Women root mangrove conservation in economic opportunity on Cambodian island

Designated a Ramsar Site – a wetland of international importance – in 1999, Koh Kapik perches on the Gulf of Thailand, where its sprawling 12,000 hectares of mangroves offer a buffer against the impacts of climate change. For Seab Sophea and the women on this Cambodian island, conservation has become a source of income and independence.

"Since the establishment of the tree nursery in our community, I have been happy because it has reduced the financial burdens on families. Women can earn income to support their households," said Sophea, who is a Deputy Chief for one of the villages on the island. "Mangrove forests are valuable habitats for wildlife," she continued. "They enrich the soil, help prevent flooding, and provide important ecological benefits."

Sophea leads a team of five women caretakers who manage a mangrove nursery. They've received training from the Fishing Cat Ecological Enterprise (FCEE) to learn advanced techniques to grow more than 14 species of mangrove trees for restoration as well as ecotourism activities. Since 2023, they've planted over 15,000 trees and have plans to plant 10,000 more in the coming years. Mangrove restoration is one part of FCEE’s broader conservation effort in Koh Kapik.

FCEE

FCEE team set up camera traps in Koh Kapik Ramsar site 

Home to an abundance of species, including the Hairy-nosed Otter and Large-spotted Civet, both listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Key Biodiversity Area of Koh Kapik is at increasing risk from land clearing and illegal demarcation. As the impacts of climate change worsen globally, coastal communities like Koh Kapik will increasingly depend on a healthy mangrove to protect them from storm surges and erosion.

“The awareness of the local communities is very important,” explained Vanessa Herranz Muñoz, Director of FCEE, an organisation working on the conservation of threatened wetland carnivores and restoration of their mangrove habitats in Cambodia. Supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and IUCN, with funding from the Government of Canada, FCEE have been working with the local community and authority to better understand the spread and density of priority species – including the Fishing Cat, Smooth-coated Otter, Hairy-nosed Otter and Large-spotted Civet – within the habitat. These species were selected largely due to their rarity in the region, particularly the Fishing Cat that was first documented in Koh Kapik just 10 years ago.

Working with rangers appointed by the local authority, FCEE have set up 22 camera traps to monitor population trends and assess conservation efforts. Camera traps captured rare footage of a mother and pup Hairy-nosed Otter. This footage, along with other data and evidence collected by FCEE since 2021, was used to inform a new management plan for the Ramsar Site with up-to-date information on species presence and population.

"Our community members have participated in mangrove restoration together with the tree nursery, including installing camera traps, monitoring the mangrove forest, and cleaning the environment,” shared Sophea, who has been encouraging her village to get involved. 

"We're also supporting women in the community so they can become leaders in conservation in the future," said Vanessa. By providing women with the necessary skills, FCEE aims to make women-led businesses a central part of conservation efforts for mangrove communities. As such, women in Koh Kapik have received training in conservation-conscious small business development from ideation and goal setting to market research, budget planning and record keeping.

These capacity building opportunities align with FCEE’s commitment towards gender equity across operations, as reflected in its Gender Action Plan. Examples of the plan’s implementation include enabling access to professional development opportunities, ensuring flexible working conditions that accommodate household obligations and a robust equal pay system for employees.

When it comes to conservation, FCEE has observed a shift in local attitudes over the last four years. "At the start of the project, local people had little knowledge of local wildlife and ecosystems," said Roth Vichet, a biodiversity researcher at FCEE. He has supported training to raise awareness among the community about priority species, their ecological importance, as well as patrol techniques. "Illegal logging and trapping have decreased significantly," he said. "People have also joined restoration efforts and started managing waste properly, making their community cleaner and more beautiful."

IUCN Cambodia

Women group attend training on mangrove restoration and planting 

This project is being implemented across six sites in Cambodia. With solar-powered cameras and a new technical team in place to maintain them, FCEE aims to create a long-term wildlife monitoring system that will continue to inform conservation efforts in Cambodia. Through technology, research, and community collaboration, Cambodia’s wetlands can provide a habitat for rare and endangered species to be monitored and protected by the people who live closest to them.

“We must continue to take care of the mangrove forest,” said Sophea. “Not only for our community but for the whole country.”