Cambodia Osmose & Field visit to Prek Toal Size: 480 | 720
- PHOTOS:
- OSMOSE |
- logo | map : |
- First meeting with Osmose |
- STUDY TOUR TO PREK TOAL - The flooded forest |
- Across the lake |
- Environmental education for children |
- Students observe |
- The children |
- Staff |
- The rangers |
- Protection |
- Survey |
- Alternative livelihood |
- Ecotourism |
- ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION MANUAL |
- Advice for the group |
- PUBLICATIONS |
- Black fish. |
- White fish |
- Uses of flooded forest shrub |
- Uses of flooded forest aquatic plants |
- Tonle Sap aquatic plants |
- VIDEO:
- Crossing Tonle Sap lake |
- Bigger trees |
- Flooded forest |
- Across the lake |
- Arriving at Prek Toal. |
- In Prek Toal |
- Off to the core zone |
- Arriving at the core zone |
- Lesson for the children |
- Talking to the students |
- Students Q & A |
- Counting birds |
- Community handicrafts & ecotourism |
- Serious discussion |
OSMOSE
French NGO working on Tonle Sap: Bird conservation, community-based ecotourism, education Listed website is dead, but other info at:
http://jinja.apsara.org/osmose/oSmoSe_online.swf
http://www.asiativ.com/product.aspx?productid=2256
Prek Toal Map
Prek Toal is quite far from Siem reap, on the other side of the lake. It takes about one hour by boat from the port. From the village - there are special tours to the protected area
First meeting with Osmose
Dr... Linne and some of the students visit the office of Osmose.
The meeting was set up by Stefan and Nick (top left picture, middle gaijin)
Result of meeting: Offer of a study tour for the students by Osmose, with a view to working as volunteer assistants for Osmose.
A trip to Prek Toal is scheduled for later in the week.
Study Tour to Prek Toal
The flooded forest
Just before crossing the lake, we saw some of the flooded forest.
The visit to Prek Toal took place several days later.
Just before crossing the lake, we saw some of the flooded forest.
- VIDEO:
- Crossing Tonle Sap lake |
- Bgger trees |
- Flooded forest |
Across the lake
Water hyacinth and other interesting lake vegetation.as we approach Prek Toal
Environmental education for children
Conducted by Osmose staff.
Children from the village are taken into the sanctuary area
- VIDEO:
- Lesson for the children |
Students observe.
Students observe the Osmose staff teaching the children.
Here the children are interviewing a park ranger about his work
- VIDEO:
- Talking to the students |
- Students Q & A |
The children
Come from a village near the protected area.
I hear the parents of the children are not all happy with the activity.
Staff
Osmose staff seem to be experienced in NGO operations and environmental education. Ban (left) was our guide and lives in Prek Toal village
The lady on the left I regret I did not get her name.
The rangers
There were several rangers at the site, whose job is to guard and monitor the birds from this vanatge point.
Here they talk to the Angkor University students activily about their work.
Protection
Was first and foremost on the minds of the rangers
Survey
Thanks to the fracas at the office before we left, we missed the bird survey activity with the children.
We did manage to repeat the activity on the way back. The Students did not know their birds, but the children did, shouting out the name and pointing to each one as the students frantically checked them off on their list.
- VIDEO:
- Counting birds |
Alternative livelihood
Back in Prek Toal, Students visit Osmose project to make handicrafts out of water hyacinth.
- VIDEO:
- Community handicrafts & ecotourism |
Ecotourism
Community ecotours
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION MANUAL
Back at the Osmose field office, Ban shows the students the Osmose environmental education field manual (in Khmer language).
The students start discussing what activities they can do.
- VIDEO:
- Serious discussion |
Advice fror the group
Ban explains how they should organize their group and activities.
PUBLICATIONS
Laminated field guides A3 size produced and distributed by Osmose.
Black fish.
White fish
Uses of the flooded shrub
Uses of flooded forest aquatic plants
Tonle Sap shrubs
Tonle Sap aquatic plants
Crossing Tonle Sap lake
Riding the tourist boat - and a bad one at that - across the surprisingly rough lake waters to Prek Toal.
Bigger trees
Thinly-spaced, but largeish trees on Tonle Sap lake
Flooded forest
Dense flooded forest at the edge of Tonle Sap Lake, as we are about to head out onto the lake towards Prek Toal on the other side
Across the lake
Crossing the lake and heading towards Prek Toal. The waves were quite rough this tme of the morning. Some of the students were a little nervous.
Arriving at Prek Toal
After winding our way through lots of floating vegetation.
The village can only be seen at the end of the video
In the office at Prek Toal
Students look at jars of specimens, fiddle with their new digital camera, and an argument between the park official and our group about boats, payment, entrance fees etc...
Off to the core zone
We finally came to agreement on the boats and left, albiet somewhat late.
On the way, Sambath ban explains more about the Osmose project to the students, over the roar of the motor and under the burning sun
Arriving at the core zone
A scrappy video of our arrival at the edge of the core zone, beyond which the birds are nesting and we are not allowed to go.
Listening to the ranger's story
Osmose staff talking to the chlidren with the ranger
Students' turn to ask questions
Now the students get the full attention of the both the ranger and Sambath Ban, amd in two groups have a question and answer session.
More questions
More questions and scenes of the students interacting
Counting Birds with the children
Counting birds on the way back. The students do not know their birds, but the children do. So they shout out the birds seen and their names to the students, who frantically write them down.
Community activities: handicrafts & ecotourism
Back at Prek Toal, we were shown an office where handicrafts were being made out of water hyacinth, a problem plant introduced to Southeast Asia many years ago that invades the surfaces of lakes and rivers.
The Osmose project promotes the use of the plant to make handicrafts, thus at least having a crack at killing two birds with one stone: clearing the weeds from the lake and providing alternative income to fishing and farming in forested areas.
Other community activities one display were ecotours of the surrounding area.
Serious discussion.
Ban is smiling because of a serious discussion that has broken out among the students (apparently) about the direction of the activities.
They are back at the Osmose field office in Prek Toal, and have been shown the manual for the evironmental education activities produced by Osmose.
I think the student on the left (apparently) wants to focus more on ecology -becuase that is what NEF wants (he thinks). The other students (apparently...) feel that garbage and cleanliness is more the way to go.