Kampot Province Research Articles

Review of the Slender Geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Hemiphyllodactylus) of the Cardamom Mountains of southwestern Cambodia, with descriptions of two new species and one country record

The gekkonid lizard genus Hemiphyllodactylus contains small, secretive species that are often overlooked in their habitats. Recent molecular and morphological analyses have resulted in the descriptions of numerous new species of Hemiphyllodactylus in mainland Southeast Asia and southern China, many of which were historically hidden within the geographically widespread taxon H. yunnanensis (Boulenger, 1903). Little is known on species diversity and distributions of Hemiphyllodactylus in Cambodia, and all previous reports from the country have been limited to provisional identifications owing to collections containing only a single female or juvenile specimen. We report on new collections of Hemiphyllodactylus specimens from opposite ends of the Cardamom Mountain range in southwestern Cambodia. Morphological and molecular data support the hypothesis that these collections contain three distinct species, two of which are described as new species and one of which is assigned to the geographically widespread H. typus Bleeker, 1860 as a new country record for Cambodia. Hemiphyllodactylus bokor sp. nov. from Preah Monivong Bokor National Park in Kampot Province and Hemiphyllodactylus samkos sp. nov. from Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary in Pursat Province are related to species from adjacent areas in southern Vietnam, southern Laos, and southeastern Thailand, as well as a clade from India, but are readily differentiated in mitochondrial DNA and in having unique combinations of mensural and meristic morphological characters. Additional species diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus likely exists in Cambodia.

A new species in the Cyrtodactylus intermedius (Squamata: Gekkonidae) group from an isolated limestone karst formation in southwestern Cambodia

The gekkonid lizard Cyrtodactylus intermedius was formerly considered to be a single widespread species in hilly areas across eastern Thailand through southern Vietnam but has recently been partitioned into a complex of 12 nominal species across its range. A population belonging to the C. intermedius group was recently found in an isolated limestone karst block in Kampot Province in southwestern Cambodia, part of which lies within the recently designated Phnom Preah Kuhear Loung Natural Heritage Site. Comparisons of morphometric, meristic, qualitative morphological and color pattern data, as well as a molecular analysis using the mitochondrial ND2 gene, revealed that this population differs from all other named members of the C. intermedius group, and so is described here as a new species. The karst-dwelling C. regicavernicolus sp. nov. was recovered as the sister species to C. laangensis, the most geographically proximate member of the complex and one that is also restricted to a small limestone karst habitat.

A remarkable new species from the pygmaea species group of the genus Carebara Westwood, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from Cambodia

A new species Carebara bokorensis Matsuura et Hosoishi, sp. n. is described from Kampot Province in Cambodia based on the major and minor worker caste. This new species belong to the pygmaea species group. This species is distinguished from congeners by the transverse striation on the vertex in major workers and presence of well-developed subpetiolar process in minor workers.

Mangrove Conservation in Kampot Province, Cambodia

Mangrove is a plant that is always seen in tropical and subtropical coastal areas, along coastal lagoons, the margins of estuaries, and deltas as well. Cambodia has a long coastline of 435 kilometers across four provinces: Koh Kong, Preah Sihanoukville, Kep, and Kampot, which have rich natural resources such as mangroves. Because of humans and nature, 36,810 ha of mangrove forest were damaged between 1989 and 2017. This review aims: (1) to find out the reason for mangroves to be managed; (2) to define the problem of degradation of mangroves; and (3) to find out the method for restoring and conserving mangroves in Kampot Province. This review uses a qualitative approach to collect data from another document of the journal that was published; the website, the book, and the report combine it on the desk and analyze it by using secondary data as a qualitative and quantitative method. In this review, we found the mangrove forest has provided many benefits, both human, economic, and environmental. It is a renewable resource that must be managed and conserved in a sustainable way. The forest of mangroves has equity concerns about achieving the optimum forest products and services to fulfill the needs of recent generations without destroying them. Conserving mangrove forests is our role, together with that of future generations.

Issues Concerning Ageing Population in Kampot and Takeo Provinces, Cambodia, and the Implications of the Cambodia National Ageing Policy 2017-2030

This article assesses the issues concerning the ageing population in Takeo province and Kampot province, Cambodia, and the implications of the Cambodia National Ageing Policy (NAP) 2017-2030 in addressing those issues. By interviewing fifty randomly selected participants aged 60 and older, the findings revealed that the NAP 2017-2030 has not positively impacted the elderly population in Cambodia as it promised. The current generation of elderly Cambodians are Khmer Rouge conflict survivors and are financially insecure and rely on their adult children for financial support and caretaking. By closely examining the NAP 2017-2030 action plan, this study found many implications that led to slow progress and ineffectiveness. The paper concludes with a discussion on the significant issues concerning the ageing population in Cambodia today and the need for the Cambodian government to commit to implementing this ageing policy effectively.

