Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia
Inland fisheries in Cambodia are of great importance to the livelihoods of rural communities, as they provide sustenance and seasonal income for the local population. Community fish refuges (CFRs) are natural or human-made water bodies that hold water throughout the year, providing a dry-season sanc...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175048 |
| _version_ | 1855519585230389248 |
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| author | Baldivieso Soruco, C. R. Bonatti, M. de Silva, Sanjiv Ou, P. Soeun, K. O. Neth, S. Sun, V. Rodríguez, T. Sean, V. Sithirith, M. Dubois, Mark Sieber, S. |
| author_browse | Baldivieso Soruco, C. R. Bonatti, M. Dubois, Mark Neth, S. Ou, P. Rodríguez, T. Sean, V. Sieber, S. Sithirith, M. Soeun, K. O. Sun, V. de Silva, Sanjiv |
| author_facet | Baldivieso Soruco, C. R. Bonatti, M. de Silva, Sanjiv Ou, P. Soeun, K. O. Neth, S. Sun, V. Rodríguez, T. Sean, V. Sithirith, M. Dubois, Mark Sieber, S. |
| author_sort | Baldivieso Soruco, C. R. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Inland fisheries in Cambodia are of great importance to the livelihoods of rural communities, as they provide sustenance and seasonal income for the local population. Community fish refuges (CFRs) are natural or human-made water bodies that hold water throughout the year, providing a dry-season sanctuary for aquatic life. Managed mainly by the local community, CFRs support diverse ecological and human functions, such as biodiversity repositories, including fish stocks, and provide water for irrigation, livestock, and domestic needs. These initiatives have been promoted by several organizations in Cambodia since the 1990s, showing positive ecological impacts and improving food security, especially for marginalized populations. However, the social dimensions of management, the role of local knowledge, and the underlying knowledge systems remain understudied. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the governance mechanisms of CFRs in relation to the local knowledge of management. Four CFR projects conducted by WorldFish and NGO partners between 2016 and 2021 in Central Cambodia were selected for the analysis. A participatory approach was employed using causal loop diagrams (CLDs) through focus group discussions (FGDs) with local stakeholders (n = 38). The methodological approach was based on three phases: exploratory interviews (n=23), causal-loop FGDs (n=4), and FGDs for data validation (n=4). Our study highlights the importance of context-specific and relational knowledge in CFR management, as well as the importance of institutional structures, power dynamics, and social differentiation in shaping knowledge access, distribution, and management. Social mobilization mainly involves village representatives mediating between villagers and external entities, with a certain degree of concentration of power within groups of stakeholders. Enhancing community governance through more inclusive, dialogue-based communication and potentially leveraging informal networks is recommended to channel social learning, considering the sociocultural context and challenges of decentralization in Cambodia. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace175048 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University |
| publisherStr | Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1750482025-12-08T09:54:28Z Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia Baldivieso Soruco, C. R. Bonatti, M. de Silva, Sanjiv Ou, P. Soeun, K. O. Neth, S. Sun, V. Rodríguez, T. Sean, V. Sithirith, M. Dubois, Mark Sieber, S. rural communities resource management governance community fish refuges aquatic food systems collective action stakeholders Inland fisheries in Cambodia are of great importance to the livelihoods of rural communities, as they provide sustenance and seasonal income for the local population. Community fish refuges (CFRs) are natural or human-made water bodies that hold water throughout the year, providing a dry-season sanctuary for aquatic life. Managed mainly by the local community, CFRs support diverse ecological and human functions, such as biodiversity repositories, including fish stocks, and provide water for irrigation, livestock, and domestic needs. These initiatives have been promoted by several organizations in Cambodia since the 1990s, showing positive ecological impacts and improving food security, especially for marginalized populations. However, the social dimensions of management, the role of local knowledge, and the underlying knowledge systems remain understudied. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the governance mechanisms of CFRs in relation to the local knowledge of management. Four CFR projects conducted by WorldFish and NGO partners between 2016 and 2021 in Central Cambodia were selected for the analysis. A participatory approach was employed using causal loop diagrams (CLDs) through focus group discussions (FGDs) with local stakeholders (n = 38). The methodological approach was based on three phases: exploratory interviews (n=23), causal-loop FGDs (n=4), and FGDs for data validation (n=4). Our study highlights the importance of context-specific and relational knowledge in CFR management, as well as the importance of institutional structures, power dynamics, and social differentiation in shaping knowledge access, distribution, and management. Social mobilization mainly involves village representatives mediating between villagers and external entities, with a certain degree of concentration of power within groups of stakeholders. Enhancing community governance through more inclusive, dialogue-based communication and potentially leveraging informal networks is recommended to channel social learning, considering the sociocultural context and challenges of decentralization in Cambodia. 2025-06 2025-06-11T04:44:51Z 2025-06-11T04:44:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175048 en Open Access Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University Baldivieso Soruco, C. R.; Bonatti, M.; De Silva, Sanjiv; Ou, P.; Soeun, K. O.; Neth, S.; Sun, V.; Rodríguez, T.; Sean, V.; Sithirith, M.; Dubois, Mark; Sieber, S. 2025. Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia. Journal of Rural and Community Development, 20(2):1-33. doi: https://doi.org/10.63315/jrcd.v20i2.2595 |
| spellingShingle | rural communities resource management governance community fish refuges aquatic food systems collective action stakeholders Baldivieso Soruco, C. R. Bonatti, M. de Silva, Sanjiv Ou, P. Soeun, K. O. Neth, S. Sun, V. Rodríguez, T. Sean, V. Sithirith, M. Dubois, Mark Sieber, S. Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia |
| title | Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia |
| title_full | Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia |
| title_fullStr | Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia |
| title_short | Disentangling community-based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping: insights from Community Fish Refuges in rural Cambodia |
| title_sort | disentangling community based resource governance through knowledge systems mapping insights from community fish refuges in rural cambodia |
| topic | rural communities resource management governance community fish refuges aquatic food systems collective action stakeholders |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175048 |
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