Marine Conservation Cambodia is the first to capture a dugong on drone footage in Kep. Cambodia. Credit: MCC
Marine Conservation Cambodia is a leading marine conservation NGO protecting Cambodia’s southern coastal ecosystems since 2008. They combine science, community leadership, and policy action to restore marine habitats, reduce illegal fishing, and support sustainable fisheries. Their work includes protecting endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins and critically endangered Dugongs, establishing Cambodia’s first Marine Fisheries Management Area, deploying anti-trawling artificial reefs (FPS/CANTS), restoring seagrass meadows, and engaging local and international volunteers. Marine Conservation Cambodia is a key driver of community-led marine restoration and ocean governance in Cambodia.
In the turquoise waters of Cambodia’s southern coast, we warmly welcome our newest Alliance Partner – Marine Conservation Cambodia (MCC), a dedicated team of scientists, rewilders, and local changemakers working together to heal and protect the country’s rich marine ecosystems.
Since 2008, MCC has been a trailblazer in marine conservation. From their base on Koh Ach Seh, a small island in the Kep Archipelago, the organisation has transformed both policy and practice – restoring habitats, empowering fishing communities, and ensuring the ocean’s voice is heard in local and national decision-making.
Credit: Marine Conservation Cambodia
Rebuilding a refuge for the elusive Irrawaddy Dolphin and Dugong
One of MCC’s most inspiring efforts is their Cambodian Marine Mammal Conservation Project (CMMCP). The waters around Kep are a crucial habitat for the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin and the critically endangered Dugong, a species that has long not been sighted in the Kep Archipelago and is now making a return. MCC’s team of researchers and volunteers work to protect this refuge by conducting monitoring, behavioral studies, and population tracking. This work has helped increase awareness of these elusive dolphins while also working to influence national policy.
By highlighting the importance of these cetaceans as indicators of ocean health, MCC is helping to position marine mammals at the heart of Cambodia’s marine restoration agenda.
The Irrawaddy dolphins are the most common marine mammal in MMC’s study area. Although they are present throughout Southeast Asia, the IUCN’s list of threatened species considers them as “endangered” due to declining and fragmented populations. Credit: MMC
Commonly known as “sea cows,” dugongs graze peacefully on seagrasses in shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Their conservation status is “vulnerable” on the IUCN’s Red List, but are regionally “endangered” in Cambodia’s ocean. Credit: veterok_77 from Getty Images
Reducing harmful practices; those that are illegal, unreported and unregulated
Protecting these ecosystems means standing guard against the threats they face, especially illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. MCC has been on the frontlines, partnering closely with local authorities and the Cambodian government to patrol protected waters.
These patrols have been crucial in reducing destructive practices such as bottom trawling, electric trawling and tube diving (a harmful practice for both the diver and the environment), and rat-tail net fishing. MCC’s hands-on enforcement approach has made them a trusted partner of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries—bridging the gap between science and policy, and ensuring real-world protections for vulnerable marine life.
Credit: Marine Conservation Cambodia
Cambodia’s first ever Marine Fisheries Management Area
Their work has also been central to the establishment of Marine Fisheries Management Areas (MFMAs) in Cambodia. MCC was integral in helping with the establishment of the first MFMA in Koh Rong Sihanoukville Province, developed in collaboration with the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, local authorities and local fishing communities. Marine Conservation Cambodia then supported the Government on the establishment of the second MFMA in Kep province, and the community-led marine sanctuary model is now being scaled up across the country.
A key innovation within these areas is the deployment of Fishery Productivity Structures (FPS), formally referred to as Conservation and Anti-Trawling Structures (CANTS). These low-cost, concrete blocks, are strategically placed on the seabed to deter illegal trawling activities. Beyond their protective function, FPS serve as artificial reefs, promoting the growth of filter feeders and providing habitats for marine life, thereby enhancing biodiversity and supporting the recovery of degraded ecosystems. The success of FPS in restoring marine habitats has led to their widespread adoption, with MCC collaborating with local communities and the government to deploy many of these structures along Cambodia’s coastline.
Fisheries Production Structures. Credit: Marine Conservation Cambodia
An additional added value of these FPS is the space they allow for the recovery of seagrass species. A combination of IUU monitoring and law enforcement and FPS deployments is ensuring a safe area for seagrass to recover, and early indications suggest that pioneer meadows are taking root! That means more habitat and more stable sediment for further recovery to happen.
Bringing people back to the ocean
Perhaps the most interesting part of MCC’s impact is that they connect people to the sea. Through its volunteer and internship programs, locals and people from around the world can contribute directly to rewilding efforts. Whether it’s surveying and identifying different species of Seahorses, mapping Dolphin sightings, or assisting in reef protection and cleaning, volunteers become part of a living project that is creating a new wave for Cambodia’s ocean life.
As climate pressures and biodiversity loss continue to threaten marine environments worldwide, Marine Conservation Cambodia is an example that local action, rooted in science and community, can create ripples of change far beyond the shore. We are proud to have them in our network of rewilders.
Credit: Marine Conservation Cambodia
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis) are Found throughout Cambodian waters. MCC are currently focused on the local population in Kampot Province and have individually identified around 40+ individuals. Unlike the shy Irrawaddy, these dolphins often put on quite a show for MCC’s marine mammal researchers. Credit: Marine Conservation Cambodia