Characterization of Sandstone Reservoir at Bokor Formation, Kampot Province, Kampong Som Basin, Onshore Cambodia

Characterization of Sandstone Reservoir at Bokor Formation, Kampot Province, Kampong Som Basin, Onshore Cambodia

Exploring Strategies to Improve The Service Quality of Food in Community-Based Ecotourism: A Case Study of Trapeang Sangke Community-Based Ecotourism, Kampot Province

Trapeang Sangke Community-Based Ecotourism is a well-known community in Kampot province and also an attractive ecotourism area. TPSK CBET still faces some issues related to food service that require the CBET to further strengthen food services to meet the needs of tourists. As for the problems with the food service are lack of service providers, poor food hygiene, limited food quality standards, as well as hospitality of food service, including with a number of other issues. TPSK CBET is trying to address these issues as quickly as possible to improve the food service sector in order to attract more tourists and provide income for the CBET, especially local CBET as a whole. In the meantime, the research finds out the strategies to provide for improving the food service quality in Trapeang Sangke Community-Based Ecotourism. In addition, this research has four main questions such as: 1) What are quality and food service? 2) What are the tourists’ perception on the service quality of food? 3) What are the factors that influence service quality of food? 4) What are the strategies to provide for improving the service quality of food?
 
 Key words: Service quality, Food service quality, Food service improvement, CBET

The Study on Water Balance in Mlech Reservoir Under Climate Change Effects, Kampot Province

The Mlech Water Treatment Plant (WTP) has produced 2,000 m3/day of drinking water using raw water from Mlech, Kampot province. Since water demand would be increased in the future, so that the extension water treatment capacity will be the main challenges in correspondence with the development of planning of PPWSA. The water balance estimation is also the critical point in order to make a good decision on extension WTP at existing area. Therefore, the objectives of this study aimed to analyse the water balance in Mlech reservoir by using data from 2002 to 2011, in 2030s and in 2050s. The Rational Method was applied for estimating the streamflow into the reservoir. Water balance was computed following hydrological concept. SWAT and HEC-HMS models were performed to predict the future streamflow. The future climatic data were projected from 2012 to 2050 under climate change scenario RCP 4.5 with three general circulation models (GCMs) including IPSL-CM5A-MR, GISS-E2-R-CC and GFDL-CM3. As a result, the water balance remains about 11.40 Mm3/year in reservoir in baseline. In 2030s, the water quantity will be approximately 58.70 Mm3/year, 62.09 Mm3/year and 59.58 Mm3/year under model IPSL-CM5A-MR, GISS-E2-R-CC and GFDL-CM3, respectively. In addition, the water quantity will be slightly changed in 2050s comparing to 2030s. According to the scenario of extension WTP capacity, this study found that the water flow into downstream will be decreased to 37.14 Mm3/year to 33.84 Mm3/year when WTP’s capacity increased from 2,000 m3/day to 14,000 m3/day,respectively. Furthermore, the volume of water overflow to downstream for irrigation uses is 30.32 Mm3/year when WTP’s capacity increased to 12,000 m3/day in 2050s. Irrigation water need is about 28.00 Mm3/year. In recommendation, the total WTP’s capacity should be extended from 2,000 m3/day to 10,000m3/day from Mlech reservoir based on the future water demand.

The impact of climate change on food security among farmers in a coastal Area of Cambodia: a case study in Banteay Meas District, Kampot Province.

Climate change-related disasters, such as floods, droughts, windstorms, and heat waves have emerged as a severe threat in the 21st century. Different countries experience different scales of both physical and perceived damage. This paper examines farmer perceptions of climate change impacts on rice production and introduces an appropriate mechanism to build adaptive capacity at the local level. This research is based on a survey of 215 respondents from two communes in Banteay Meas District, Kampot Province. The results demonstrate that food insecurity has been a frequently perceived impact among farmers over the past decade. Farmers in Tnoat Chong Srang have faced transitory food insecurity after natural calamities such as floods, storm surges, droughts, and seawater intrusion. Farmers in Banteay Meas Khang Kaeut have encountered chronic food insecurity and poverty caused by reduced rice production caused by floods, windstorms, and increasing seawater intrusion. The research found that local adaptation strategies for climatic hazards can increase food security. In addition, all key stakeholders, both at the national and local levels, should take more action to ensure the resilience of rural communities. These actions should apply sustainable agricultural development focused on irrigation infrastructure, drought-tolerant rice varieties, social safety nets, and community-based projects selected by villagers. To successfully implement these actions policymakers and planners need to be able to clearly distinguish between chronic and transitory food insecurity.

