• Society

Prek Kampong Smach Designated Marine Fisheries Management Area

• By Chhum Chantha
• March 30, 2024 7:00 PM

PHNOM PENH — The mangrove and flooded forest of the Prek Kampong Smach sanctuary in Preah Sihanouk Province have been designated Marine Fisheries Management Area by the Cambodian government.

A move that, according to Provincial Governor Kuoch Chamroeun, will support sustainable biodiversity management, and also contribute to local people’s livelihood through ecotourism and fishing, said on March 28 Provincial Governor Kuoch Chamroeun who was speaking during the designation ceremony.

Flowing through six communes in the province’s Prey Nop district and receiving water from 16 tributaries of the surrounding area, Prek Kampong Smach spans 10,923 hectares, covering 2, 876 hectares of mangrove forest​​​ and about two hectares of seagrass. The sanctuary is home to rock crabs, oysters as well as numerous fish species.

“The designation of Kampong Smach canal as a marine fisheries management area is a success for Sihanoukville but requires more expertise and [the involvement of] community members to conserve it,” Chamroeun said.

Better marine management will bring about abundant fish catches, help attract tourists and ensure climate resilience, he said.

The establishment of this management area is expected to strengthen the management and sustainability of marine biodiversity in the sanctuary, which is also a source of food for people in the Prek Kampong Smach area, and to help maintain the coastal ecosystem, Chamroeun said.

Obtaining the designation of Marine Fisheries Management Area for the Prek Kampong Smach sanctuary was no easy task, he said. Many challenges were faced along the way, and in the meantime, the sanctuary was affected due to the lack of protection for its fisheries resources and marine biodiversity, he added.

Now that it is a Marine Fisheries Management Area, Chamroeun said, the community should help maintain the mangrove or even expand it both because fishing contributes to the local economy and because the location will attract tourists.

In any case, local residents will be playing a key role to protect the sanctuary, and those who do not have the “conservation spirit” should not be allowed to live in the area, Chamroeun added.