Sihanoukville (Cambodia). Living treasures are still hiding under Cambodian waters: here, a colourful nudibranch
© Paul Ferber / Diving4Conservation - Cambodia Giant marine sponges, mischievous little seahorses, multicoloured nudibranchs and exuberant gorgonians... The underwater marine life of the bay of Sihanoukville, situated off the shores of Cambodia, still houses a few living treasures, among which rare marine species. But the question is: how long is this going to last? For years, the kingdom of Cambodia ignored this marvellous heritage, mainly due to a lack of funds and also because the country was more preoccupied by terrestrial subsistence. This heritage is now dwindling away with every passing day, suffering from destructive fishing methods which do not allow enough time for the marine flora and fauna to regenerate. Today, preserving Cambodia's maritime resources is becoming an urgent matter and the first step of this process consists in drafting a list of the species. This is what a small team of passionate professionals took upon themselves to carry out. Having opened a scuba-diving club in Sihanoukville with the consent of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, their goal is now to scientifically estimate the threats that jeopardise this heritage and, in the long term, build up several conservation areas. [updated version with Diving4Conservation and Marine Conservation Cambodia links]
All is not lost for the bay of Sihanoukville
Having a look at what is said on internet forums about scuba-diving is enough to realise what is going on: the bay of Sihanoukville does not sport an excellent reputation among amateurs of submersion, who seem to prefer by far the neighbouring Thai marine sites. Commentaries devoid of any praise fuse from all directions: “dynamited seabed”, “reduced visibility”, “sandy areas”, “scarce fauna”... A few Cambodia lovers are determined to qualify, if not refute these comments. Even if the underwater wildlife of Sihanoukville is in a serious state of degradation, there is still hope. This is what the Briton Paul Ferber, former manager of the Dive Shop Cambodia (DSC) club, cofounder of the dive center "Diving 4 Conservation" and originator of the project for the identification and protection of the Cambodian marine flora and fauna "Marine Conservation Cambodia", dares to believe.
He explained, enthusiastic: “In Cambodian waters, we can still find extremely rare species that cannot be easily seen elsewhere. There is particularly a wide variety of seahorses (at least five different species), very rare nudibranchs [shell-less gastropods] and magnificent gorgonians [a type of coral].”
A continuous deterioration of the seabed
Holder of the “Dive-Master” certificate since 1998 (i.e. a certificate for qualified divers able to manage a group of people), Paul ended up in Sihanoukville and has now been there for two years, after having spent three years in Phuket, Thailand. Upon his arrival, he was more than surprised by what he was able to observe during his first dips in the Cambodian waters. He literally fell under the spell of the land and waters of Cambodia, where he now truly feels in his element.  Sihanoukville (Cambodia). A nudibranch
© Paul Ferber / Diving4Conservation - Cambodia
However, in the space of two years and over the course of his underwater excursions, the diver could not help but noticing the progressive destruction of what is in fact his livelihood and that of thousands of fishermen in Cambodia. The exceptional seabed has in places turned into sandy deserts, “completely shaven off”, and the fauna is becoming rarer and rarer. The reasons for the disappearance of these natural resources are numerous. Among them, bottom-trawling is mainly responsible. It scrapes everything off, leaving nothing behind, and should only and theoretically be used in designated areas. On top of that, the use of explosives and the lack of selective fishing methods force fishermen to overfish and then dispose of the species that are unfit for human consumption... An upset Paul asserted that “not so long ago, we could still observe twenty or thirty seahorses at once but now, we can only notice a dozen or so of them”.
A scientific listing of the ecosystem
Many divers and modest fishermen have seen this decline for themselves. But those actual observations neither enable a precise evaluation of the extent of the damages and their real causes, nor allow to find out what can be salvaged and how. Data about the state of the marine flora and fauna of Cambodia is limited or almost non-existent. In 2000, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries had tried to set up a programme to list all maritime resources thanks to the support of Japan and Singapore. In 2004, a study on corals provided some initial information but those programmes, which are essential prerequisites to any protective policy, were not taken further due to a lack of funding.