Complete genome sequence of a previously undescribed monopartite begomovirus and betasatellite infecting Malvastrum coromandelianum in Cambodia.

A previously undescribed monopartite begomovirus was identified in Kampot province, Cambodia, in Malvastrum coromandelianum plants exhibiting yellow vein symptoms characteristic of begomovirus infections. The apparently full-length viral component was cloned and sequenced following enrichment of circular DNA by rolling-circle amplification and restriction enzyme digestion. The genome of the virus was 2737 nucleotides in length (KP188831) and exhibited an organization like that of other monopartite begomoviruses, sharing the highest nucleotide sequence similarity (87.7% identity) with ageratum yellow vein virus (AM940137). A satellite molecule was amplified from total DNA by PCR amplification, using the betasatellite-specific primer pair β01/β02. The satellite molecule (1346 nt, KP188832) had structural characteristics like those of other betasatellites associated with begomoviruses and shared the highest nucleotide sequence similarity (84.8% identity) with malvastrum yellow vein betasatellite (MN205547). According to the criteria established for species demarcation for classification of begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae) and betasatellites (family Tolecusatellitidae), respectively, the virus isolate from M. coromandelianum in Cambodia is a previously undescribed novel monopartite begomovirus, for which the name "malvastrum yellow vein Cambodia virus" (MaYVCV) is proposed, and the betasatellite is a previously undescribed novel betasatellite, for which the name "malvastrum yellow vein Cambodia betasatellite" (MaYVKHB) is proposed.

Fishing gears, fishing grounds, target species and labor forces of marine small-scale fishery in Kampot Province, Cambodia

Fishing gears, fishing grounds, target species and labor forces of marine small-scale fishery in Kampot Province, Cambodia

A new micropolydesmoid millipede of the genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910 from Cambodia, with a key to species in mainland Southeast Asia (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae).

The micropolydesmoid millipede family Haplodesmidae is here recorded from Cambodia for the first time through the discovery of the first, new species of the genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910: E. cambodiensissp. nov. This new species is described from two limestone habitats in Kampot Province, based on abundant material. It is easily distinguished from all related congeners by the following combination of characters: body greyish-brown; limbus roundly lobulate; solenomere partially divided from acropodite by a digitiform lobe, but without hairpad. Brief remarks on the previously-proposed “pecularis-group” are provided and a second group, the “demangei-group”, is established and discussed on the basis of morphological evidence, updating the number of recognised species groups of Eutrichodesmus to two. Detailed morphological illustrations, photographs and a distribution map, as well as remarks on its habitat and mating behaviour of the new species are presented. Furthermore, the current distributions of all 55 presently-known species of Eutrichodesmus are provided and a key to all 23 species that occur in mainland Southeast Asia is given.

Theosbaena loko sp. n. a new stygobiotic microshrimp (Thermosbaenacea: Halosbaenidae) from southern Thailand.

BackgroundThermosbaenaceans are subterranean crustaceans, widespread and occur in freshwater, oligohaline or anchialine caves or thermal springs. Currently, four families, seven genera,and 45 species are recognised worldwide. During our studies of the isolated karst, Tham Loko (Loko Cave) in Khao Chiason District, Phatthalung Province, we found an undescribed thermosbanacean species in the genus Theosbaena. Theosbaena is the only genus reported from freshwater in the Oriental Region. Previously, there were only two known species, Theosbaena cambodjiana Cals & Boutin, 1985 from Kampot Province, southern Cambodia and Khon Kaen, Thailand and T. kiatwongchai Rogers & Sanoamuang, 2016 discovered in a cave of Takhli District, Nakhon Sawan, central Thailand. Our new species is the third species recorded in the Oriental Region.New informationTheosbaena loko sp. n. differs from its congeners by having a telson 1.8x longer than its breadth, maxilla 1 palp distal segment 4x longer than the proximal palpomere and the maxillopodal exopod twice as long as its basal width. This microshrimp is the third described species of the genus. A key to the species is given and suggestions for the conservation status of the new species are discussed.

Experimental Characterization of the Drying of Kampot Red Pepper (Piper nigrum L.).

