The persistence of self-sustainable societies is reliant upon continued good management of ecosystem services, and the traditional lifestyle is recognized as a repository for nature-harmonizing wisdom and skill. The present study is aimed at identifying various landscape-related, self-contained lifestyles in the degrading Lake Tonle Sap lowland, Cambodia.

Field surveys were conducted in the rural areas around Siem Reap City, including the vast lakeside floodplain characterized by extreme seasonal flooding-pulse and unique vegetation. (1) Aspects of topography, vegetation and human activities on a local community scale, and (2) characteristics (e.g., architecture, biological species and function/usage) of houses and home-gardens on a family scale were described for both the flooded and non-flooded seasons during 2004-2011.

Lifestyles of the local people were closely interwoven with site conditions, although differences in occupation, age at immigration and property appeared to have resulted in small variations. Four basic types of "life-style/landscape-coupling templates" were identified, and sustainable landscape management strategies incorporating aspects of these templates are discussed.