5. Establishing the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Environmental Information Database

ESTABLISHING THE TONLE SAP BIOSPHERE RESERVE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION DATABASE

A. Background

1. In September 2001, the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) Secretariat was established within the Cambodia National Mekong Committee to facilitate coordination and fortify cooperation among national agencies, provincial authorities, and civil society. However, no information exchange and management system serves its needs. Much data on the Tonle Sap exists and new data is being collected continuously. However, this data is scattered among institutions, projects, and individuals and is in diverse forms: publications, technical reports, workshop papers, seminar proceedings, and digital files. Access is difficult and there is no updated directory or metadatabase for stakeholders to consult. What is more, data quality is often questionable because that there is no mechanism for validation and aggregation. In short, there is no comprehensive environmental information database that offers an official and common service. Developing such a database is urgent to backstop natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR. To this intent, the Project will establish in the TSBR Secretariat an environmental information database (TSBR-ED) that will serve as an information clearinghouse open to all. Fittingly, the TSBR-ED will build on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) experience in environmental data management, especially on its MABnet, and Biosphere Reserve Integrated Monitoring initiative.1

B. Approach to Database Development

1. Objective and Outputs

2. The goal of the Project is sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the Tonle Sap basin. Establishing the TSBR-ED will help to accomplish the objective of strengthened natural resource management coordination and planning for the TSBR. The needed outputs to establish the TSBR-ED are as follows: (i) building an efficient information clearinghouse mechanism; (ii) establishing a database to support management planning, environmental assessment, and public information; (iii) establishing and maintaining a TSBR web site; (iv) developing TSBR publications on environment and development; and (v) establishing a documentation center. When it is established, the TSBRED will constitute an important tool of Government agencies, specialized institutions, environmental education projects, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and the aid community.

2. Key Activities by Output

a. Building an Efficient Information Clearinghouse Mechanism

3. The TSBR Secretariat needs an information clearinghouse mechanism. This mechanism should consist of well-prepared work plans, information services and products, and data management capacity, buttressed by qualified technical staff and equipment. A series of

1 The Biosphere Reserve Integrated Monitoring initiative undertakes a biotic, biodiversity, socioeconomic, and integrated monitoring in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Its goal is to provide a platform for integration of the resulting information and data, thus contributing to a better understanding of the changes that take place in the areas studied, the factors triggering those changes, and the options for planning and management.

technical agreements will be established to facilitate exchange of data and information between stakeholders. Project activities will include elaborating agreements for information collection, management, and exchange; designing and implementing technical work plans; identifying and recruiting qualified technical staff; and installing the equipment required.

b. Establishing a Database to Support Management Planning, Environmental Assessment, and Public Information

4 The database will integrate or link with existing databases and will be supported by a geographic information system (GIS) and other technologies (Table A5). Efforts will be made to validate and aggregate data and databases to provide a common and official set on natural resource management in the Tonle Sap. The TSBR-ED, however, will not duplicate or replace other specialized databases. Rather, it will compile information from these sources.

Table A5: Geographic Information Data Requirements

Topographic Data Land Use and Land Cover Data Conservation Data Special Data

District center

Commune center

Village center

District boundaries

Commune boundaries

Major roads, power supply lines, and communication facilities

Rivers and drainage

Contours of elevation and digital terrain data Land use (1993, MRC)

Land cover of the Tonle Sap (1993, FAO)

Land cover of the Tonle Sap (1997, MRC) Distribution of water bird species (MOE)

Protected areas (MOE)

Biosphere Reserve zonation (MOE)

Water bird census (MOE,

WCS)

Reptile census

Other wildlife surveys Hydrology

Water quality and water pollution

Floods

Rainfall

Population (1998,UNFPA)

Fishing lots (MAFF, MOE)

Community fishing grounds (MOE)

Rice field distribution

Tourism development

Socioeconomy FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, MAFF = Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, MOE = Ministry of Environment, MRC = Mekong River Commission, UNFPA = United Nations Population Fund, WCS = World Conservation Society.

