Advocacy in Cambodia: Increasing Democratic ... - Pact Cambodia

conclusion of the forum, the government
promised to address the issue and allocate fishing
areas to the community concerned. However,
government officials indicated it would be
necessary to conduct a study first.
The study was conducted, but its results were
considered unsatisfactory by the NGO community
due to the lack of resources used in conducting
the study such as appropriate equipment to map
lots. Oxfam GB provided the provincial
Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Battambang
with a $1,000 grant to conduct a study, which was
later entitled Mini Case #1: All Our Livelihoods
Are Dead. The resultant study indicated that lot
areas would indeed be turned over to
communities, but that the lots suggested were
inappropriate because they had no fish in them in
the dry season.
Following the public forum, local NGOs in
Battambang formed a smaller provincial fisheries
network. Members included Krom Aphiwat
Phum, Village Support Group, Aphiwat Sitrey,
Chivit Thmey, KNCED, CFDS, and LEUCINA.
Meanwhile, in Phnom Penh, the fisheries
working group met to discuss follow-up activities.
A case study of the Battambang dispute was
prepared and distributed to NGOs, government
staff, and donors. The DoF, however, did not
appreciate the report, which it perceived as being
critical of the DoF. The purpose of the report was
to disseminate information while encouraging
network members to report back on any other
similar disputes in their areas. A presentation was
made to the environment working group. As many
participants had cases to add to the discussion,
the working group decided to document other
cases in Stung Treng, Kompong Chhnang, and
Kompong Thom. The NGO Forum, which
published the case studies, has been progressively
improving them. The Kompong Thom report
produced in July 2001 provides an excellent
example of documenting a case and identifying
which laws have been violated.
Daily fishing activities in Battambang province.
Since 1989, the government has been
commercializing freshwater fisheries and
the area reserved for fishing concessions
has increased significantly. As a result,
an increasing number of fishing
communities have been barred access to
traditional fishing grounds, representing
a severe threat to their livelihood.
As the number of disputes reported
increased, the NGO Forum decided to organize
provincial fisheries workshops to discuss fisheries
management starting in October 2000. These
were conducted in Battambang, Kompong Cham,
Pursat, Kompong Thom, Kompong Chhnang,
Kratie, Stung Treng, and Kompong Som (for the
three coastal provinces of Kompong Som,
Kampot, and Koh Kong).
Representatives of fishing communities and
NGOs were then invited to attend a national
workshop on fisheries management in Phnom
Penh held in December 2000. The workshop was
organized by Wetlands International for the DoF
and funded by Oxfam America. Oxfam’s support
made it possible for NGOs to request that nongovernment
staff and community members be
included; had it not been for this, it is unlikely that
the DoF would have invited them. The workshop
proved to be a challenge for the DoF, which until
then had not had experience in open consultation
with NGOs. Although the discussion was
productive, the workshop did not result in an
action plan - the government indicated that it was
already addressing NGO and community concerns
regarding fisheries through the above-mentioned
provincial sub-decrees on Removal of Fishing Lots
and Reduction of Fishing Grounds.
In August 2000, Oxfam GB’s workshop on
landlessness suggested that forestry and fisheries
were important factors contributing to the
livelihood of the poor. The Land Study Project,
which found that 20% of the rural population
depended on forestry while another 20%
depended on fisheries, was expanded to include a
review of these two sectors. A consultant
conducted a review of existing legislation, and the
report, which recommended co-management of
fisheries resources, was widely circulated.
Prime Minister Announces Reduction of
Fishing Concessions
Provincial Fisheries Sub-Decrees Passed
While NGOs were learning the extent and
Case Studies
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