Marine conservation in Cambodia
| country: | Cambodia |
| departures: | 2010: 13 Jan, 10 Feb, 10 Mar, 7 Apr, 5 May, 9 Jun, 7 Jul, 11 Aug, 8 Sep, 6 Oct, 3 Nov, 1 Dec, 29 Dec |
| price: | From £1250 (4 weeks) excluding flights. |
| more info: | Price includes full-board accommodation, PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water training (if needed) and free Emergency First Response training. Marine science and skills and Reef Check training are also included! Min. age 16 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Cambodia, a country of rich natural beauty and a tainted past has rapidly become a fantastic tourism destination for any adventurer travelling through South East Asia seeking a unique experience.
It offers a wonderful blend of cultural history with attractions like Angkor Wat, natural spectacles like the huge Mekong river basin and a rich marine wilderness populated with an enormous range of macro-life. When scuba diving off the shores of Cambodia or off one of its’ 77 offshore islands; divers are treated to inquisitive octopods, beautiful and shy seahorses and a vibrant array of nudibranchs.
Unlike much of the rest of SE Asia, Cambodia’s natural forests and tropical reefs have remained in a relatively pristine state. Although this is still the case, natural resource exploitation is on the rise and there has be an urgent call to scientists to help protect and conserve these treasures before it’s too late. This pilot project will pioneer some of the first marine conservation research ever done off of Cambodia's coastal waters. While surveying largely un-chartered waters in the Gulf of Thailand; who knows what new species may be discovered? More importantly, the valuable information that will be collected by you will be used to initiate effective coastal marine management for Cambodia’s marine resources.
Volunteers come from all walks of life and from ages 16 to 70+. Volunteers require no prior scientific background as they are fully trained on site in topics ranging from marine ecology to species identification and survey techniques – so no prior training is needed!
Depending on your current diving level, you will start your expedition with PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water training, and once everyone is qualified up to that level, the Skills Development Programme (SDP) will begin. The science programme covers topics such as reef surveying methods, species identification, coral reef ecology and whole myriad of other useful expedition skills that will give any diver the practical and theoretical know how needed to help survey the reefs and contribute tangibly to our conservation efforts in Cambodia.
All volunteers will be training using the international accredited Reef Check surveying method, and by doing so become an internationally certified Reef Check Ecodiver.
The focus of the project is to carry out a rapid assessment of the coral reefs off Cambodia’s coastline in the Gulf of Thailand, and from that gather a substantial amount of valuable ecological information that will allow us, along with the Ministry of Fisheries Cambodia, to develop effective marine resource management plans for the area. These recommendations will take into account all those with a stake in the natural resource, the hotel and resorts, the government and most importantly, the local communities who’s livelihoods depend on these fragile and bountiful environments.
It offers a wonderful blend of cultural history with attractions like Angkor Wat, natural spectacles like the huge Mekong river basin and a rich marine wilderness populated with an enormous range of macro-life. When scuba diving off the shores of Cambodia or off one of its’ 77 offshore islands; divers are treated to inquisitive octopods, beautiful and shy seahorses and a vibrant array of nudibranchs.
Unlike much of the rest of SE Asia, Cambodia’s natural forests and tropical reefs have remained in a relatively pristine state. Although this is still the case, natural resource exploitation is on the rise and there has be an urgent call to scientists to help protect and conserve these treasures before it’s too late. This pilot project will pioneer some of the first marine conservation research ever done off of Cambodia's coastal waters. While surveying largely un-chartered waters in the Gulf of Thailand; who knows what new species may be discovered? More importantly, the valuable information that will be collected by you will be used to initiate effective coastal marine management for Cambodia’s marine resources.
your role as a volunteer
This coral reef research will support and assist the government’s fisheries department and the local communities around Koh Rong. To achieve this, you will: - Undertake all the dive and science training needed to contribute to our conservation work.
- Undertake a rapid assessment of coastal marine resources around Koh Rong Island as well as the other islands.
- Collect information on ecologically and commercially important marine species.
- Produce detailed coastal habitat maps for use as an educational and planning tool for Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation.
Volunteers come from all walks of life and from ages 16 to 70+. Volunteers require no prior scientific background as they are fully trained on site in topics ranging from marine ecology to species identification and survey techniques – so no prior training is needed!
Depending on your current diving level, you will start your expedition with PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water training, and once everyone is qualified up to that level, the Skills Development Programme (SDP) will begin. The science programme covers topics such as reef surveying methods, species identification, coral reef ecology and whole myriad of other useful expedition skills that will give any diver the practical and theoretical know how needed to help survey the reefs and contribute tangibly to our conservation efforts in Cambodia.
All volunteers will be training using the international accredited Reef Check surveying method, and by doing so become an internationally certified Reef Check Ecodiver.
The focus of the project is to carry out a rapid assessment of the coral reefs off Cambodia’s coastline in the Gulf of Thailand, and from that gather a substantial amount of valuable ecological information that will allow us, along with the Ministry of Fisheries Cambodia, to develop effective marine resource management plans for the area. These recommendations will take into account all those with a stake in the natural resource, the hotel and resorts, the government and most importantly, the local communities who’s livelihoods depend on these fragile and bountiful environments.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Why Cambodia?
