Marine Conservation Cambodia

MCC’s mission is to protect and restore Cambodia’s marine ecosystems while ensuring that the people who depend on them can continue to thrive. By combining science, conservation, and local and national collaboration, we are creating a healthier, more sustainable future for Cambodia’s ocean and the communities that call it home.

MCC is a community-based NGO dedicated to protecting Cambodia’s marine ecosystems. Since 2008, we have combined research, conservation, and community partnerships to safeguard the ocean and support sustainable

livelihoods for coastal families. Based on Koh Ach Seh in the Kep Archipelago, MCC studies marine ecosystems, identifies key challenges, and works with local fishers, communities, and government partners to find practical solutions. Our work links science, community action, and policy, through programs such as seagrass and seahorse monitoring, marine mammal surveys, citizen science, and education. We also deploy Fishery Productivity Structures (FPS) to block destructive trawling and help establish and manage Marine Fisheries Management Areas (MFMAs). After relocating to Koh Ach Seh in 2014, MCC documented severe damage from illegal fishing. Five years of research and collaboration led to the government’s approval of the Kep MFMA in 2018, protecting vital habitats like seagrass, coral reefs, mangroves, and shell beds. Since then, fish stocks have rebounded, habitats have recovered, and threatened species such as the dugong have returned. MCC’s mission is to protect and restore Cambodia’s marine ecosystems while ensuring that the people who depend on them can continue to thrive. By combining science, conservation, and local and national collaboration, we are creating a healthier, more sustainable future for Cambodia’s ocean and the communities that call it home.