In 2004, the Asian Development Bank and the Ministry of Rural Development collaborated under the Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Project to sustain and improve livelihoods within the flooded areas of the Tonle Sap. This joint effort featured a Sustainable Livelihoods approach that focused on building on assets identified by the communities themselves. The approach yielded new ideas for direct ...

The Tonle Sap is a natural phenomenon. In the rainy season, the level of water in the Mekong River exceeds the elevation of the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and forces the Tonle Sap River to flow upstream. The lake swells and fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants thrive on this reverse hydrology. The Tonle Sap Basin Strategy promotes an approach that conserves nature and offers ...