Cambodia as a nation currently lacks the financial and technical means to support the conservation of many of its natural resources and like so many developing nations is aiming to profit directly from exploiting them. Recently, tourism in Cambodia has increased exponentially with attractions like Angkor Wat being the main attraction thanks to films like ‘the Tomb Raider’. Dive tourism has also flourished as tourists seek different activities while on holiday. Cambodia’s waters are home to a large number of unique corals and undiscovered micro-species that need protection from commercial and destructive fishing techniques, as well as irresponsible scuba diving practices. With this in mind the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Cambodia called on the expertise of this British NGO to conduct a rapid assessment of the area's marine resources, with the intention of developing a longer-term monitoring and management plan, which would engage and involve the local community. Prior to project launch a thorough and dynamic risk assessment was carried out, involving a visit by the Operations Director to analyse the technical requirements, financial resources required, and environmental concerns of the area, to determine viability. This pilot phase is the next step of the process to discover what is hidden on the reefs of Cambodia. The beautiful and picturesque Island of Koh Rong has been identified as the perfect expedition base for the pilot project and it’s thanks to the involvement of the 'Dive Shop Cambodia’ that this has been possible. Dive Shop Cambodia is an ethnic and environmentally conscious Dive Shop that is committed to benefiting the communities in their local area; to date they have already help reestablish a school on Koh Rong for the small fishing community. Long term goals The long-term aims are to help establish a coastal management plan for the area and set up a series of marine protected areas, which will help protect the most diverse habitats and decrease the deterioration and degradation of the coral reef. Once the pilot project has been run, we intend to begin working more closely with the local communities to assist them in creating a sustainable and eco-friendly tourism industry in the area. This will allow them to benefit directly in the short term from alternative livelihood means while simultaneously preserving fish for generations to come. Through the collection of survey data by scientists and expedition volunteers, GIS habitat and species maps will be created for the area to reflect different levels of diversity of the region. Once the monitoring and conservation programme has been established and adopted by a local NGO or preferably the local community; community based marine protected areas can be recommended and established. Local community All volunteers are directed to the FCO’s, ‘Know Before you Go’ campaign which will clearly advise volunteers on local customs and cultures and how best to respect them. Volunteers are guided by the Expedition Leader and other staff members to ensure their smooth integration into local communities. As the organisation has the approval of the Ministry of Fisheries and is working with a local counterpart, the local community will be aware of the mission. Furthermore, volunteers are not allowed to wonder off into the community, we support and encourage cultural exchange however in an environment that suits the local community. As the project grows we intend to establish a scholar programme for locals and have a Cambodian community liaison officer who will represent the organisation within the local community. Volunteers are the 'life-blood' of this conservation project and through actively taking part in interactive learning sessions in local schools and welcoming children on site, the surrounding villagers will soon become accustomed and aware of our work and we hope appreciate the project’s value. Quite often local tourist businesses (e.g. resorts/hotels) act irresponsibly towards the host nation and it natural resources, thus bringing huge problems and antaganism from the communities whose livelihoods depend directly on the environment. By gazetting particular marine areas as Marine Protected Areas with the involvment of local NGO's, fishermen and the government, the project aims to provide a prosperous future for all those with a rightful stake in the marine habitat. This can only be achieved through education, knowledge-sharing and a ‘grass roots’ community lead initiative. Furthermore, volunteers have the opportunity to pass on their pearls of wisdom to local communities during environmental education workshops and the weekly community work either on site or away. All Education Officers are professionally qualified teachers and together with the Expedition Leader continuously devise an engaging educational programme for communities. Cambodia volunteers will also have the opportunity to receive a globally acknowledged 'Reef Check Ecodiver' qualification worth £250 for FREE, branding them ‘diving conservationists' able to contribute to reef surveys around the world. We will run local scholarship programmes. The ‘Scholarship Programmes' will become available to any suitable Cambodian citizen wishing to make an active contribution towards the protection and sustainable use of their coral reefs and each Award includes full board and lodging at the project base and full training (including SCUBA training, if necessary) and use of project equipment. Parallel to the Scholarship Programme we hope to initiate education and awareness activity within the local communities, teaching and involving communities in the work we do, with the aim of promotion friendly fishing methods and sustainable use as the benchmark for all fishing and marine resource use activity. Accommodation The site on Koh Rong is very remote, allowing the expedition to commence without external disturbances. Local partner the ‘Dive Shop Cambodia’, who source most of their staff locally, manages it, and if the pilot project becomes an established expedition, locals will fill current roles on expedition. The camp is eco-friendly with basic bungalows, which volunteers will share in groups of 2-4. All electricity is turned off for the night and meals are prepared on gas hubs. Recycling is used and beach clean-up sessions are done regularly. Drinking water is available but volunteers are taught to perceive things responsibly and become eco-tourists. |
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