The population in the Stung Siem Reap Watershed in Northern Cambodia is suffering from the declining quality and quantity of their water resources. A Watershed Inventory was undertaken to identify the main causes and to provide local planners with comprehensive information on watershed issues, including land use changes and their consequences. Hereby the combined application of environmental, hydrological, and socioeconomic survey methods – supported by GIS application - proofed to be successful to detect sand excavations from riverbanks and the continuous depletion of forests as having a major negative impact on water resources. This methodology also helped to explain upstream – downstream relationships and climate-related phenomena like floods and droughts. To ensure a more sustainable development in the future, the main objective of all actions must be to stop the severe destruction of the natural resources, which has foreseeable consequences for the socio-economic system of the watershed.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
Pacific News 34

Region
Asia Pacific

Biome
Tropical

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
Protection of soil and water