Country Evidence/Cambodia/Ongoing
Exploring Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Tonle Sap: A Tale of Three Catchments
CDRI
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This research report by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI), a leading national think tank, examines climate change vulnerability and adaptation across three catchments that drain into the Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake and one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries. The study recognises that rural livelihoods around the lake depend heavily on fish catches and on the seasonal flood pulse that drives fish migration and spawning. It analyses how climate-induced changes in hydrology, including altered rainfall, shifting flood timing and more frequent droughts, interact with local social and economic conditions to shape household vulnerability. By comparing three distinct catchments, the report shows how exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity differ by location, and why adaptation responses cannot be uniform. It reviews the coping and adaptation strategies already used by fishery-dependent communities and identifies options to strengthen them through local planning, institutional support and livelihood diversification. As national think-tank evidence, the report is valuable for grounding Cambodia’s climate-fisheries analysis in local realities. It is particularly useful for researchers and planners working on inland fisheries, community-based adaptation and the design of catchment-level interventions in the Tonle Sap basin.
Additional Details
- Author(s)
- Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI)
- Type
- Research report
- Aquaculture / Fisheries Dimension
- Inland fisheries central to rural livelihoods around Tonle Sap Lake
- Relevance to Climate Aquaculture
- Direct
- Thematic Area
- Vulnerability & Risk Assessment
- Climate Issue
- Climate-induced hydrological change across Tonle Sap catchments
- Adaptation / Key Contribution
- Multi-catchment assessment of climate vulnerability and adaptation options for fishery-dependent communities
- How to Use / Notes
- National think-tank evidence