The objective of this work is to provide new insights into the mechanisms taking place during the drying of the mature grains of Kampot pepper, a cultivar of pepper (Piper nigrum L.), which is produced in the Kampot Province, Cambodia. Indeed, even if the Kampot pepper is recognized for its organoleptic qualities, no research works were dedicated to the drying of its mature grains, in order to yield red pepper. Experiments with different pretreatment and drying conditions were performed. The results of these experiments were analyzed, regarding the drying kinetics, the color of the dry product, and the degradation of the bioactive compounds during the drying. Regarding these bioactive compounds, several parameters were considered: the total phenolic content, the total flavonoid content, and the piperine content. The results show that the Kampot mature pepper is prone to alterations when dried at a temperature of C or C: the color, the total phenolic content, and the flavonoid content are significantly altered, while the piperine content, important for the pungency of this spice, seems unaltered. Raising the temperature leads to more important degradations. However, performing a pretreatment by dipping the pepper grains into boiling water appears to significantly reduce these alterations and, concomitantly, to accelerate the drying. As a conclusion of the analysis of the results, it can be stated that, to increase the product quality, it is recommended to pretreat the pepper by dipping it into boiling water during 5 min., before drying at C.

Financial landscapes of agrarian change in Cambodia

In the context of neoliberal financialization, what is the role of debt in agrarian change? To address this question, I combine insights about debt from rural political ecology and development finance scholarship in order to analyze the relationship between changing agroecological practices and household indebtedness in a Cambodian rice- farming village. In the past two decades, Cambodians have borrowed from commercial microfinance institutions at the highest rate per capita of any country in the world. With fewer Cambodians farming, and agricultural production increasingly commodified, researchers have begun to study how the fast growth of Cambodia's microfinance industry contributes to these changes. By building upon the concept of financial landscapes, which highlights the diversity of social and material relations of debt in rural economies, I argue that agrarian change in Cambodia is entangled with rising household debts used to fund both agricultural production and social reproduction. I describe how non-monetary debt obligations underpinned labor-intensive rice agricultural practices in the 1980s and early 1990s, but have since been replaced by monetary debt used to fund household basic needs and commodified agricultural production. To make my argument, I draw upon 20 months of ethnographic research within a farming village in Kampot Province. This article contributes to rural political ecology and development finance scholarship by exploring debt in its diverse material and social forms at a time of deepening financialization, and how these debt relations in turn shape the economic and agroecological contours of contemporary agrarian change.

Discrepancies in Karst Soil Organic Carbon in Southwest China for Different Land Use Patterns: A Case Study of Guizhou Province.

The assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) in mountainous karst areas is very challenging, due to the high spatial heterogeneity in SOC content and soil type. To study and assess the SOC storage in mountainous karst areas, a total of 22,786 soil samples were collected from 2,854 soil profiles in Guizhou Province in Southwest China. The SOC content in the soil samples was determined by the oxidation of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7), followed by titration with iron (II) sulfate (FeSO4). The SOC storage was assessed based on different land uses. The results suggested that the average SOC density in the top 1.00 m of soil associated with different land uses decreased in the following order: Croplands (9.58 kg m−2) > garden lands (9.07 kg m−2) > grasslands (8.07 kg m−2) > forestlands (7.35 kg m−2) > uncultivated lands (6.94 kg m−2). The SOC storage values in the 0.00–0.10 m, 0.00–0.20 m, 0.00–0.30 m and 0.00–1.00 m soil layers of Guizhou Province were 0.50, 0.87, 1.11 and 1.58 Pg, respectively. The SOC in the top 0.30 m of soil accounted for 70.25% of the total within the 0.00–1.00 m layer in Guizhou Province. It was concluded that assessing SOC storage in mountainous karst areas was more accurate when using land use rather than soil type. This result can supply a scientific reference for the accurate assessment of the SOC storage in the karst areas of southwestern China, the islands of Java, northern and central Vietnam, Indonesia, Kampot Province in Cambodia and in the general area of what used to be Yugoslavia, along with other karst areas with similar ecological backgrounds.

Response of shallow karst fissure soil quality to secondary succession in a degraded karst area of southwestern China

