> PREK TOAL, TONLE SAP LAKE, CAMBODIA

A humanitarian project for the benefit of the environment.
An environmental project for the benefit of the population.

In the unique environment of the Tonle Sap Great Lake, Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary is host to the highest number of breeding large water birds in South East Asia. Ten years ago, many of these wonderful birds faced a serious danger of extinction as over-harvesting of their eggs threatened to destroy their populations. As part of the response, Osmose was established and immediately initiated a novel approach to environmental protection: advancing conservation objectives through environmental education, community support and alternative income generation from Ecotourism.

10 years later, egg harvesting has stopped, the bird populations have recovered and Osmose is growing and evolving. The environmental education programme has reached 1000s of children, creating the future environmental guardians of this great lake. The alternative income programme has expanded to include Saray, a cooperative that creates woven products from the super-abundant water hyacinth on the lake, generating incomes for almost 40 women, while Osmose remains the premier Ecotourism operator in Prek Toal. Now, more than 100 families in the villages in which we operate benefit from Osmose’s income generating activities, and many more from Osmose’s medical, social, schooling and material support and assistance.

Osmose Ecotours to the Tonle Sap Lake offer by far the best experience of this unique environment, giving visitors the opportunity to see the protected Bird Sanctuary, take part in local activities with the villagers and stay the night in specially adapted home stays. At the same time, Ecotourism allows visitors to support the communities by taking part in income generating activities and generating funds that are directed towards community support projects. At the present time, Osmose is also conducting a new project linking conservation with scientific research, financed by the IUCN and implemented in partnership with the World Fish Centre. Despite all these changes, Osmose remains a small organisation in touch with the people on whose behalf it works. Yet is also an effective facilitator for bigger projects and organisations such as the French NGO HAMAP (which carries out projects in more than 25 countries around the world), with whom we cooperate in providing long term and efficient health assistance for the remote populations of the floating villages.

Since 2007, Osmose has been initiating a process of localisation, registering as a local NGO in that year, forming a local board of governors in 2008, and finally creating a partnership agreement defining the terms of financial and technical support brought to the project by Osmose France.