5. The metadata necessary to establish the TSBR-ED, which will form a crucial part of the overall TSBR-ED and be used as main tool to stimulate information exchange, follows: (i) directory of existing specialized databases, literature, and documentation on the Tonle Sap region; (ii) directory of NGOs working in the Tonle Sap region; (iii) directory of international aid agencies involved in the Tonle Sap region; (iv) directory of previous and ongoing projects in the Tonle Sap region; and (v) directory of Tonle Sap literature.

c. Establishing and Maintaining a TSBR Web Site

6. The TSBR web site will serve as the official web-based information desk of the TSBR. Although Internet access for the general public in the Tonle Sap region is still very limited, it is expected that Internet-based information and communication will develop rapidly in Cambodia and that the number of people who can access the TSBR web site will increase very quickly. Project activities will include: (i) providing detailed information on the Tonle Sap ecosystem, including its biodiversity, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics; management settings; and development challenges; (ii) providing related public domain documents on natural resource management, including the metadata identified, and developing a service to enable registered members to download restricted documents; (iii) linking with other important web sites, particularly those on biosphere reserve practices, including UNESCO's MABnet and Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserve Network (SeaBRnet); (iv) providing an interactive service to answer inquiries and a news desk to announce events on the TSBR; (v) incorporating educational information; and (vi) arranging an easy-to-maintain technical setup for the web site.2

d. Developing TSBR Publications on Environment and Development

7. Some public-oriented publications will be developed in the TSBR-ED, as often as possible in association with other projects in the Tonle Sap region. The publications will be in printed form or on CD-ROM. Related project activities will include designing, preparing, publishing, and distributing the following products: (i) a bimonthly newsletter, titled Tonle Sap Update—Bulletin of the TSBR. This will be a simple product of 2–4 pages, focusing on management and development in the Tonle Sap; (ii) a Tonle Sap Environment and Development Data Report, prepared by the TSBR Secretariat, with the support of the TSBR-ED. This product will be issued annually and will be used as Cambodia’s official environmental data report for the Tonle Sap. It will also serve as a long-standing record for monitoring and evaluation. New information will be added and corrections made as implementation of projects in the Tonle Sap region progresses, and (iii) the five directories in para. 5.

e. Establishing a Documentation Center

8. The TSBR-ED will house a documentation center to collect and organize related documents such as books, special publications, survey reports, workshop reports, seminar proceedings, and project documents. First and foremost, the documentation center will serve the TSBR Secretariat and the executing and implementing agencies involved in the Project. It will then be opened to other Government agencies, institutions, and NGOs. The documentation center will use UNESCO library software such as CDS-ISIS or WinISIS for management.3 Project activities will include documentation collection, categorization, indexing, management, and servicing.

2 It is more cost-effective to use existing web site holders in Phnom Penh. It is also possible for UNESCO to host the web pages, at least initially.3 This UNESCO software has been used in libraries and documentation centers around the world for more than 15 years. Some training in its use will be given.

3. Other Considerations

9. Operational Strategy. The Project will aim to deliver TSBR-ED services as quickly as possible. The TSBR web site, the bimonthly newsletter, and the five directories will be moved rapidly into service. They will be consolidated and improved thereafter. Database development will focus first on core data and extend gradually to other data attributes.

