Data collection

Three main methods of data collection were utilised when undertaking this research. Secondary data was collected from books, scientific journals, reports, online sources, and newspaper articles to provide background information and a literature review detailing the area of interest. Primary data was collected with the use of participant observation and semi-structured interviewing. The purpose of collecting the primary data was to assess adaptive capacity in the village of Prek Svay, and to gain an understanding of the nature of the relationship between the local community and the Conservation and Community Program.

3.5.1

Literature review

Good research starts with reading (Flick, 2011) and that is exactly how this research began. Undertaking a literature review is about discovering what is already known about a topic (Pickard, 2007) and although it usually takes place early on, it is an activity that is continuous throughout the entire research process. Reviewing the literature presents an opportunity to gain an understanding on the research topic from a multiple of disciplinary perspectives (Pickard, 2007). Not only this, but a good literature review can be used to form the theoretical framework for the empirical investigation and contribute to the overall research design. In this research, literature was found using the Lincoln University library catalogue and database system, Google Scholar, and bibliographic references from selected literature. The literature identified was critically analysed, what Pickard (2007, p.29) describes as “reading with a purpose”.

When reading the selected literature I gave considerable thought to who was writing the piece of work, what their main argument was, what was their reasoning, and what evidence was there to support their claims. A theoretical literature review was first undertaken to investigate climate change and the theory of adaptation. This included literature on the relationship between vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity. A methodological literature review was conducted on social science methodology. This led to a more specific review of qualitative and ethnographic methods. To bring it altogether into a structured piece of work a contextual literature review was carried out. The synthesis of these three literature reviews, the theoretical, the methodological, and the contextual, was used to form the theoretical framework and contribute to the overall research design just as Pickard (2007) suggested it would.

3.5.2

Indicators of adaptive capacity

The theoretical literature review, which included determinants of adaptive capacity, was used to develop a set of adaptive capacity indicators. These indicators were used to form the basis of the data analysis. The indictors developed are as follows:

Access to assets

 Basic infrastructure is provided

 The environment and the ecosystem services it provides are not degraded

 Access to natural resources is shared between community members

 Land tenure is secure

 There is a presence of formal and informal networks

 Community members have access to the wider institutions of society

 Individuals have the skills, knowledge, and good health necessary to make a living

Diversity

 Occupational multiplicity and mobility exist

 There is diversity in the technology and production equipment available to make a living

 Community members find innovative solutions to problems and are able to improvise

Good governance

 Leadership is visionary, competent, and committed to best practice

 Decision making authority is shared between different individuals and groups of society

 Multi-level linkages exist and are being utilised

Social learning

 Community members are able to recognise change

 The community has the ability to develop response strategies

 The community has the capacity to act collectively

 There is continuous access to timely and accurate information

3.5.3

Participant observation

Participant observation is said (Fife, 2005) to be the most basic ethnographic research method available. Participant observation is a method which involves the researcher taking part in the daily activities, rituals, interactions, and events of a group of people to learn about the explicit and tacit aspects of their routines and culture (Dewalt & Dewalt, 2002). This method allows the researcher to collect data in the form of field notes and the information gathered is later analysed. There are different levels of observation, ranging between complete observer, semi-participant, and non- participant (Pickard, 2007). For the purpose of this research the level chosen is that of semi- participant. This requires the researcher to establish a balance between being a participant and an observer while allowing a certain degree of flexibility by permitting the researcher to interact with the research subjects.

Participant observation data was collected over a six week period in June and July of 2012. The Conservation and Community team agreed that the researcher could "coat tail" them during this time. Participant observation was planned around scheduled activities and controlled situations such as organised meetings, workshops, events, and community initiatives. This created an entry point into the Prek Svay community that helped the researcher identify key informants for the semi- structured interviews. There are many different techniques and tools that are available when undertaking participant observation. Participant observation in this case was used to understand the nature of the relationship between the Prek Svay community and the Song Saa Conservation and Community Program. To achieve this, focused note taking and a daily log were recorded for the entire duration of the fieldwork.

Photography

Visual data, such as that generated from photography, is increasingly being used in qualitative research (Flick, 2011). To accompany the field notes generated from the participant observation, photographs of the natural environment, infrastructure, housing, community assets, and the overall

social setting were taken. In total around 900 such images were captured, many during the initial orientation in the first few days in the village. Photographs were also taken at the workshops held by the Conservation and Community Program during my time in the field. They provide a visual reminder of the environment and setting under investigation. When taking photographs of people or people’s personal possessions, permission was sought beforehand. It is hoped that by including photographs in the final write up the reader will be afforded an opportunity to get a glimpse of the research setting.

3.5.4

Semi-structured interviews

The participant observation was complemented by a series of semi-structured interviews. These were undertaken to add depth and richness to the data collected. The researcher with the aid of a Khmer translator carried out all interviews with the Khmer village respondents. The purpose of these interviews was to gain an insight into the community’s perception of change and awareness of climate change more specifically. It was also to gauge the importance of marine fisheries to local livelihoods. The interviews were used to investigate how the participants view the outputs of the Conservation and Community Program. Research interviews vary from very formal and structured to quite informal and unstructured (Pickard, 2007). This research adopted the use of semi-structured interviews as this allowed me some flexibility to pursue interesting and relevant information provided by participants. An interview schedule was drawn up (see Appendix B) based around the adaptive capacity indicators identified. Interviews were conducted with the Conservation and Community team members, the staff village Doctor, and key informants from Prek Svay Basin.