Koh Kong Communities Link Mangrove Restoration With Livelihoods and Basic Services

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In Koh Kong's coastal villages, protecting mangrove forests is becoming as much about securing household livelihoods as restoring a ...

KOH KONG – In Koh Kong's coastal villages, protecting mangrove forests is becoming as much about securing household livelihoods as restoring a threatened ecosystem. Communities are replanting degraded forests, developing ecotourism and working with conservation partners to find alternatives to activities that once contributed to widespread forest loss.

The approach is central to the Krasop Blue Carbon project, which seeks to combine mangrove conservation with improvements in residents' access to clean water, education, healthcare and alternative sources of income.

For fishing families, the stakes are particularly high. Healthy mangrove forests provide breeding and nursery grounds for fish and other aquatic species, while helping protect coastal settlements from storms and erosion. Their decline can therefore affect both the natural environment and the food security of households that depend on fishing.

More than 80 percent of residents in the Koh Kapik community rely primarily on fishing, according to community chief Nin Chandara. The community's protected area covers 1,295 hectares and includes 399 households, with a population of 1,573 people, including 853 women.

Chandara said residents began planting mangroves between 2005 and 2007, initially restoring about 95 hectares. However, only around 47 hectares remain, making continued restoration a priority for the community.

With support from local authorities, technical departments and partner organizations, residents are continuing to replant mangroves and protect the remaining forests.

The need for restoration reflects decades of environmental damage. Chandara said extensive mangrove destruction occurred during the 1990s, when trees were cut down and converted into charcoal for sale outside the area.

Although large-scale destruction has stopped in recent years, some residents are still permitted to collect limited quantities of wood for house repairs and other household needs.

Finding alternative sources of income has…

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