Strengthening Community Fish Refuges for Climate-Resilient Food Systems and Integrated Water, Land and Aquatic Food System Governance in Cambodia

Abstract

Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) constitute a foundational element of Cambodia’s inland fisheries, food security, and climate resilience. Evidence from six CFRs in Kampong Thom and Prey Veng provinces demonstrates that CFRs serve as ecological refugia during the dry season, facilitate seasonal fish migration across ricefield, floodplain, and river systems, and contribute to integrated, decentralized governance of water, fisheries, and agriculture. The findings confirm that CFRs significantly enhance aquatic biodiversity, ricefield fisheries productivity, and household nutrition. However, systemic challenges remain, including weak hydrological coordination with irrigation systems, inconsistent institutional recognition across governance levels, insufficient gender inclusion in management structures, and chronic under-financing. Most CFRs rely on short-term external donor support, with no direct allocation from Commune Development Funds or provincial budgets. This policy brief recommends: (1) embedding CFRs in formal water and irrigation planning; (2) upgrading their legal and institutional status at provincial levels; (3) establishing sustainable public financing mechanisms; (4) strengthening gender responsive governance; and (5) scaling integrated district-level governance models through District Technical Working Groups (DTWGs). With strategic investment and coordination, CFRs can serve as scalable landscape models for climate adaptive food system governance throughout Cambodia.