to Map 3 of Appendix for MPA sites and other relevant areas)

2.1. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
The coastline of Cambodia contains sandy beaches, muddy and rocky shores that are fringed by coral reefs and seagrass beds. Some 52 islands occur in near- and offshore waters and many are uninhabited. Islands are wooded and a number of them have fringing coral reefs with seagrass beds developing on reef flats. Aerial surveys done in 1994 showed that coral reefs exist around much of Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samlem, Koh Sdach, Kos Pos, Koh Ta Kiev, Koh Thmey and Koh Seas (UNEP 2000).

Coastal mangroves are divided into four zones: a) the Avicennia-Sonneratia; b) the Rhizophora; c) the Brugieria-Kandelia-Ceriops; and d) the Lumnitzera-Xylocarpus-Bruguiera. To the rear of the mangroves is a distinctive habitat dominated by Melaleuca leucadendron often with the presence of the large fern Acrostichum sp., some palms and Nypa fructicans, and other trees and shrubs characteristic of mangroves.

Seagrass beds occur throughout the coastal zone of Cambodia but are most extensive in Kampot province and Kep municipality. There are two types of seagrass habitats: a) extensive seagrass meadows along the mainland, and b) patches of seagrass intermingled with corals around the islands.

2.2 Significant Species
A brief survey at Koh Tang identified around 70 species in 33 genera and 11 families of corals (UNEP 2000). Coral diversity is higher in offshore reefs while inshore areas have low species diversity and dominated by massive corals (Wilkinson 2000). There are 435 fish species from 97 families in the waters falling within Cambodia’s exclusive economic zone. Some 30 species of true mangroves have been recognised and eight species of seagrass have been identified so far.

Four species of marine turtles have been reportedly seen in the country’s waters in the past. These include the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Green (Chelonia mydas), Olive Ridley (Lepodochelys olivacea), and Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacia) turtles. Fishers have reportedly sighted crocodiles probably Saltwater Crocodiles(Crocodylus porosus) in Koh Kong estuaries and Prek Toek Sap.

The endangered dugong (Dugong dugon) was reportedly abundant in parts of the coast especially near Pre Ksach in Koh Kong District, and in Kampot Bay. The more endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) have been reported in many places within the Cambodian coastal zone. Other cetacean species known to occur in the country’s coastal zone are Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis), Common Dolphin (Dephinus delphis), Bottle-nosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Spinner Dolphin (Stenela logirostris), and Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) (Vathana and Vibol, pers.comm).

2.3 Legislation and Administrative Framework
On 1 November 1993, His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk issued a Royal Decree, “Creation and Designation of Protected Areas”, designating 23 areas, covering some 3.3 million hectares or almost 19% of Cambodia’s total land area, as National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Protected Landscapes, and Multiple Use Areas. Most of these areas have yet to be properly surveyed and demarcated. Minimal conservation management has actually been implemented on the ground. It should be noted that all the Coastal Protected Areas are part of the National Protected Area System.

Categories of Cambodia’s Protected Area (Royal Decree, 1 November 1993):

• National Park – National and scenic area of significance for their scientific, educational and recreational values (equivalent to IUCN Category II – National Park);

• Wildlife Sanctuary – Natural area where nationally significant species of flora and fauna, natural communities, or physical features require specific intervention for their perpetuation (equivalent to IUCN Category IV – Wildlife Sanctuary);

• Protected Landscapes – Nationally significant natural and semi-natural landscapes that must be maintained to provide opportunity for recreation and tourism (equivalent to IUCN Category V – Protected Landscapes); and,

• Multiple-Use Management Areas – The areas that provide for the sustainability of water resources, timber, wildlife, fish, pasture, and recreation with the conservation of nature primarily oriented to support these economic activities (equivalent to IUCN Category VIII – Multiple-Use Management Area).

Special International Categories:

• UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve (MAB Reserve) –The Tonle Sap Multiple- Use Management Area was nominated as Cambodia’s first MAB Reserve in1997 and was approved by UNESCO in 1997; the MoE serves as the National Focal Point for this MAB Reserve;

• Ramsar Site – The Boeng Chmar portion of Tonle Sap Multiple-Use Management Area (28,000 ha.), the Koh Kapik wetland and associated islets in the Peam Krasop WS (12,000 ha.), and the Middle Stretches of the Mekong River Area between Stoeng Treng and the border with Laos (14,600 ha.) were designated as Ramsar Sites.

• ASEAN Heritage Site – Candidate sites could be National Parks (NPs) and Nature Reserves that deserve the highest recognition so that their importance can be recognized regionally and internationally. On 20–23 September 2000, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) sent its own delegation to attend the Workshop on the Guidelines and Criteria for the Selection of ASEAN Heritage Parks in Hanoi; most of the Candidate sites submitted are terrestrial.

Other major environmental legislation

• Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management (1996)

• Law on Protection of Cultural and National Heritage

• Praka No. 1033 on the Protection of Natural Areas (3 June 1994)

• Decree No. 33 on Fishery Management and Administration;

• New Fisheries Policy and Fisheries Law (in the state of flux at the moment);

• Policy and Planning currently center on policy definition through the revision and elaboration of the public administration structure and legal framework of the country, such as:

• New version of the Forestry Law, Fisheries Law, Land Law, and Water Law, as well as associated Sub-Decrees such as the Protected Areas Sub-Decree, Community Forestry Sub-Decree, and Tonle Sap Protected Area (PA) Sub-Decree (all are still under preparation);

• The creation of new ministries whose mandates are likely to have a bearing on coastal and marine environment management – Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and the Ministry of Land Management, Urbanization, and Construction; and

• The formation of various inter-ministerial committees as a means to achieve inter-agency coordination – National Committee for Forest Management Policy, National Committee for PA Management, National Coastal Steering Committee, etc.

