From slow violence to ecological crisis and hard violence: the impacts of climate change and hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin on Tonle...
Hydropower and climate change have made impacts on ecosystems and communities dependent on the Mekong River. Some studies present these impacts as slow violence or disorientation, and others as fast violence. However, slow violence, fast violence, and disorientation cannot be adapted or resilient, as impacts exceed the capacities of ecosystems and...
Climate-Resilient and Inclusive WASH Services: Lessons from the Implementation of Climate-Resilient Water Safety Planning
This infographic highlights the challenges and opportunities in implementing climate-resilient and inclusive Water Safety Plans (WSP) in Cambodia. It outlines barriers, including low community participation, financial constraints, limited knowledge, and gender-based inequalities, that hinder effective WSP adoption. At the same time, it presents pra...
Innovating community fish refuges in Tonle Sap Lake for enhancing resilience to climate change and the altered hydrological regime of the Mekong River
River ecosystem discontinuity and connection are of concern in transboundary river basins. Humans have impacted river ecosystems and disconnected the river ecosystem landscapes by building infrastructure and hydropower. Climate change has decreased connectivity. A bulk of studies examine the impacts of climate change and infrastructure development...
Water Governance in Cambodia: The Results of the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Water Governance, 20 November 2025
This report presents the results of the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Water Governance, convened in Phnom Penh on 20 November 2025 by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM). The dialogue addressed Cambodia’s pressing water security challenges, including clima...
Socioeconomic Dimensions of Dynamic Urban Flood Risk, Migration, Vulnerability, and Coping Capacity: The Case of Peri-Urban Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Urban flooding increasingly challenges rapidly expanding cities in developing countries. Migration, weak urban planning, and unregulated land use collectively intensify flood risk. Effective flood mitigation requires understanding the dynamic interactions between physical and social processes that shape urban vulnerability. This study examines how...
The Role of Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) in Promoting the Integration of Water, Land, and Aquatic Food Systems: A Case Study of the CFRs in the Mekon...
This working paper examines the role of Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) in promoting the integration of water, land, and aquatic food systems in Cambodia, drawing on six case studies in the Tonle Sap floodplain and Mekong Delta. Situated within rice-field and floodplain landscapes, CFRs function as dry-season refuges, wet-season spawning grounds,...
Strengthening Community Fish Refuges for Climate-Resilient Food Systems and Integrated Water-Fisheries-Agriculture Governance in Cambodia
Cambodia’s inland fisheries contribute an estimated 8–12 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), while Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) contribute 30 percent of Cambodia’s inland fishery production and provide the primary source of animal protein for most rural households.Evidence from six CFRs in Kampong Thom and Prey Veng province...
Economic Reintegration of Returnees and Border-Province Development Strategies in the Post-Conflict Period
Reintegration must move beyond employment numbers towards productivity and income recovery:Large-scale job matching initiatives have absorbed many returnees, but employment alone does not ensure durable reintegration. Income has declined, vulnerability remains high, and skills mismatch persists. Policy must shift toward job quality, productivit...
Strengthening Water Governance in Cambodia: Responding to Climate Risks, Altered Hydrology and Institutional Fragmentation
Good water governance requires transparency, accountability, participation, responsiveness, and the rule of law, ensuring water is allocated fairly, used efficiently, and protected for future generations through effective institutions and policies.Growing pressures, including floods, droughts, pollution, competing demands, and climate change,...
Decentralised Food System Governance at the District Level in Cambodia: Studying the Performance of District Technical Working Groups in Boeng Sneh (M...
This working paper examines decentralised food system governance at the district level in Cambodia through an assessment of District Technical Working Groups (DTWGs) established in Boeng Sneh (Mekong Delta) and Boeng Ream (Tonle Sap). These floodplain ecosystems are critical for rice production, fisheries, and rural livelihoods but face increas...