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In 2003 the Fisheries Action Coalition Network (FACT), a Cambodian NGO coalition established in 2000 by a group of NGO members working on the fisheries and environmental issues around the Tonle Sap Lake, started to develop a database to document information relating to Tonle Sap funded by Oxfam America. The project developed a CD-based database which held reports and metadata on newspaper articles relating to Tonle Sap.
Diverse agencies and organizations, ranging from community organizations and NGOs to government agencies, bilateral donors and multilateral banks, are presently implementing projects that are defining the development direction of Tonle Sap Lake both now and for the future. Accessible, relevant, credible and timely data that informs policy development is critical for these organizations to pursue an effective and coordinated agenda. FACT works directly with many small-scale fishing communities and provincially-based NGOs around Tonle Sap Lake . Information of critical relevance to policy makers and decision makers are therefore available through these networks originating directly from the experiences of communities living around the Lake .
Experience has demonstrated that it can be difficult for communities around Tonle Sap Lake to transmit effectively their views to the appropriate decision makers. The Tonle Sap Database project aimed to act as a conduit for information dissemination from communities to government agencies, local authorities, donors, and NGOsIn 2005, FACT joined the Sustainable Mekong Research Network (SUMERNET) and was provided with a means to update and improve the database. With SUMERNET funding it was decided not only to update the database but to change the format from a CD-based database to an online search able one.
It is hoped that the database will serve those involved in Tonle Sap development and management: national and local government departments, non-governmental organisations, donors and research institutions with a resource through which to easily access information relevant to the Tonle Sap.
A variety of sources contributed towards the information contained in this database:
Document s by NGOs, international organizations, and government agencies ( see acknowledgements and disclaimer ) SPACE
- Local NGOs that work directly with fishing communities around Tonle Sap Lake
- Fishers themselves via the Key Fishers Monitoring Network publications
- FACT publications and regular newsletters
- English and K hmer language newspapers published in Cambodia
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