Wildlife and Livelihoods in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia

Abstract

This study provides a preliminary assessment of the use of wild meat and fish by rural communities in the Northern Cardamoms, Cambodia. We used a case-study approach in three villages, to identify key characteristics and drivers of wildlife use, with a view to informing the design of future larger-scale investigations of wild meat and fish use in the Cardamoms. Interviews with 41 households, conducted from August to October 2013, were used to investigate the main livelihood activities of each household, including hunting and fishing activity, key hunting techniques and hunted and consumed species. Group discussions with households and hunters were used to determine the relative importance of hunting and fishing as a livelihood activity and food source. We found that over 80% of interviewed households hunted, and similarly over 90% fished. Hunters employed a range of techniques, and caught at least 38 different mammal, bird and reptile species. However, our results suggest that arable farming is the backbone of livelihoods in these villages, providing the bulk of household incomes, and that most households are hunting to prevent crop-raiding, or opportunistically, rather than to supply the commercial trade. While households expressed a preference for wild meat, bought domestic meats and fish were eaten more frequently. A potentially lucrative commercial trade with high profits per animal exists but catches are unpredictable, and hunting is dangerous. However, as many species populations are already heavily depleted, even low hunting offtakes could have significant impacts on vulnerable species. Previous research suggests that commercial hunting which targets larger-bodied and high-value species for the international wildlife trade is mainly conducted by professional hunting groups, external to local communities. The importance of agricultural trade to local communities suggests that "wildlife-friendly farming" initiatives may help to both secure a fair and reliable price for village agricultural products, while promoting conservation of biodiversity in the Cardamoms mountains. However, due to the likely larger impacts of commercial hunting groups, declines in biodiversity are likely to continue without stricter enforcement of wildlife trade laws in Cambodia's towns and cities, and the reduction of demand for wildlife products in consumer countries.

Estimating hunting prevalence and reliance on wild meat in Cambodia's Eastern Plains

“…by dogs) or coincidentally (e.g. to protect crops) were less likely to be censored, a matter also documented elsewhere in Cambodia (Coad et al, 2019). Our findings reinforce the need to consider survey questions carefully, and to triangulate by asking several questions, in different ways, about the same topic, particularly if examining sensitive topics.…”

“…Snaring by ex-hunters, who theoretically have less incentive to misreport behaviour, was also low. We suspect that only a few individuals in each village hunt for commercial purposes, probably facilitated by middlemen who may place orders, purchase catch, and in some cases supply equipment, as documented elsewhere in Cambodia (Gray et al, 2017; Coad et al, 2019). One limitation of our research is that our study was restricted to the hunting activity of local people, although hunting is also thought to be undertaken by Vietnamese nationals near the international border (O'Kelly et al, 2018), by logging gangs who stay in the forest for extended periods (HI, pers.…”

“…However, since 2008 resin collection has declined markedly (Cheetham, 2014), partly because of reduced profitability but also because of the loss of resin trees to illegal logging and industrial-scale land clearance, which intensified in c. 2013. Cash cropping has emerged as the primary form of income generation (Travers et al, 2015; Mahanty & Milne, 2016), and therefore many have less time to develop hunting skills and spend time hunting, and more income to buy wild meat (Coad et al, 2019). Looking ahead, infrastructural improvements, such as paved roads and improved cellular networks, may further enhance the market integration of villages within the Sanctuary (Riggs et al, 2018), boosting the prevalence of cash cropping and reducing economic reliance on traditional livelihood activities.…”

“…The impact of hunting on Cambodia's fauna is well documented (Harrison et al, 2016), but there is less empirical information about hunters, their hunting methods, and local demand for wildlife products (but see Martin & Phipps, 1996; Loucks et al, 2009; Coad et al, 2019). This may be partly because gathering robust information about hunting is challenging, especially in contexts where it is a restricted or prohibited activity (Nuno & St John, 2015).…”

Long‐term monitoring of wildlife populations for protected area management in Southeast Asia

“…Snare density increases with proximity to the Vietnamese border (O'Kelly et al, 2018b), with high volumes of illegal incursions into KSWS driven by demand for wild meat and wildlife products from Vietnam (Shairp et al, 2016). Snaring is prevalent in Cambodian PAs more generally (Belecky & Gray, 2020; Coad, Lim, & Nuon, 2019). The scale of the snaring problem in a given area is difficult to quantify due to inherent biases in snare removal data resulting from issues with detectability and sampling, although reliable methods have recently been developed (O'Kelly et al, 2018a, 2018b).…”