全球智库信息集成服务系统

The Tonle Sap Lake located in Cambodia is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is the seventh largest lake in the world in terms of size in the wet season. It provides habitats for hundreds different kind of fish, reptile, bird and mammal species. Moreover, it supports one of the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world, with annual yields of 230,000 tons; equivalent to approximately half of Cambodia’s total fish production. The livelihood setting of the Tonle Sap area is as exceptional as its flood pulsing system. While people living in the lake and its floodplains have adapted to the seasonal variation of the lake’s water level, they are also deeply dependent on the resources and services that the lake and its floodplains provide, including agricultural products as well as fish and other aquatic animals and plants. Unfortunately, over the last few years, a number of challenges such as overfishing spurred by destructive and illegal fishing techniques, water quality deterioration, decreasing in lake’s water level, as well as other socio-economic and environmental changes around the lake have significantly affected to the livelihood of people living in or around the lake. Thus, this study aims to investigate how these socio-economic and environmental changes impact on the livelihoods of local communities. Consequently, appropriate strategies have been proposed to improve the lake’s management