The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday called for the promotion of fishing communities as well as the promotion of women’s activities, citing the need to strengthen their entrepreneurship and harvesting skills in order to restore coastal biodiversity and conserve the Kingdom of Cambodia’s marine fisheries resources.
ADB Country Director for Cambodia Jyotsana Varma said that ADB’s partnership and strategy focused on Cambodia’s prosperity will benefit local people and the planet. “This project brings all three together,” she said.
Under the Sustainable Marine and Coastal Fisheries Framework (SCMF), a joint project funded by ADB and the French Agency for Development (AFD), Jyotsana led a group of journalists to pay a courtesy call and discuss the work with Dr. Khaw Kuong, Deputy Director-General of the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, at the Trapaing Sangke Ecotourism Community in Kampot province on December 9.
“The main focus of this project is to restore biodiversity in coastal areas and marine fisheries. We work with these fishing communities, aligning their efforts with tourism. The program focuses on the aspect of climate change and how it is affecting the biodiversity of Cambodia’s coastal ecosystems,” she added.
She said that the current SCMF project costs about $8 million, and about $40 million is earmarked for improving climate resilience and rebuilding ecosystems.
Ms. Jyotsana also said that “the project also focuses on improving the livelihoods of fishing communities, especially women, by supporting their participation in the fish supply chain, sorting, packaging and marketing.
“We are working with them to improve their entrepreneurial skills with the aim of adding value through better packaging and marketing of fish products.”
She also mentioned a sub-project that focuses on developing underwater structures to promote the growth of seagrass, which serves as a natural habitat for biodiversity.
“Another key aspect of the project is the collaboration with research units under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to restore ecosystems. This includes educating fishing communities to actively participate in the conservation of these valuable resources,” she added.
According to ADB, the SCMF project is collaborating with the Trapeang Sangke Ecotourism Community as part of the project’s efforts to promote private sector development by enabling coastal communities and small businesses to diversify their livelihoods, adopt sustainable practices, and scale up into successful enterprises.
The announcement added that the SCMF project (December 2022 to August 2029) is supported by a financing package of $73 million ($51 million in loans and $22 million in grants) from ADB and $20 million from AFD, seeking to enhance climate resilience and sustainability of Cambodia’s coastal and marine fisheries.
The fisheries subsector plays a significant role in Cambodia’s economy, contributing 8 to 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Marine fisheries make up 13 percent of the subsector, however, overfishing, coupled with climate and disaster risks, has led to severe depletion of fish stocks, severely affecting coastal communities and businesses, and driving up fish prices.
