Living over Water - Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes - page 251

FIGURE 14.20 ( Continued ) The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity rehabili-
tates local birds, mammals, and reptiles rescued from illegal trade.
cosmopolitan, yet homogenized urban centers around the unifying globe. Tourists
are attracted to these idiosyncratic locations for various reasons: a natural and idyllic
escape from their concrete jungles back at home, a feeling of a sense of connection
with past civilizations, and a yearning to learn about unique cultures and ecologies.
In the context of developing countries, ecotourism often takes place in communities
where livelihood and survival are very real and dire concerns (Stevens 1995; Butler
and Hinch 1996). Alternate sources of sustenance, namely agriculture and fishing/
hunting, are a big part of the equation and cannot be separated from discussions of
ecotourism (see chapters 11, 15, and 16 and the epilogue). Likewise, geographical
idiosyncrasies, historical sensitivities, cultural diversities, and economic ambitions
all need to be included in a thorough analysis of a site.
Chong Khneas is a floating community located 12 km south of Siem Reap, the
tourist hub and fastest growing city in Cambodia, and is connected to the city by an
all-weather, asphalt road. Chong Khneas is made up of seven small villages totaling
about seven hundred households of five thousand people. Six of the seven villages
are composed of assemblages of houseboats that move accordingly in relation to the
seasonal flood cycle. During the wet season, the villages cluster around the base of
Phnom Kraom, an isolated rocky outcrop rising 140 m above the otherwise flat ter-
rain. During the dry season, the floating villages anchor in a small nearby inlet close
to the fishing grounds. The remaining village lies alongside the road embankment.
Port facilities do not currently exist at Chong Khneas because the shoreline moves
as much as 5 km. An earthen road extends some 4 km south from Phnom Kraom
alongside of which straddle many homes (Figure 14.11). A navigation channel, about
6 km long, runs alongside the road and connects to the small inlet mentioned above.
Various parts of the road are submerged during seasonal flooding, and a temporary