What will happen to the future of fishing villages and "Kampong Phluk Natural and Cultural Tourism Park" if the flooded forests vanish?

The aerial photo of fishing village in Kork kdol Village, Kampong Phluk Commune, Bakong District, Siem Reap Province. Photo: Chhut Chheana.
  • Chhut Chheana /USAID Wonders of the Mekong
  • September 13, 2020 11:03 AM

These aerial images show a fishing village and former flooded forest in the Tonle Sap Lake, where many hectares of the area located in Kork Kdol Village, Kampong Phluk Commune, Bakong District, Siem Reap Province, have been turned into agricultural land.

This area is commonly known as “Kampong Phluk Natural and Cultural Tourism Park.” The stilt houses standing high above land have been built to adapt to the annual flood in the rainy season, which plays an important role in daily livelihoods and the flooded forest of the Tonle Sap Lake. This community is a big draw for local and international tourists that visit this area.



The aerial photo of fishing village in Kork kdol Village, Kampong Phluk Commune, Bakong District, Siem Reap Province. Photo: Chhut Chheana.

Traditionally, all of the villagers in this community depended almost entirely on fishing in the Tonle Sap Lake as their primary source of income. However, from one year to another, the catch of fish in the Tonle Sap Lake keeps plummeting. The changes in water level from the Mekong River, the loss of spawning grounds, and the use of illegal fishing gears can be the major causes to this decline.

The majority of villagers lost their daily income generated from fishing, and thus they turned to providing tourist boat services to bring holidaymakers to visit the flooded forest in Tonle Sap. Year after year, many hectares of flooded forest have been cut down and burned by villagers in the dry season and turned into agricultural land.

What will happen to this fishing village and “Kampong Phluk Natural and Cultural Tourism Park" if the flooded forests vanish? Please share these pictures and article to raise awareness of the importance of flooded forests.



The stilt houses which were built to adapt to annual flood in the rainy season. Photo: Chhut Chheana


Related Articles