Gender, Legitimacy and Patronage-driven Participation: Fisheries Management in the Tonle Sap Great Lake, Cambodia

Abstract

The Tonle Sap Great Lake is the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia and is often referred to as a unique hydrological phenomenon, where local people fish and farm its rich fishing grounds, floodplains and inundated forests in seasonal cycles. The Tonle Sap Great Lake area includes the Great Lake, the Tonle Sap River, the adjacent floodplain and the affluent rivers that feed the lake.The region is home to nearly 3 million people, most of whom derive their livelihoods directly from its natural resources.