10. Client Targeting. Project beneficiaries will include Government agencies, bilateral and multilateral institutions, NGOs, and the general public. They all need general information on the Tonle Sap. Three categories will enjoy specific TSBR-ED services: (i) Government and donor agencies. This category includes line ministries concerned with the Tonle Sap, provincial government offices, and the agencies involved in the Tonle Sap region. Given the responsibility of these bodies in management and development planning, policy work, law interpretation and enforcement, and governance, the TSBR-ED’s main tasks for this group of beneficiaries will include: (a) collecting and providing the major national and international legal and policy documents of relevance to the Tonle Sap and the TSBR;4 (b) collecting and facilitating exchange of documents on TSBR-related projects or meetings supported by the Government and aid agencies with prior agreement with the agencies concerned;5 (c) providing basic but comprehensive and updated conservation, environmental, natural resource, and socioeconomic data through established databases;6 and (d) providing a comprehensive index or meta-database about other existing specialized databases hosted by other organizations, as well as literature and documentation. (ii) Civil society. This category includes all sectors of society, in particular, local village councils, schools, and the private sector. Through the TSBR web site and publications, the TSBR-ED will provide information services on: (a) the regulations and policies regarding natural resource management in the TSBR; (b) the values, characteristics, and sustainability of the Tonle Sap ecosystem; (c) the environmental and developmental problems encountered and the environmental status of the Tonle Sap; (d) previous and ongoing efforts for natural resource management in the TSBR; (e) new development opportunities concerning the TSBR; (f) traditional knowledge and best practices for natural resource management, as well as examples of unsustainable uses; (g) a directory of institutions and NGOs that may be contacted to support community development; (h) a metadatabase on other existing specialized databases, including literature and documentation; and (j) environmental education and awareness. (iii) NGOs. Many NGOs work in the Tonle Sap region. They deal with a broad range of issues, including wildlife protection, conservation, research, environment, community organization and development, education, health, and empowerment of women. These NGOs will be substantial contributors of data for collection, distribution, and verification. They will be a major group of clients targeted by the

4 For instance, basic documents on the Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves, 1995; the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1979; and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as

Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention), 1971. 5 Much data and information will not be in the public domain. Rules and policies for exchange and distribution will be developed and applied.6 This data is usually descriptive. After establishment of the TSBR-ED, a basic GIS capacity will be made available for additional information support, notably through annual publication of environmental data.

TSBR-ED, together with university departments in Cambodia. In addition, the TSBR-ED will develop: (a) a directory of NGOs working in the Tonle Sap region; (b) a directory of aid agencies that are active in the Tonle Sap; and (c) mechanisms whereby NGOs can use the TSBR-ED as a conduit for exchanging experience and making their expertise available.

11. Using and Linking with Existing Databases. The TSBR-ED will not duplicate existing databases. As much as it can, it will use existing data resources and pay particular attention to metadatabase development. Its object will be to make information available.

12. Computer Technology. The TSBR-ED will not seek to take high-end and state-of-theart equipment for routine database management and information distribution. Rather, it will use commonly used technologies, such as the PC NT Server and Windows 2000 SQL Server, to back up its web and database service, and PC-based GIS, such as Arc-View and MapInfo, for geographic data processing. This will ensure better maintenance, given the technical capacity of staff and available service in the country. Specific data processing will be contracted to professional data processing workshops in Cambodia or to other facilities in the region. This will ensure that the TSBR Secretariat does not require too many staff or equipment. For the TSBR web site, use will be made of commercial technical maintenance services.

13. Language. The TSBR-ED will use the Khmer and English languages. Attention will be given to Khmer versions of information products such as web pages, the bimonthly bulletin, and CD-ROMs. Arrangements will be made to translate scientific data into the Khmer language to make it available for educational purposes.

C. Implementation Arrangements

14. UNESCO will be appointed by direct selection to establish the TSBR-ED with assistance from its offices in Phnom Penh, Jakarta, and Paris. UNESCO's office in Phnom Penh will coordinate execution. The TSBR Secretariat and UNESCO will prepare the work plan jointly and carry out the detailed design and implementation of the TSBR-ED. Short-term expertise will be needed for system design, standard setting and integration, development of data exchange mechanisms, and preparation of publications. For this, priority will be given to domestic experts. For specific technical tasks such as field data collection, data processing, technical maintenance, publication design, and printing, subcontracts will be entered into. UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Secretariat in the Division of Ecological Sciences and the Regional Bureau of Sciences for Asia and Pacific will provide advisory services and supervise the quality of the TSBR-ED's services and products.