Breadcrumb
Cambodia
Capital:
Phnom Penh
Land Area:
176,515km²
Inland Water Area:
4,520km²
Length of Coastline:
435km
Cambodia has implemented the ICM framework along 100% of its 435km coastline, covering the four coastal provinces of Kampot, Kep, Koh Kong, and Preah Sihanouk. The Government of Cambodia has established a national ICM scaling up program that promotes ICM as a national approach to sustainably manage coastal and marine resources in the country. The ocean and water resources are important to Cambodia and Cambodians. The fisheries sector is the fourth-largest employer in Cambodia, employing about 385,000 people in 2007. It is also the fourth-biggest contributor to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Cambodian ICM implementation is founded on over a decade of experience on ICM implementation at the national ICM demonstration site in Preah Sihanouk, which began in 2001. ICM implementation in Preah Sihanouk covers 176km of coastline and 2,397km2 land area. Through a learning-by-doing approach that encourages local capacity development, ICM is providing practical solutions to coastal and marine management issues, benefiting over 200,000 stakeholders in the Province.
The ICM Program in Preah Sihanouk is addressing a variety of issues including: pollution reduction and waste management in Sangkat 4 through a community-driven waste collection and a micro-credit facility for sanitation facilities; livelihood management and sustainable coastal tourism in Occheuateal Beach; water use and supply management in Stung Hav District; and habitat protection and management of about 1,060ha of mangrove areas in Otress and Tomnob Rolok, Stung Hav and Kompong Smach, Prey Nup Districts. In 2016, motivated by the socio economic and environmental gains from the effective management of Preah Sihanouk, the other three coastal provinces started implementing their own provincial ICM programs.
Other sustainable efforts by the Royal Government of Cambodia include: (1) implementation of the Gulf of Thailand (GOT) Regional Framework Programme for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response; (2) implementation of the Port Safety Health and Environmental Management Systems in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville Autonomous Ports ; (3) preparation of Cambodia’s State of the Ocean and Coasts Report and; (4) development of on-the-ground activities addressing climate change and disaster risk reduction, habitat protection and restoration, water use and supply management, and pollution reduction and waste management under the broader ICM management framework of coastal provinces.
Focal Points:
H.E. Thay Chantha (Principal National Focal Point)
Deputy Secretary General of the National Committee for Cambodian Coastal Management and Development and Concurrent Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Protected Areas in the Ministry of Environment (MoE)
Mr. Roath Sith (Alternate National Focal Point)
Deputy Director-General, General Directorate of Environmental Protection, MoE
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
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PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the September e-bulletin!
With just over a month to go until the East Asian Seas Congress, we are excited to unveil our lineup of global and regional experts who will lead various technical sessions and plenary discussions. The opening ceremony will feature Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO and Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO, alongside Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, Ministers and senior leaders of PEMSEA country and non-country partners.
As the EASC returns to Xiamen, discover how the Congress has evolved and thrived over three decades, paralleling the city’s own journey toward promoting sustainable and resilient blue economy.
This month, PEMSEA representatives are taking the stage at various workshops and events across the globe. PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales participated in the Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop of Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries held in Beijing, China, on 26 September 2024 where she emphasized the importance of integrating coastal management mechanisms with area-based management tools to meet global biodiversity targets.
Ms. Nancy Bermas, Regional Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, attended the 10th Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23-26 September 2024, where she delivered a pitch on the IRBM Project’s experience in establishing governance mechanisms at both regional and basin levels.
While Ms. Gusung Lee, PEMSEA Technical Advisor was in Bangkok, Thailand to represent PEMSEA in a panel discussion on regional and subregional instruments, frameworks and bodies (IFBs) at the Workshop for North-East and South-East Asia on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), held from 16-20 September 2024. She discussed PEMSEA’s experience in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as essential tools to manage land-sea use interaction which would be vital in extending protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas.
From the field, we share the latest updates on the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN IRBM project which held a dialogue with indigenous leaders in the Province of Pampanga on 17 September 2024. The Marine Plastics Project local partners in Dipolog City and Bulan, Sorsogon in the Philippines participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on 21 September 2024.
In other news, PEMSEA and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have renewed their partnership on biodiversity conservation and marine habitat protection and restoration through a five-year Letter of Cooperation, signed on 20 September 2024, by their respective Executive Directors Aimee Gonzales and Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, check out the recent publication of six key scientific studies focused on marine conservation and sustainable development in the Arafura and Timor Seas.
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PEMSEA eBulletin - August 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the August e-bulletin!
We have a little over 60 days before EAS Congress 2024 kicks off! Do check out the messages from Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, alongside key officials Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, and Huang Wenhui, Mayor of Xiamen, inviting the global ocean community to join us in this triennial event to foster stronger regional collaboration in ocean governance and management.
This month’s bulletin also features the winners of the “Humans of East Asian Seas” challenge which we launched last year to commemorate PEMSEA’s 30th anniversary. Thirty local champions of coastal and marine conservation across the region were selected, with the top three profiled in this bulletin in recognition of their contributions in promoting sustainable coastal development, namely: Ms. Masako Bannai Otsuka of Japan, Mr. Prak Visal of Cambodia, and Dr. Wang Jinhe of China.
We also want to inform you about the new features on the SEA Knowledge Bank platform. The revamped platform now includes an e-library of scientific publications, an interactive map of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) sites, and new resources from ongoing projects.
Local government officials from Tangerang Regency, Indonesia, recently completed an ICM study tour in Batangas City, Philippines. The visit, held from 30 July to 1 August 2024, facilitated LGU to LGU knowledge exchange on sustainable coastal practices and management strategies.
The GEF/UNDP/ASEAN River Basin Project organized a Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workshop in Bogor City, Indonesia, on 6-7 August 2024. The workshop brought together participants from seven river basins in ASEAN member states to discuss regional GESI analysis, develop stakeholder maps, and improve capacity for mainstreaming GESI principles in river basin management programs.
In other updates, a recent PEMSEA study reveals growing interest in Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) across the East Asian Seas region. BCE projects, focusing on mangroves, seagrasses, and other critical habitats, are advancing efforts in conservation, research, and restoration.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, global experts convened in Bali, Indonesia for the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development with ATSEA-2 Regional Project Manager, Dr. Handoko Adi Susanto representing ATSEA/PEMSEA in the dialogue.
The 2024 EAS Congress will be hosted by China in Xiamen from 6-8 November 2024. It is organized through a partnership between the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, and PEMSEA.
The event will take place in conjunction with Xiamen World Ocean Week, featuring the city's commitment to sustainable ocean management and regional collaboration.
For more information, visit the 2024 EAS Congress website.
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PEMSEA NETWORK OF LEARNING CENTERS (PNLC) 2024 Executive Committee Meeting Proceedings
The document contains the proceedings from the PNLC Executive Committee (EC) held 22 July 2024 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines.
The meeting was participated in by the President and Vice-President of the PNLC, the PEMSEA Executive Director the PNLC Secretariat from IPB and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The agenda included:
· Review of the PNLC Workplan
· PNLC Secretariat Turnover MOA to CCMRS-IPB
· Updates and plans on PNLC Financial Sustainability Efforts
· New PNLC Membership Applications
· PNLG-PNLC Joint Session at the EAS Congress 2024
· 4th PNLC General Assembly AgendaThe meeting was organized jointly by the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (CCMRS) of the IPB University, Indonesia with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines.