Ecotourism is the most important word in the Cambodian tourism lexicon at the moment. Everyone is at it, or claims to be, in response to the growing desire of tourists to enjoy something that’s at once different, involved or “experiential” to use the other crucial industry buzzword, and environmentally responsible (we won’t talk about airline carbon footprints here). But notwithstanding its prevalence, there is a real lack of clarity about what ecotourism actually is.

A giant ibis at Tmatboey. Photo by: MARTIN HALE.

Sadly, not many people, either tourists or tour operators, fully understand the term, which has been used willy-nilly by so many for so long now that it seems to have lost any formal meaning. Yet it still bears a strong imprint in the minds of travellers, one for which they have demonstrated they are prepared to pay a premium. Thus, it is not greatly in the interests of tour operators to fully inform them about what ecotourism really is or isn't and, thanks to the woolliness, tourists are vulnerable to being misled.

For operators, it works because the more broadly the definition is drawn, the greater the numbers that can be attracted by it, and profits drawn from it. Some are simply riding a bandwagon, while others genuinely believe that what they are doing really is ecotourism, even though their operation has no genuine conservation outcomes.

For the heart of eco-tourism is conservation, and it is this that separates it from other forms of tourism. According to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), ecotourism is "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”. The keyword "conserves" is a technical term with a specific meaning, which unfortunately gets a little bit lost in this phrase. Conservation refers to a directed effort to protect and 'conserve' an identified natural area or species that faces a threat to its existence. For example, Cambodia's giant ibis.

Ecotourism takes a holistic or integrated approach that draws the local community into the conservation effort not just because of the special knowledge that they possess, but also because their cooperation is frequently required in order to bring harmful practices to an end.

For this reason, ecotourism ensures the inclusion of the whole or a substantial part of the community in the conservation effort and sees to it that benefits from the tourism activities should go back to the community or to those members of the community whose incomes or access to food may be affected by the conservation work.

Development work in a community in which a conservation project happens to take place does not constitute ecotourism per se if there is no link between the beneficiaries and the conservation project. There are other related types of tourism, for example nature tourism emphasising the experience of the visitor, or pro-poor tourism which emphasises the economic benefits that tourism can bring to local people. Sometimes tours which more properly fit into these categories are touted as ecotourism because it has become a word that everyone knows. It’s buzzy.

If you google “ecotourism siem reap”, a number of options will present themselves. The list is constantly changing and it’s not really possible or wise to tell you exactly who is a bona fide ecotourism operator in Siem Reap and who is not. But if you are genuinely interested in what ecotourism is about and the benefits it brings to the environment, be prepared to ask some questions. From the many that could be asked, the main ones are:

1)      Exactly what environmental conservation objective was this tour set up to achieve, and how does it achieve that objective?

2)      What link is there between the local beneficiaries and the conservation objectives?

3)      What benefits does the tour bring to the local community, and how?

4)      What steps are taken to ensure that the environmental impact of the tours is minimised?

If your operator is not able to fully answer these questions, then the chances are that they’re not really an ecotourism operator, just something like one.

Tags: ecotourism

So I guess it’s oopsadaisy if you came to Siem Reap in the last few weeks. Well, it is rainy season and you knew that. Though it’s not likely that many of the guide books would have warned you about the rising tides you may have seen outside your hotel or guesthouse and, to be fair, the flooding in Siem Reap, at least on the scale seen this September, is a relatively recent phenomenon.

It's not actually supposed to look like this...

Siem Reap has been deluged in the last few weeks, leaving everyone in or near the centre of town wading through murky waters if they want to get anywhere. There are a number of reasons for this, some natural (rainy season, high Mekong), and some entirely human-made (e.g. a ring-road that blocks the water's natural flow towards the Tonle Sap and turns the southeast of Siem Reap into a giant bowl of seriously dodgy soup).

Philosophy 101.

It never rains but it pours: the bad news for anyone coming here in the next few weeks too is that the rainy season isn’t over yet and the Pacific typhoon season is also due to continue until November and could have some residual effects in Cambodia, as with Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, although mid-September’s flooding was unrelated to anything like that. The good news is that at least you get some kudos from home and, for the tenacious, you may still be able to do some of the things you planned on plus have some extra stories to report back with. Who knows, you might even be able to add high street wind-surfing to the list.

The floods reveal a great deal about Cambodia's ongoing capacity problems, and the international support that underpins that capacity (fabulously paid here today, gone tomorrow consultants don't have to live with the shortfalls, inconsistencies and lack of continuity in their work). But they also reveal a great deal about the Cambodian nature. If you're staying in a hotel, chances are you're dry most of the day and can have a hot shower to warm up and clean off all the bacteria in the water. For many Cambodians, those options simply aren't there. Worse, imagine nursing a child in an increasingly damp and dirty house. Moreover, over Pchum Ben, the response of non-governmental organisations has been virtually non-existent, because it's a holiday, as dire an excuse for a failure to meet genuine humanitarian needs as is imaginable.

