Ream National Park Twelve Month Report

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The common dilemma that the DNCP has is the desire to conserve and maintain areas of natural beauty and diversity, against the economic necessities of the people who live in this region. A trade-off between the needs of nature and the people that live in close proximity to the park is often difficult to find. A number of buffer zones are presented within the management plan for Ream National Park, with the aim of protecting the most valuable wildlife resources from human activity. Within these buffer zones, the populace is allowed access to natural products necessary to their everyday lives. The outer buffer zone is known as the Community Development Zone. This is the area where the majority of the population lives and where the bulk of economic activities take place. The priority for management in this zone is to protect and improve the current status of living standards of the local people. The Park Development Zone is also the area that has been set aside by the DNCP for the construction of ecologically sound tourism development. The Managed Resource Zone is the inner buffer zone, located between the Park Development Zone (PDZ) and the Core Conservation Zone (CCZ). This is the area where the local population are able to take part in activities provided they are compatible with nature conservation. The inner CCZ is the area with the highest biodiversity values and lowest accessibilit y. This CCZ covers much lowland evergreen forest and mangroves. Conservation is the primary concern in this area; logging, for commercial or small scale use, and access are both strictly prohibited and infrastructure expansion is prohibited. The General Conservation Zone (GCZ) is a buffer between the CCZ and the areas where human activity will be allowed. It contains much of the evergreen forest areas and set aside beach areas (to counteract any potential damage done to the beach areas where human access is allowed). These areas are protected primarily for their biodiversity, but there will be a higher degree of flexibility towards which natural resources are utilized; although no logging or agriculture is allowed. It is plausible that limited infrastructure development may be allowed in this zone, as long as management of the Park as a whole benefits. The DNCP also took into account the need to conserve certain areas for specific times (such as breeding sites), and have made it possible for these areas to become special protection areas. To allow for any amendments of the management of the Park, every 3 years a revision was proposed, during which any issues or problems surrounding the management could be discussed. Previous Research within Ream and Frontier-Cambodia’s Time frame Past research in Ream National Park has been limited, mainly due to security problems as it has a history as a Khmer Rouge stronghold. This past research has included bird surveys (Goes et al. 1998) and the management plan as described above (DNCP 1996). From January 1994, Frontier and the DNCP have conducted a joint Forest Research Project in Ream, to study the biodiversity of the area and train National Park and DNCP staff in scientific field techniques. This is the first systematic survey of the flora and fauna of Ream over a long time period and extensive survey area. The biodiversity sampling carried out by Frontier was organised into four phases during 2004, each comprising ten weeks of surveying in different areas of the Park. Frontier Cambodia Environmental Research Report 1 3
Aims and objectives The aims of Frontier-Cambodia in Ream National Park were to initiate and conduct a programme of baseline biodiversity research, providing information on the area’s biological value and conservation importance, in conjunction with training National Park and DNCP staff in scientific field techniques. The information gained through this work will contribute to the management of the reserve. The programme also aimed to research the socio-economic uses of the Park, in order to assess the current threats to, and benefits derived from, the natural ecosystems. In the longer term, it is hoped that a scheme to initiate biodiversity monitoring within Ream can be set up, as a result of Frontier’s work. Our research focused on the Park’s points of interest in terms of habitats (evergreen forest, mangrove and wetland habitats) and species (wetland birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and butterflies). The main aims of the project were: • To initiate and conduct biodiversity surveys by pitfall trapping for reptiles and amphibians, mesh trapping for small mammals, and butterfly canopy trapping. • To survey wetland birds, monitoring the abundance of nationally important species. • To initiate and conduct a survey programme for turtles, which are key targets of conservation interest. • To study the vegetation and begin collection and identification of the flora. • To record sightings of other species through opportunistic observations. • To collect socio-economic data through interviews on topics such as human resource use, in order to gain an understanding of the local population. • To produce literature and images for educational programmes, particularly to display at the Park Headquarters and Toek Sap ranger station. • To train Park rangers in conservation theory, biodiversity surveying and identification techniques, including producing a ranger training guide and conducting an annual workshop. • To provide recommendations to the DNCP on the management of the Park, and advice on the best means by which to maintain and conserve its biodiversity. Frontier Cambodia Environmental Research Report 1 4
Page 1: Frontier Cambodia Environmental Res
Page 4 and 5: Suggested technical paper citation:
Page 6 and 7: Participants: Frontier Staff: Dr. A
Page 8 and 9: Introduction Ream National Park Rea
Page 12 and 13: Methodology Study sites Throughout
Page 14 and 15: voucher specimens (one of each sex)
Page 16 and 17: Results Fauna A full list of all ve
Page 18 and 19: Reptilia Ream National Park is rich
Page 20 and 21: Frequency of turtle catches 25 20 1
Page 22 and 23: Figure 9. Comparison of brahminy ki
Page 24 and 25: Discussion Ream National Park conta
Page 26 and 27: Figure 10. A map showing significan
Page 28 and 29: References ADB. 1999. Cambodia Coas
Page 30 and 31: Appendices Appendix 1: Table summar
Page 32 and 33: What types of fish species do you c
Page 34 and 35: Appendix 3: Animal species seen or
Page 48 and 49: Appendix 4: Tree species identified
Page 54 and 55: Phase, Trapsite,Vegetati on Plot (0
Page 56: 25.00 20.00 15.00 10.00 5.00 0.00 6

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