Marine biodiversity assessment Kampot, Cambodia baseline survey of seagrass beds, coral reefs and dolphins

Important tropical ecosystems in Kampot province are highly threatened by coastal and industrial developments as well as illegal fishing pressures, which destroy habitat and overexploit marine species. In November 2019, Wild Earth Allies (WEA; Cambodia), cooperated with the Conservation Department of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration (FiA), Fishery Administration Cantonment (FiAC), Marine Conservation Cambodia (MCC) and Prek Thnot Community Fishery to conduct baseline ecological assessments to survey an area threatened by industrial development, land reclamation and illegal fishing. Ecological surveys in the form of seagrass, coral and marine mammal assessments were conducted within a proposed Marine Fisheries Management Area (MFMA) in Kampot province. Specifically, assessments were undertaken in proposed permanent and seasonal no-take zones in Prek Thnot and Trapaing Ropov community fishery areas within the broader MFMA. The purpose of the assessments was to contribute towards forming baseline datasets on the distribution and composition of seagrass and coral reef habitats, and to formally acknowledge marine mammal presence in the province. These baselines form the foundation of preliminary ecological assessments within the area and have established a benchmark for conducting periodic biodiversity monitoring in Kampot’s proposed MFMA. Following this initial report by WEA and MCC on the state of seagrass and coral reef ecosystems in the MFMA, a conservation strategy is being developed and should be implemented soon.