But it’s an absolute wonder to notice as you wade through the swirling waters (don’t think about the brown) the cheerful way in which Cambodians just get on and do their thing even though their home and half their belongings may very well be under four inches of water. It’s very humbling, in fact. Even a week into the floods, as some locals make their way, hollow-eyed with tiredness, through the waters on their way to the market or their job, there is still a smile for passers-by and even the chance for a good-natured giggle as this passer-by almost took a tumble into a fast-moving river.

Always look on the bright side of life...

Kids of course will make hay whether the sun shines or the rains pour, and they have a ball when the floods hit. Their own giant swimming pool and so many targets for splashing they can’t work out where to start. Ingenuity rules too, as some kids will find pieces of Styrofoam and then wait for the waves from the giant 4x4s as they cruise past. High street boogie-boarding, sorted. High street wind-surfing doesn't sound quite so improbable now. Rafts will be made, and during Ketsana several entrepreneurs rigged up canoes, boats and rafts  and used them to give lifts, mostly to the ladies it should be noted.

Don't think about the brown ...

Adults too set about pitching their stalls, driving their motos, going to their jobs or hauling their belongings out of harm’s way in the best way they can, and usually without a trace of complaint. Imagine that happening at home? Phasing Cambodians is tough to do.

If you do go for a wadeabout, voluntarily or otherwise, the only recommendations are to wash your feet and legs properly when you get back to your hotel preferably with Dettol and especially any cuts as the water is seriously filthy, and get your hands on some worming tablets which you can get cheaply from UCare.

Don't drink the water....

Aside from that, take a leaf out of the Cambodian notebook. This is not something that should phase anyone – it’s a little bit different, even a little bit fun, albeit a little bit wet. You’ll soon dry off, and don't forget to smile.

Smile.

The images above were taken after Siem Reap was hit by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009. The ones below are from the third flood that has hit this town in September 2011, with more expected.

No pushover this mama...

Learning to walk, or to swim?

And the winner is....!

Some kids get all the breaks

There is never any excuse for a lack of grace.

This may not be the ideal way of resolving sibling rivalries...

Tags: floods

At the physical heart of Cambodia, an immense body of water is the soul of the nation.  The great Tonle Sap lake not only sustains Cambodian stomachs, with its harvest accounting for more than 50% of Cambodia’s protein intake, it is also a source of immense national pride.

Available: House with water views.

Its uniqueness lies in events that take place far away in the Himalayan mountains.  There, melting snows feed into the Mekong river and push down towards the South China sea off the Vietnamese coast.  En route, monsoon rains further swell the great river before it meets the Tonle Bassac and the Tonle Sap rivers at a confluence in Phnom Penh.  Here, the ‘might’ of the Mekong is sufficient to push the Tonle Sap back on itself, reversing its flow and flooding the basin area of the lake.  In the process, the area of the lake increases five-fold, from 2,500 km² to 12,500 km².  In some places, the water’s depth increases from one metre to 10 metres.

This staggering transformation is at the root of all of the other superlatives that can be applied to the Tonle Sap.  It’s the largest lake in Southeast Asia, one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world and, a little creepily, holds the richest snake harvest in the world too.  It is home to an exceptional array of wildlife biodiversity, depictions of which can be found on the walls of Bayon temple, recognition of their importance to the success of the Empire.

I'll seeya at the tree in the middle of the lake.

Such hyper-abundance is a consequence of the Tonle Sap’s life-giving pulse, the ebb and flow of its waters.  Along the skirts of the lake, floating forests have developed where trees have evolved that can withstand being immersed in water for several long months, their falling vegetation creating an environment that is immensely rich in nutrients for fish and other aquatic life.

Being such a vital food source, so many fish have naturally attracted predators, in particular birds and humans.  Not much more than 10 years ago, the area around Prek Toal village on the western side of the lake was found to be host to a wide array of bird species, many of whom were facing global extinction.  This discovery triggered the Wildlife Conservation Society’s programme to protect the birds and their eggs from poaching by humans through creation of the Prek Toal bird sanctuary.

Smoke on the water.

About one-third of Cambodia’s population live in the provinces surrounding the lake.  But even with the super-abundant resources the lake provides, the people living on its borders are among the poorest in the country.  Among the poorest of the poor are those who live not by but actually on the lake itself.  Some 130,000 people in live in 90 floating villages specially adapted to exist in rhythm with the rise and fall of the lake’s waters.  Their lives are precarious in many ways.

But despite its size and rich abundance, the Tonle Sap is a lake under threat.  Cambodia has been identified as a country that stands to lose a great deal to climate change, and the most vulnerable area is the great lake.  Human influence is having other damaging effects too, as the cumulative effects of over-exploitation, deforestation, agriculture, industrial pollution, dam construction, mining and the introduction of non-native species all take their toll.

There is always an antenna.

The Tonle Sap is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a special area recognised and protected for its social, cultural and scientific significance.  It is also a hugely significant body of water for Cambodians who have been too often caught in the confluence of economic and political tussles not of their own making.

Tags: Nature, Sites, Tonle Sap, Wildlife