CAMBODIA TIGER CONSERVATION PROGRAM

RESULTS OF SECOND INTERVIEW SURVEY OF HUNTERS IN CAMBODIA

From 17^th May  –  04^th July, 1999

Report written in Khmer by Ouk Kimsan, Kry Masphal, Sin Polin, Heng Kimcchay and Uch Seiha
English abstract by Hunter Weiler

Cat Action Treasury

The Cambodia Tiger Conservation Program is implemented by the Government of Cambodia’s Wildlife Protection Office, and supported by the Cat Action Treasury, University of Minnesota, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Taiwan Council of Agriculture, and the Exxon/Mobil Save the Tiger Fund. 

     The interview survey was conducted by a team of five recent graduates of the forestry program at the Royal Agricultural College in Phnom Penh.  The students had done undergraduate theses on wildlife use in Cambodia, and were experienced at interviewing and working with local hunters in different regions of the country.    
   The first interview survey of hunters, conducted in l998, resulted in l53 interviews in 13 provinces containing large mammal habitat. Also interviewed were 156 government officials at the Province and District level. Results of this survey were documented in the July l998 Interim Report:  The Distribution of Tiger, Leopard, Elephant and Wild Cattle in Cambodia.  Further analysis was documented in the July l999 CAT News:  National Status Survey for Tigers in Cambodia.  Nine tiger population regions in Cambodia were identified and analyzed.
     Three key tiger population regions were identified from the first survey:  Cardamom Mountains, South of Sre Pok, and Northern Plains.  The findings of the l998 survey were presented to District and Province officials at Tiger Conservation Workshops held l999 in Koh Kong and Pursat for the Cardamoms; Kratie, Stung Treng and Mondulkiri for South of Sre pok; and Preah Vihear for the Northern Plains.  Following these workshops, a second interview survey of hunters was conducted in l999.
     It was decided to concentrate the second interviews on the Cardamom Mountains, South of Sre Pok, and the Northern Plains.  A new survey form was developed to gather additional information from the hunters on rare mammals, tiger status, hunting, law enforcement, and conservation knowledge and attitudes.  The goal was to gather information to develop a tiger monitoring and conservation program that would include hiring hunters and training them to become wildlife technicians.
     The Cardamom Mountains region is located primarily in Koh Kong and Pursat Provinces. Twenty interviews were conducted in Koh Kong Province in May/June.  The hunting areas covered portions of all six districts in Koh Kong. (The Veal Veng District in Pursat was almost inaccessible due to early rains.)   A Fauna and Flora International report, Conservation Status of the Cardamom Mountains in Southwestern Cambodia, includes the results of the Koh Kong and Pursat l998 first interview survey and 1999 workshops, and the results of the l999 second interview survey in Koh Kong Province. 
     The core of South of Sre Pok region is Mondulkiri Province.  A total of 15 interviews were conducted in May in the key districts of Koh Nhek, Pich Roda, and Keo Sema.  The Kratie/Mondulkiri border area is a key transition zone, and many Kratie hunters hunt in Mondulkiri, so 21 hunters in Kratie were also interviewed. 
     The Kratie survey included 9 hunters west of the Mekong in the Kampong Thom tiger population region.  Even though the Kampong Thom region ranked lowest in tiger density of the nine tiger population regions in Cambodia, a number of very interesting reports continued to come in from the vicinity of Phnom Chi, located on the Kratie/Kampong Thom boundary.  Further investigation was warranted, and also served the purpose of balancing and cross checking the first and second interview process by interviewing in a low-ranking region as well as three higher ranking ones.
     In the Northern Plains region, 15 interviews were conducted in the best remaining large mammal habitat:  Svay leu District in Siem Reap Province,  Anlong Veng District in Odar Meanchy Province, and Koulen, Choam Khsan, and Chhep Districts in Preah Vihear Province. 
     An enormous amount of detailed information was gathered during the second interview survey on tiger and other wildlife status, hunting, and hunter attitudes on conservation.
     Overall, hunters report that wildlife has declined over that last five years.  However, they also report that illegal logging has been greatly reduced and hunting has declined as a result of  government efforts to ban guns.  Large mammals are returning to areas where they have not been seen for years.  Most hunters are interested in conservation and will work with the government to share wildlife information and act as guides for field surveys.  All allowed themselves to be photographed while being interviewed by a Wildlife Protection Office officer.  However, some hunters report that they are too poor to stop hunting, because they have to feed their families and have no economic alternatives.  Some hunters hide guns in the forest to evade the gun control program. 
     Allowing for double reporting, the 71 hunters interviewed have specific knowledge of a total of at least 50 different individual tigers being killed in Cambodia during l998-99.  The actual number of tigers killed in Cambodia is probably higher than the number reported by the limited subset of hunters from portions of only four of the nine tiger population regions in Cambodia.  This high annual tiger kill is another indication that there are still probably several hundred tigers living in Cambodia.   Large areas of intact interconnected habitat remain.  Prey species are reported to be common in all regions and do not appear to be a major limiting factor for tiger populations. 
     Hunting is no doubt the biggest factor in the continuing decline of Cambodia’s tiger population, far more so than logging or other habitat conversion. Thus there is an opportunity, rapidly diminishing over time, to work with hunters and local officials to develop a conservation program that will assure a long term, viable tiger population in Cambodia.  Populations of large mammals could increase in all regions with proper conservation measures.
     This report contains a detailed analysis of the results of the second interview survey of hunters.  Based on information contained in this report, in June 2000 the Wildlife Protection Office established offices in Koh Kong, Preah Vihear, and Mondulkiri Provinces to recruit and train hunters to become wildlife technicians.  The authors of this report are all currently working on implementing this project, which is called Community-based Monitoring and Conservation of Tigers in Cambodia’s Most Important Tiger Conservation Units.