Mobilizing Villagers to Stop Illegal Fishing along the Srepok River in Ratanakiri Province Chapter 17 (Emerging Trends, Challenges and Innovations: CBNRM in Cambodia)
File under: Agrarian Reform and Access to Land
This chapter is based on research conducted from March to July 2007
by the participants of the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC)
Analyzing Development Issues (ADI) community course with the ADI and
3SPN (3 Rivers Protection Network) teams. Upon realizing that the use of
illegal fi shing techniques was endemic to the area, this paper describes
a participatory action research (PAR) method to mobilize community
members to take action against the destructive practices. The research
focuses on (1) how can villages develop and implement community
action plans to reduce destructive practices? And (2) how can villagers
effectively coordinate with commune council and government offi cials
to implement their plans? The research results conclude that villagers
need to overcome fear, powerlessness, and confusion to act effectively,
which requires ongoing support from each other as well as from outside
stakeholder. The results also include the possibility of scaling up the
approach within core areas of NGO programming.
