The Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO as a crucial wetland ecosystem, harbours a rich biodiversity with over 700 rare and endangered species spanning from fish and reptiles to birds and mammals. This area also supports numerous communities that depend on Tonlé Sap for their livelihoods.
Unfortunately, this sensitive ecosystem faces significant threats from climate change, overfishing, and the construction of multiple hydropower dams upstream on the Mekong River, among other environmental challenges.
Since 2021, the EU-funded 'Our Tonlé Sap' project, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), has been actively working to conserve and preserve the area's biodiversity whilst also supporting the communities that rely upon it for survival.
Protecting the environment and protecting biodiversity may be the biggest challenge our generation will ever face.
In a concerted effort to safeguard the region for future generations, the EU has funded a series of programmes and initiatives aimed at preserving Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, the Tonlé Sap. These initiatives include replanting devastated parts of the flooded forest and establishing new protected areas.
In January, the EU Delegation to Cambodia, along with the German, French, and Hungarian embassies, conducted a field trip to Tonlé Sap as part of the EU’s global #ForOurPlanet campaign. The visit, which included H.E. Eang Sophalleth, Cambodia’s Minister of Environment, focused on observing ongoing conservation efforts, forestry protection, and promoting environmental sustainability.
Participants visited Prek Toal Ramsar to observe endangered waterbirds and engaged with local communities and authorities to discuss strategies for preserving the lake’s biodiversity and advancing sustainable forestry practices.
This is important in order to protect biodiversity and ecosystems along the Mekong. I think that all transboundary Water Cooperation Projects supported by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) are of imminent importance.
The EUR 4.9 million 'Our Tonlé Sap' project is Cambodia’s first landscape project spanning four years (2021-2024), supported by a consortium including RECOFTC, NatureLife Cambodia, SHE enterprises, Oxfam, CDPO, ForumCiv, and Sansom Mlup Prey Organisation.
The ultimate goal of this project is to build resilience against environmental changes impacting ecosystems, communities, and biodiversity through a comprehensive, multi-scaled, integrated landscape approach. This strategy emphasises promoting sustainable development practices and policies, and enhancing awareness of the importance of Tonlé Sap.