Changes of river water level and downstream local livelihood affected by forest cover changes in Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia | |
| Author | Oum Somaly |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.NR-19-03 |
| Subject(s) | Landscape changes--Cambodia--Siem Reap Ecosystem services--Cambodia--Siem Reap Deforestation--Cambodia--Siem Reap |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Natural Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. NR-19-03 |
| Abstract | National Park plays important roles in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functioning, and local livelihood improvement for the downstream population. However rapid deforestation in the national park has affected water level and water-dependent downstream population in various ways. This study was designed to assess the impact of deforestation in Phnom Kulen National Park on water level and downstream local livelihoods along the Siem Reap river. Deforestation in the park was obtained through the analysis of the Multi-Temporal Satellite images from USGS between 2000 to 2016. Water level, rainfall, and maximum temperature were collected from the nearby stations in the study site. Field interview with 120 households and 6 key informants were conducted to assess the local perception on the impacts of deforestation of their livelihoods. Multiple Linear Regression was applied to find the effect between deforestation and water level change. Analysis of local livelihood followed the livelihood framework approach to assess the livelihood of the downstream people under natural, physical, human, financial, social capital. This study found that forest cover in Phnom Kulen National Park declined 22% between 2000 to 2016. Significant impacts of forest cover change on water level was not found due to the limitation of small sample size, and consequently livelihoods of downstream population in terms of natural capital (mean score is 0.48), human capital (mean score is 0.44) and financial capital (mean scores is 0.24) assets were also affected. This study concluded that forest cover in the national park has not significant effect on water level but severely affect the downstream local livelihood. Government should introduce the management interventions in order to reduce or stop deforestation in the Park and improve the livelihood of local people |
| Year | 2019 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. NR-19-03 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Sasaki, Nophea; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Tsusaka, Takuji W.;Shrestha, Sangam ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Kurita Water and Environment Foundation, Japan; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2019 |