• National Environmental Action Plan (1998-2002):

• First phase (1–2 yrs) – strengthening government policy, regulatory framework, and preparation and enactment of a law on PA management

• Second phase (3–5 yrs) – human resource development, mobilizing financial resources, preparation and implementation of PA management plans for selected reserves [e.g. Preah Sihanouk (Ream) National Park, Phnom Bokor National Park, and the Koh Kapik Ramsar Site].

• National Wetland Action Plan (1997) – is of high importance to PA design and management countrywide as it alerts designers to areas of high biodiversity significance to assure that these special sites are included within the PA system and receive appropriate management attention.

The seven government institutions responsible for coastal and marine resources in general are:

• Ministry of Environment;

• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries;

• Ministry of Rural Development;

• Ministry of Tourism;

• Ministry of Land Management, Urbanization, and Construction;

• Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology; and

• Provincial / Municipal Authorities.

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) are the main government agencies responsible for biodiversity conservation.

The MoE oversees the following matters: (i) policy and planning; (ii) natural resource management; (iii) nature conservation and protection; (iv) environmental impact assessment (EIA) and pollution control; (v) education and communication; and (vi) legal affairs. The MAFF is mandated to manage the country’s forests, including inundated forests, mangroves, primary and secondary forests, forest concession management, as well as wildlife and fisheries. Two technical departments of MAFF are directly relevant to biodiversity management and protection. Administratively, the Fishery Department is responsible for the marine water and mangrove areas while the MoE is responsible for protected areas, whether terrestrial or marine.

Several on-going projects in coastal areas deal with environmental management. Specifically, the project on Coastal and Marine Environmental Management in the South China Sea includes the development of a marine protected area plan for Cambodia (UNEP 2000).

2.4 Extent of Existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) System
Marine conservation through MPAs is a new concept to Cambodia despite the long history of terrestrial protected areas. The present system of coastal and marine protected areas in Cambodia comprises six reserves, but two are wholly terrestrial. The four other reserves that have marine components are:

• Botum Sakor National Park (171,250 ha, including terrestrial): encompasses wetland sites of international importance including Stoeng Taak and Stoeng Kol;

• Preah Sihanouk (Ream) National Park (21,000 ha): including offshore islands and surrounding waters, although the marine boundary has never been precisely defined;

• Dong Peng Multiple Use Area (27,700 ha): includes wetland sites of international importance including Prek Chrey, Prek Thnung, and Prek Kampong Som;

• Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary (23,750 ha-terrestrial): encompasses the Koh Kapik Ramsar Site.

All coastal and marine protected areas need to undergo detailed resources and ecological survey to configure their boundaries, and to include fully participatory community involvement in finalising these boundaries.

The 15,000 ha. Ream National Park has recently been extended to include marine areas and renamed as Preah Sihanouk National Park in March 1995. The 23,750-ha Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary (declared in 1993) includes a narrow strip of coastal waters, tidal flat, mangrove, Melaleuca forest and watershed areas. Preah Sihanouk (Ream) National Park and Koh Kapik were found to meet the international requirement to be included as regionally Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

2.5 Proposed MPAs
The coastal areas and associated islets of Kaoh Kapik close to the border with Thailand have been proposed for recognition as a RAMSAR site. The area has abundant sand flats and some mud flats between the alluvial islands, mangrove, Melaleuca and beach vegetation.

2.6 Evaluation of MPAs - Status, Threats and Management
Most of the coastal wetland areas are threatened by encroachment of intensive shrimp ponds, repeated burning of Melaleuca areas, and to a lesser extent, fuelwood and timber cutting. Blast fishing, cyanide and coral collection, trawling and sewage run-off are major threats to corals (UNEP 2000). Blast fishing and extensive coral collection seem to be the most alarming threats to country’s reefs, and have extensively damaged many reef areas. Overfishing is also prevalent (UNEP 2000; WRI 2002, see Figure 2.1).

The tourism industry made a comeback along the coast during the early 1990s but recent violence directed at foreigners has slowed these activities. Should political stability be achieved, coastal resources would clearly come under pressure from the development of the tourism industry in a manner similar to Thailand

2.7 Gaps in MPA System
Status and Inventory. Much of the coastal and marine biodiversity information is anecdotal and not sufficient for obtaining a clear understanding of spatial and temporal trends on coastal and marine biodiversity. No recent comprehensive coastal and marine surveys have been undertaken and there is a tremendous shortage of available data andrecords. Since 1993, donors and non-government organisations (NGOs) have financed most of the information on coastal and marine biodiversity, but these efforts have been somewhat disparate, not comprehensive, and oftentimes not documented.

Other important issues related to data and information include: very limited technical comprehensive capabilities in many institutions, general weakness in existing statistical data, and limited information sharing among agencies.

2.8 Priority Sites
The only protected area with a substantial marine area, Preah Sihanouk National Park, is rated as national priority. No regional marine priority site can be identified at this stage. Together, the Kaoh Kapik and Pream Krasop areas will form a high priority wetland site.

2.9 Priority Actions
The Government recognizes the serious degradation of the country’s natural resource base and increasing environmental deterioration of urban areas. With the assistance of UNDP, the government is currently preparing an Environmental Action Plan (UNEP 2000).

A. Carry out biodiversity survey and feasibility studies to evaluate the conservation potential of the marine areas of the country. Cooperation with Thai and Vietnamese scientists is recommended.

B. Develop sustainable utilization of mangrove and Melaleuca resources. Control the spread of intensive shrimp culture and reforest with local species where necessary.

C. Promote exchange of scientific findings and management examples on coastal resources and shrimp culture with Thailand and Vietnam.

D. Provide training to MPA and coastal protected areas planners and managers.