Across all the target groups was a strong acknowledgement of the benefits of nature. Although there were a few individuals who did not explicitly state the reasons why conserving nature was vital, most were quick to point out that adequate forest cover could provide valuable services for humans. These included a balance in nature, benefits for future generations, protection from storms and prevention of disasters, income opportunity, tourism, sustainability and rain. As with all these sections, many of these concepts were brought up by the same participants and therefore were not mutually exclusive.
5.6.1
Balance
The word balance arose both when discussing reasons to conserve and also regarding thoughts on development. This articulation captures the notion of how Earth itself has a natural balance that needs to be preserved. Whether the participant was referring to managing conservation and development goals, or why wildlife would need to be saved (or not) the theme of a balance was invoked.
What are the main reasons to conserve?
To have a balance on the Earth (Interview 35).
In Cambodia some places need to be developed; there will be in some places fewer forests. It is a necessity though to conserve some nature….The people know they have to develop, if we develop without some nature that is a problem, cannot destroy all the nature around Cambodia. Have to have a balance (Interview 5).
Biodiversity, nature, seeds, biodiversity for balance. In nature big wildlife eats small wildlife. Now we have no tigers so we have problems with deer and wild pigs. So many pigs destroy the farms because there are no tigers to eat them. And smaller wildlife eat frog, if there are no frogs the insects grow up and insects bother people (Interview 7).
This concept was not only prevalent with those participants with an education level higher than grade 6 but was more commonly mentioned by university graduates. Those considered very poor or poor did not mention balance. Regarding target groups, mainly urban individuals and key-informants discussed this, while only one villager and no rural or inside locals brought up this concept.
5.6.2
We should protect nature because nature protects us
A dominant theme that arose when discussing nature conservation was that conservation was necessary because by protecting nature we in turn protect ourselves. There was a strong understanding that
particularly the presence of forests provides shelter from disasters and also from heat while also providing necessary building blocks for life.
Nature can protect from the storm and make rain; we can use nature resources for household things for life. Like taking leaves and trees to make a broom, etc….If you have good soil and good nature, then we can protect from climate change because we have a high temperature in the world and can protect from storms. Nature conservation can protect us from these things (Interview 5).
[Nature conservation is] very important because nature helps people, if we live without nature it will be very difficult to live because of high
temperatures, disasters and floods because we don’t have nature to protect us (key-informant Interview 4).
It [nature] means a lot to Cambodians, sometimes we have a big storm and nature helps protect us from the storm. I studied and learned that the trees will take the water, if we have a lot of water and no trees then we will have floods….Trees can protect, without trees the water can move through the city and kill people and produce heavy storm winds. Nature means a lot to Cambodians, we are always looking for trees to shade us (Interview 42).
Complex hydrological and soil science concepts were brought up by rural and urban individuals as well as key-informants. Although frequently simplified, these arose as commonly understood issues that several individuals mentioned learning from their own experience. Stating that when they cut the trees around where they live, it felt hotter; and when too many trees were gone the rains began to become irregular and did more damage. Individuals recognized that by preserving the forests and trees in particular, they were protecting themselves.
This concept of protection and balance was relevant both to individuals who learned about the importance of nature in school as well as those who felt it directly when living in the rural setting. As can be seen in the quotes above, both the urban, educated individual from Interview 42 as well as the rural individual in Interview 4, mentioned the importance of trees in the prevention of floods and disasters.
5.6.3
Nature provides income opportunities
When discussing nature conservation, as well as when discussing the PTWRC, participants frequently mentioned the opportunity for income generation from each. Regarding PTWRC many interviewees were aware of the income opportunities produced from the existence of the rescue centre, including sales to tourists, guides and zoo keepers. In terms of nature conservation, several individuals mentioned the jobs and income one can receive from nature.
It is very important for Cambodians because nature helps people. They can have a job from nature, people can get job from ecotourism, can do handicraft, take firewood and can take trees for houses (Interview 35). Community can earn money from visitors, translators can take people around to see the animals and people can sell food. Community members can go to work with the animals as keepers (Interview 28).
