FINAL REPORT Review of Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystem in the Lower Mekong River Basin of Cambodia By Kol Vathana Department of Nature Conservation and Protection Ministry of Environment Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia Submitted to The Cambodian National Mekong Committee Secretariat (CNMCS) and THE MEKONG RIVER COMMISSION SECRETARIAT (MRCS) August 2003 1 TABLE OF CONTENT I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................6 II. WETLAND BIODIVERSITY ..............................................................................................9 2.1 Current Status...................................................................................................................9 2.2 Ecosystem Diversity ........................................................................................................9 2.2.1 Freshwater Ecosystem ..............................................................................................9 2.2.2 Coastal and Marine Ecosystem...............................................................................12 2.3 Species Diversity ...........................................................................................................15 2.3.1 Fauna.......................................................................................................................15 2.3.2 Flora ........................................................................................................................19 2.4 Genetic Diversity ...........................................................................................................20 III CAMBODIAN WETLANDS SYSTEM ............................................................................20 3.1 Wetland Classification System ......................................................................................20 3.1.1 Systems of Wetland Habitats..................................................................................21 3.1.2 Categories of Wetland Habitats ..............................................................................22 3.1.3 Wetland Sub-categories and Dominance Types .....................................................23 3.1.4 The Water Regime ..................................................................................................25 3.1.5 Artificial Modifiers .................................................................................................26 3.2 Major Wetland Types ....................................................................................................26 3.3 Cambodian Important Wetland sites..............................................................................29 3.3.1 Freshwater Wetland Sites .......................................................................................29 3.3.2 Brackish Water Wetland Sites ................................................................................29 3.3.3 Marine Wetland Sites..............................................................................................30 3.3.4 Regionally Significant Sites....................................................................................32 3.5.5 Internationally Significant Sites “RAMSAR SITES”.............................................33 3.4 Key Stakeholders within the Wetlands Management ....................................................34 3.4.1 Key Government Stakeholders ...............................................................................34 3.4.2 Non-governmental Stakeholders.............................................................................52 3.5 GOVERMENT POLICIES AND PLANS.....................................................................54 3.5.1 National Planning Framework ................................................................................54 3.5.2 National Legal and Policy Framework ...................................................................56 3.5.3 International Laws, Treaties, and Conventions.......................................................60 3.5.4 Existing Wetland Management Plans .....................................................................60 IV. Data and information related to Wetlands.........................................................................61 4.1 Data available.................................................................................................................62 4.2 Data uses ........................................................................................................................63 V. EXISTING INITIATIVES RELATED TO WETLAND MANAGEMNT........................64 5.1 National Activities .........................................................................................................64 5.2 Regional Activities.........................................................................................................67 VI. CONSTRAINTS IN WETLAND MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION ..............69 6.1 Policy Constraints ..........................................................................................................69 6.2 Legal Constraints ...........................................................................................................69 6.3 Organizational Constraints.............................................................................................70 6.4 Human Resource Constraints.........................................................................................70 6.5 Law Enforcement Constraints........................................................................................71 6.6 Management System Constraints...................................................................................71 6.7 Financial Constraints .....................................................................................................72 VII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................72 VIII. RECOMMENDATION ..................................................................................................73 8.1 General Recommendation..............................................................................................73 2 8.2 Specific Recommendation .............................................................................................75 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................77 ANNEX Annex I: Fish species in Boeung Veng...............................................................................79 Annex II: Fish species were caught by local people in Siem Bok .......................................82 Annex III: Wildlife species recorded in Boeung Veng through interviews...........................84 Annex IV: Species of wildlife sold in Stung Treng province................................................87 Annex V: Species of Flooded Forest Vegetation in along the Mekong River in Siem Bok.88 Annex VI: Flooded forest species in Boeung Veng, Stung Treng Province .........................89 Annex VII: Important Wetland Sites in Cambodia..................................................................90 FIGURE Figure 1: The System for the Classification of Wetlands....................................................21 Figure 2: Description of Classification of the Wetland Systems ........................................22 Figure 3: Description of the Classification of the Wetland Categories...............................23 Figure 4: Sub-categories for exposed substrate and open water .........................................24 Figure 5: Description of the Sub-categories of Aquatic beds..............................................25 Figure 6: Main Wetland Types............................................................................................28 TABLE Table 1: Area of Wetland of International Significance in Indochina.................................7 Table 2: Internationally Significant Bird Species Known from Cambodia .......................18 Table 3: Cambodian Land Use Classification for Wetlands..............................................28 Table 4: Matrix of role and responsibility of government agencies ..................................51 Table 5: Various Institutions in relation to Wetland Types in Cambodia..........................53 3 Acknowledgement The idea of developing this paper is to review the status of wetland management in Cambodia in order to seek for support in wetland management and conservation; to look at constraints, opportunities and existing wetland initiatives and to seek for collaboration and cooperation among wetland experts and institutions, which are stakes to wetland in order to develop further plans and activities for future management and conservation of wetland and their resources. This paper was prepared with financial support from MRCS and CNMC to conduct research for existing data and information related to wetland management in Cambodia. I am extremely grateful for support and encouragement through the process of development of this paper. Many thanks to Mr. Chin Samuth, Associate Environmentalist, MRCS for coordinating, facilitation and provision of many ideas and documents in fulfilling this paper until getting satisfactory results. My special gratitude's is also forwarded to the following persons: 1. Mr. Meas Sophal, Deputy Director of the Department of Nature Conservation and Protection, the Former National Project Director of the Inventory