Title
Communities can manage conservation incentive schemes
Author(s)
John, A.
Published
2015
Publisher
Cambodian Journal of Natural History
Abstract
The subsistence community in Tmatboey Village, Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia, once hunted the Critically Endangered giant ibis Pseudibis gigantea and white-shouldered ibis P. davisoni. With a global population of fewer than 500 breeding adults for both birds, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) had to fi nd an innovative and effective scheme with community ‘buy in’ to conserve these species. To protect habitat and ensure tenure security for residential and agricultural land, the village worked with the WCS and authorities to map their land and resource use. A Community Protected Area (CPA) was established, along with a committee to regulate resource use from the CPA. Awareness-raising activities were initiated and the village signed a conservation agreement not to hunt key species of wildlife, allowing WCS to initiate the development of ecotourism activities in 2003. The Sam Veasna Center for Conservation (SVC) was established by WCS to develop and manage wildlife tourism at WCS sites and build the capacity of local communities in the provision of tourism services. In 2006, the committee took over management of ecotourism. Since then, the committee has regulated land and resource use, successfully protecting the ibises and earning about 20,000 USD per year for the village, with ongoing support from WCS and SVC. This extremely successful model is now being replicated in other sites throughout Cambodia. We discuss the lessons learned from Tmatboey relevant to other similar community-based conservation incentive schemes in the region.

Access Full Text

A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the WCS Library to request.



Back

PUB15549