As touched on in the first quote, participants identified both the direct benefits they can utilize from a standing forest, such as firewood, or non-timber forest products (NTFP) such as leaves or berries, as well as indirect income options such as tourism, which will be reported on below. Some also discussed the entrepreneurial prospects available to local communities when a rescue centre is established.
5.6.4
(Eco) tourism
Tourism or ecotourism was frequently mentioned as a sustainable and positive livelihood option when discussing nature conservation. Conserving wildlife in particular meant an increase in tourism, which for several participants was seen as a positive development. Tourism, participants perceived, would be a money-making endeavor which should be encouraged. Several individuals specifically mentioned ecotourism as an alternative livelihood to hunting and poaching and cutting down trees. Some mentioned that they learned about this concept through television programs.
Nature is very important, if we conserve forests and wildlife then we will have a lot then people can use the nature to build a community around ecotourism. I learned about this on TV. It is important for the world too because if we have forests that make money for the world and Cambodian especially (Interview 32).
We should save them [wildlife]; then we can have a lot of wildlife. Some countries do that and they have a lot of tourists, that way lots of money can come, it is an opportunity (Interview 19).
Tourism was mentioned at least once by all demographics and target groups, clearly a prominent notion for Cambodians in regards to Phnom Tamao and nature conservation in general. Demographically 31- 45 year olds mentioned tourism the most as well as participants with an education of between grade 6- 12. Those considered very poor, poor and not so poor more frequently mentioned tourism than thos e considered not poor and wealthy (Figure 19). When broken down by those individuals living outside of the city and urban individuals (of which there were 25 each), those living outside of the city mentioned tourism twice as much as urban participants.
Figure 19: Perceptions of benefits from nature conservation expressed by different income groups
5.6.5
Sustainability
Specific questions regarding sustainability and its meaning were not directly asked in this study but several participants mentioned this term when discussing nature conservation. Sometimes they would refer to sustainability by name and other times interviewees would mention the concept of protecting nature for the next generation. These concepts were taken to mean approximately the same thing, denoting the idea of making something continuously available in the future.
What is your opinion of nature conservation from your experience? It is good, if we conserve nature it will be sustainable (Interview 28).
What does the term nature conservation mean to you? I don’t know the term nature conservation, but I understand that it is to save nature and make it sustainable for next generation and to save forests (Interview 33).
What is your opinion of nature conservation? Nature conservation makes Cambodian people to protect nature in order to make it sustainable (Interview 2).
Urban individuals mentioned sustainability the most of all the target groups, while inside locals and villagers only mentioned the term once and twice respectively. Rural individuals mentioned it in more than half of the interviews. The frequency of mentioning the term in respect to education increased with the increase in education, resulting in university educated individuals mentioning the concept most. Wealthy individuals were also the most common income group to mention sustainability, although individuals considered poor mentioned it almost as much (Figure 19).
5.6.6
Because “forests make rain”
Cambodia, although threatened with deforestation, still has a significant amount of forest cover and as a Southeast Asian country also experiences intense rains. For many participants in this study those two
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Balance Sustainability Tourism
N u m b er o f ti m es m en ti o n ed
Benefits From Nature Conservation
Very poor Poor Not so poor Not poor Wealthy
concepts, forests and rain, were highly related. A common statement that was expressed by interviewees was that forests make rain, and that was one of the most important reasons to conserve trees.
What does nature conservation mean to Cambodians?
In my opinion, I think nature conservation has meaning for Cambodian people because Cambodians can get benefit from conservation. If the tree grows big we can use it, we can get the tree, forests get rain, temperature control - shade is cooling, I learned that from my own experience (Interview 23).
It is good to conserve nature, if we conserve nature we will have a lot of forests and forests make rain. For example in the rainy season…..If we don’t have them the seasons won’t be regular. I learned this when I studied about science, if we have a lot of forests they can bring clouds to make rain (Interview 36).
When there was a fire and when there was no trees it was hot, the
temperature was higher. That is bad because it’s too hot. It is important for the government to do this [nature conservation], because when there is a lot of forests they can make the rain. Forests make the rain (Interview 4)
.
Of the target groups, urban individuals mentioned this statement the most, followed by villagers. Key informants and inside locals only mentioned this idea once. Regarding income levels, those considered poor mentioned this concept almost four times as much as any other income group, while wealthy individuals did not mention this at all.