Vegetation restoration is one of the effective means to control soil erosion and an essential method of eco-environmental restoration in fragile karst rocky desertification areas. The shallow karst fissure (SKF) filled with soil has become one of the most important root habitats in this area. It is essential to scientifically evaluate the soil quality of SKF and to provide a basis for matching species with sites. Here, we explore and gain insight into the characteristics of the response of the physicochemical properties of SKF soil to different stages of vegetation succession. Additionally, we develop a synthetical assessment system to determine soil quality. The key results were as follows. Significant differences were found in the soil properties between the surface and the SKF. Compared with the surface, the SKF soil structural property was poor, but the water conditions were better. The soil nutrient content of the SKF was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of the surface, but the differences in soil nutrients inside the SKF were not significant. In addition, the soil quality indicator (SQI) values of the SKF soil were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those of the surface and decreased gradually with soil depth. Moreover, secondary succession significantly (p < 0.05) improved the soil properties and, thus, the soil quality. With recovery of vegetation, the soil properties of the surface and the SKF were significantly improved. The difference in the soil properties and the SQI values between the surface and underground gradually narrowed with succession. Furthermore, the thickness of the SKF soil was more than twice that of the surface soil. Overall, the soil properties and the soil quality of the SKF were relatively poor, but they were greatly improved with vegetation restoration. The SKF habitat can be the preferred habitat for vegetation restoration and is more favourable for plants with deep roots and a higher root penetration ability. The results of this study can supply references for future studies on karst rocky desertification control and vegetation restoration in the karst area of southwestern China, northern and central Vietnam, the islands of Java, Indonesia and Kampot Province, southwestern Cambodia and other karst regions with the same ecological background.

EXPLORING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLID, LIQUID, AND GAS AMONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KAMPOT PROVINCE, CAMBODIA

Research shows that students’ misconceptions interfere with students’ learning of scientific concepts. Meanwhile, the significant effects of students’ misconceptions on their achievement has been a concern for teachers who strive to find ways of dealing with the misconceptions. This study was conducted to explore Cambodian students’ misconceptions of states of matter (Solid, liquid, and gas), which main aimed to investigate what type of misconceptions which they held in the concept of characteristics of solid, liquid, and gas. Data was collected using a 15 multiple-choice two-tier test which was administered on 330 junior high school students in Kampot province, Cambodia. In this test, students’ responses were categorized into three: correct answer, misconception, and incorrect answer. Data analysis through descriptive statistics showed the frequencies of each students’ misconceptions. Students’ responses to the items revealed that 20 misconceptions were held by less than 50% of the students whereas 4 misconceptions were held by more than 50% of the students who took the test. Interviews with some of the students revealed the nature of students’ understanding of the concept of states of matter. Two main conclusions were derived to explain these results: 1) students tend to attribute macroscopic view to microscopic view and 2) students believe matter exist unless they see.

Testing the savannah corridor hypothesis during MIS2: The Boh Dambang hyena site in southern Cambodia

The Boh Dambang karstic site in southern Cambodia, Kampot province, is a mammal bone-rich deposit in a hyena site. Very few hyena sites have been recovered in the Pleistocene of Southeast Asia, thus little information is known about the foraging abilities of hyenas during that period and their decline in the region, while the other hypercarnivores (tiger, leopard, and dhole) persisted until present day.To constrain the site we applied luminescence (red TL and single-grain OSL), ESR and U/Th dating methods to the sediments and faunal teeth, respectively. The resulting age estimatessuggest that the site represents an accumulation of a young deposit with faunal teeth in the range of 25–18 ka that was last exposed to sunlight between 8 and 7 ka, and an older deposit containing older teeth (∼100–80 ka) that have been eroded from the upper caves in the system and incorporated into the younger deposit. Thus, the faunal age of 25–18 ka (MIS2), provides the best estimate for the age of the hyena site during LGM (26.5–19 ka).We analysed the assemblage of isolated teeth in terms of taxonomic diversity and abundance. The role of bone accumulators, either carnivores or rodents, has been precised through a taphonomic analysis. Diet was reconstructed through measurement of δ13C values of tooth enamel. The taphonomic analysis reveals that the hyenas were the main bone accumulators at Boh Dambang. Porcupines were aslo a factor in the accumulation of remains. The results show that the spotted hyenas hunted large-sized herbivores (>600 kg), in a mixed environment dominated by grassland.These data along with evidence from other Pleistocene faunas from Southeast Asian mainland, in terms of prey preference of hyenas (“rhinoceroses versus large bovines”) also reveal marked differences in relation to habitat type. Possible causes of the decline of the spotted hyena in the Indochinese sub-region (hypercarnivory, high trophic level, comparable foraging strategies with hunters-gatherers, and climatic changes) are tentatively proposed at this point.

Flora of Bokor National Park, Cambodia VI: A new species of Wikstroemia (Thymelaeaceae), W. bokorensis

A new species, Wikstroemia bokorensis (Thymelaeaceae), from Bokor National Park, Kampot Province, Cambodia, is described and illustrated. This species is morphologically most similar to W. nutans distributed in southern China and Vietnam, but differs in having pubescent branches and leaves, smaller anthers, a single disk scale, and glabrous ovary. DNA barcodes of ITS, rbcL, trnT-F, rps16, and rpl16 regions for the new species are also provided.