Kampong Phluk is one of eight communes in the Prasat Bakong district in Siem Reap province. It is located approximately 32 km west from the city. Kampong Phluk is situated on the shores of the Ton-lay Sap Great Lake on one of the largest freshwater flood plains in the world. The commune is home to 700 families with a total population of 3,457, with 52% of the population being female. The main occupation of the villagers is fishing which is a key resource for the local people who have learnt to adapt their way of life to correspond with the annual flood cycle. The local vegetation is uniquely adapted to this annual flood cycle whereby they spend four-five months submerged beneath the water.

In the period of 1980-1990, Kampong Phluk was a remote village that used to suffer from a lack of communication due to poor infrastructure connecting it to the rest of the province. Based on this poor situation, kampong Phluk was not a desirable place to live or move to. However in reality, Kampong Phluk was home to a great number of valuable natural resources that make it a great natural asset to the world.

Fortunately from 1999, the community began to receive various amounts of support through technical and financial resources which helped to replica iwc portuguese improve infrastructure and thus made it easier for tourists to access. From 1999-2004 the community was supported by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO); from 2005-2007 it was supported by DANIDA/DEFIT; from 2008-2010 it received support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). These development partners have all helped to create easier access to this remote village. The community has worked in close collaboration with these organizations to connect the remote village of Kampong Phluk to the center of the district and province. In particular the canal was rehabilitated by 1,930 meters in order to make it easier for the fishermen and tourists to travel in the wet season.

At the present time, HURREDO and UNDP are continuing to support the community by helping to generate more ecotourism. This is being achieved through implementing support for the flooded forest and fish refuge management for the livelihood improvement of community based Eco-Tourism project. The community is strongly dedicated to protecting and conserving the flooded forest, the fish refuge and the extensive biodiversity in the area. The Kampong Phluk community has now restarted to show its famous natural beauty and its new smiling face through protecting, conserving and using its natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Through community initiative and close consultation with relevant development partners, community fishery was formed in 1999, which aimed at protecting, conserving and using fishery resources in an effective and transparent manner. In 2001 community fishery was legally recognized by the government and established as a community based organization (CBO). Based on the high potential of Eco-tourism and its substantial growth, the Eco-Tourism Kampong Phluk community redeveloped itself in 2006 from community fishery.

Today the Kampong Phluk ecotourism group preserves its famous beauty of the flooded forest and bio-diversity through responsible use and conservation of the natural resources, which has resulted in the forest growing by a further 1000 hectares. The diverse wildlife and aquatic flora and fauna attract tourists to this unique area of Cambodia.

In order to protect the houses from the yearly flooding, houses were built high on stilts so that during the wet season when the forest floods and water levels rise the houses are safely protected.  This is unique to the village of Kampong Phluk and draws in both international and national tourists to see the way of life of these communities. The comparison of the village from the wet to the dry season is what interests many visitors, in particular the extraordinary difference of the pagodas namely which look as if they are floating on small islands during the wet season and emerging from a small mountain in the dry season.

The community of Kampong Phluk works very hard to protect the 5,840 hectares of flooded forest, 18 hectares of fish refuge and 12 hectares of bird refuge to continue to encourage ecotourism in the area.

By working alongside local authorities at all levels, development sectors have grown very fast such as the establishment of primary and secondary school buildings, pagoda, health center, police station and restaurant as well as improving the current boat dock to encourage the influx of more visitors. The community aims at improving the services of its schools, pagodas and restaurants.

The community strives to teach tourists about the history of the village and the unique way of life led by the villagers.  Some visitors choose to stay with the community for 2-3 days in order to study and research the culture, customs and way of life of the community. Meanwhile the community provides good homestay experiences which include food, accommodation, a shared toilet and an accompanied visit to the respected ancestry area.

National visitors include monks, nuns, students, and the general public who are interested in seeing another side of their country and its people. International visitors arrive by all modes of transport, leaving their vehicles at Kampong Thkov village in Mean Chey Chey commune where they then board a motorized boat, which transports them down the river.

Kampong Phluk has the capacity to receive more than a 1000 visitors per day. Currently the community is working to optimize the benefits of the tourist industry to help the economy to grow. Around 500-700 tourists visit the area each day but only 100-200 of these pay to experience the boat tour through the flooded forest. The boats can accommodate 2-3 people at a time and are rowed by women only.  The cost of the trip is $5.  This supports the women of the commune as it allows them to support their families and bring in extra income. The men of the village work fishing or on construction close by to the villages. However the income that is brought in by these women is still low and more support is needed in order to help these women become economically independent. Support is still required from NGOs, INGOs and government branches to support and strengthen their enterprise and to improve the services they can offer to tourists.

The local authorities in the Kompong Phluk community are thankful to the NGO and INGO and international organizations, charity partners and government institutions who help the community to develop. Especially UNDP who support the current project including the flooded forest and the fish refuge conservation.

Mr Sang Kong, the chief of Kampong Phluk Community Based Eco Tourism (KPCBET) tells us that his community has 12 management members which include 3 women, and 700 boat rowers from 700 households. All of which receive benefits from the boat services offered to tourists who wish to see the ever green flooded forest.

Mr. Sang Kong, head of KPCBET and Mr. Ning Ny chief of the commune told us that in early 2014 the community project plans to construct a 2,800 meter access path through the flooded forest to reach the fish conserve. It is hoped this will attract more interest from tourists who come to the area. Furthermore plans to construct a new floating amenities block with a nice restaurant, Eco-Tourism office and ticket office measuring 7x18 sqm that will be powered by solar electricity and have two bathroom facilities is currently underway.

Acknowledgements of the community. All community members would like to conserve and protect all achievements supported by local and international NGO, charity and institutions to enhance eco-tourism and support the community to grow in the future. They will try their best to supervise the shared interest with transparency and equity in order to sustain eco tourism in the continuing future.

LINK TO VIDEO - http://youtu.be/ur6GF753PTA

Richard Mille Replica