3SPN has received many requests from villagers to assist them in protecting the fish of the Sesan and Srepok Rivers. Villagers suggested that:

“we cannot wait for a long time until the dam builders compensate us

for our losses and restore the fisheries. We must continue our advocacy,

but we need to also work step-by-step to restore our livelihoods and our

river”.

In March 2006, 3SPN, along with Oxfam Australia conducted a field trip to the area and held meetings with villagers and others to discuss the current state of fisheries on the Sesan and Srepok Rivers. At these meetings, villagers, along with local authorities and the provincial fishery officer, requested support from 3SPN and Oxfam Australia in order to initiate and start a fish restoration program on the Sesan River.

Since then, this program has supported communities to establish fishery communities and to strengthen their capacity to be able to protect and manage the fishery communities by themselves.  This program provides opportunities for local communities, government officials, and NGOs to participate and work together on ecological and fish conservation issues in order to work towards improved environment governance, sustainable natural resource management, and improved rights and livelihoods for the people in the region.  It also aims to promote local fishery community network mobilization in the north eastern region of Cambodia through exchange visits, trainings, workshops.