Paul Ferber, together with one of his customers, Bart Kluskens, a biologist who specialised in the study of aquatic environments, thought about setting up a small team that would be in charge of the scientific inventory of the underwater wildlife of Sihanoukville. Bart, a Dutchman who works in Cambodia for the Wolrd Wild Fund (WWF) and specialises on a project about the protection of the Irrawaddy river dolphins, explained: “Our goal is to unite volunteers, and more particularly university researchers who specialise in the study of the marine flora and fauna, so as to create a solid group of people who will keep an eye on the seabed and will collect useful data for the authorities”.
In the beginning, the Dive Shop Cambodia club (DSC) provided the boat, the equipment and part of the human resources necessary to carry out the inventory, while still working hand in hand with local and national authorities in order to turn the project into something durable. At the beginning of July, the first training course was launched in collaboration with a member of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration to inaugurate the start of the research. Paul Ferber and other professional divers finally founded a new dive center, dedicated to activities to protect marine environment, "Diving 4 Conservation".
 Sihanoukville (Cambodia). Seahorses
© Paul Ferber / Diving4Conservation - Cambodia
“Being able to create a programme for the gathering of data is a big step to start with”, Paul pointed out. “The authorities do not have the money to do this, but at least they proved that they were willing to carry out a project. The only thing we can do at the moment is to provide information about what could be done to protect Cambodia's underwater wildlife. Without any data, it is difficult to acknowledge the problem”... To which Bart added: “At least, we will be able to sound the alarm with strong evidence as a backup”.
An extended network of people on the watch
Once this network of contributors is strengthened, in particular via Asian universities like those in Singapore, the next stage will be to gather funds to allow a regular observation of the sites and eventually the comparison of data on a day-to-day basis as well as appropriate decision-making.
Without awaiting the results of the research, Paul and Bora, a Cambodian holder of the “Dive Master”certificate and about to become an instructor, went to the island of Koh Rung Samleom to work with the community of villagers of Mai Pai on the creation of a conservation area in which fishing would be limited. Indeed, the fifty families or so of fishermen living there would be the only ones allowed to fish in this area using non-destructive methods and thus managing resources themselves. “The villagers did notice the decline in the quantities of fish. What is therefore proposed is to delimit an area where fishing will be restricted”, Paul said. “The village chief showed enthusiasm towards this idea and a few villagers decided to keep an eye on the area themselves.” Within less than six months, all the essential administrative procedures had been followed; sometimes this type of process can take several years to complete... The case is now on the Fisheries Administration's agenda.
 Sihanoukville (Cambodia). A cleaning operation being carried out in June 2008 on the seabed
© Paul Ferber / Diving4Conservation - Cambodia
Involving the communities of villagers
Other sporadic operations have been undertaken with the support of a NGO taking care of street children, such as beach or underwater cleanups. The next one will be held on September 20th on the occasion of the International Cleanup Day organised by the Project AWARE.
For scuba-diving clubs, in this case the "Diving 4 Conservation" center, creating this type of privileged bond with the local communities is a way of gaining their trust while ensuring the survival of the marine flora and fauna which allow the existence of their businesses. “We too, are responsible for the degradation of the seabed”, Paul admitted. Indeed, even when divers are careful about not deteriorating the environment, their activities do have an impact. “Sometimes, fishermen follow the boats of our divers so as to locate the spots where the waters teem with shoals of fish”, the Briton explained, carefully avoiding to be sermonising. This is also a reminder to show that what is truly at stake concerning the underwater wildlife of Cambodia goes far beyond the mere satisfaction of tourists looking for colourful images.
Also on Ka-set
 Protection of mangrove forests: a nascent idea in Cambodia (23-01-2009)
- Cambodia under the sandmen's spell (16-02-2009) - Cambodia: exceptional biodiversity uncovered on a section of the Mekong river (15-01-2009) - Ecological community tourism in Cambodia: A worthy asset to bet on (12-09-2008)
On the Internet
- The scuba-diving center "Diving 4 Conservation", located on Koh Rung Samleom island, is dedicated to responsible scuba-diving, to protect marine environment and to promote research with the team of the "Marine Conservation Cambodia" project. More information about the "Marine Conservation Cambodia" project and many useful links about environment in Cambodia on the website of the project - Impressive underwater pictures in the bay of Sihanoukville on Bart Kluskens' personal blog, “A Planktonic Life ” - Cambodian Charms , by Sol Foo. Article about scuba-diving in Sihanoukville and the project of a reef watch programme. Published in the Asian Diver magazine
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By Doris
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