP/GEF/SCS Technical Publication No. 6., United Nations Environment Programme, Bangkok, Thailand.Vo, S.T. & Pernett a, J.C. (2010) The UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project: lessons learnt in regional cooperation. Ocean & Coastal Management, 53, 589–596.Vo, S.T., Pernett a, J.C. & Paterson, C.J. (2013) Status and trends in coastal habitats of the South China Sea. Ocean & Coastal Management, 85, 153–163.

Lots of information collected about marine living resources, but where is it? And can it be trusted?

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Lots of information collected about marine living resources, but where is it? And can it be trusted?

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