Bung Khong Long (15100)
Thailand, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Bung Khong Long
Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.0000, Longitude: 104.0000
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 160 to 170
Area of KBA (km2): 23.01168
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA comprises Bung Khong Long Non-hunting Area, one of the largest lakes in north-eastern Thailand. The lake measures 13 km in length, is 2 km in width at its widest point, and covers c.2,200 ha. The lake is shallow, with an average water depth of 0.5 to 1 m, and a maximum depth of 6 m. The lake has expanded northwards since 1982, when a dam and sluice were built at its southern extremity. The southern two-thirds of the lake has a relatively steep shoreline with little peripheral aquatic vegetation, while the northern third is dominated by emergent and floating vegetation and includes five small islands, on one of which there is some evergreen forest. Around 380 ha of marshland lie immediately to the north of the lake. The vegetation surrounding the lake includes cultivated land and fallow fields, mango orchards, and rubber and Eucalyptus plantations. In addition, a small patch of deciduous dipterocarp forest is found to the north-west of the lake. The Mekong River, which forms the international border with Lao P.D.R., lies 15 km to the east of the site. Bung Khong Long Non-hunting Area was designated as a Ramsar Site in 2001.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) The site has been reviewed and re-confirmed as a KBA in the process of compiling the revised 2011 CEPF Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Hotspot.
Additional biodiversity: The site is important for both resident and wintering waterbirds, particularly herons, egrets and ducks. At least seven species of duck occur at the site, the most notable of which is the globally threatened Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri. There is also an historical record of the globally near-threatened Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyroca from the site. Furthermore, the site is important for breeding Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio and Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus. Non-bird biodiversity: Plants Afzelia xylocarpa (EN) Anisoptera costata (EN) Hopea odorata (VU)
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The IBA comprises Bung Khong Long Non-hunting Area, one of the largest lakes in north-eastern Thailand. The lake measures 13 km in length, is 2 km in width at its widest point, and covers c.2,200 ha. The lake is shallow, with an average water depth of 0.5 to 1 m, and a maximum depth of 6 m. The lake has expanded northwards since 1982, when a dam and sluice were built at its southern extremity. The southern two-thirds of the lake has a relatively steep shoreline with little peripheral aquatic vegetation, while the northern third is dominated by emergent and floating vegetation and includes five small islands, on one of which there is some evergreen forest. Around 380 ha of marshland lie immediately to the north of the lake. The vegetation surrounding the lake includes cultivated land and fallow fields, mango orchards, and rubber and Eucalyptus plantations. In addition, a small patch of deciduous dipterocarp forest is found to the north-west of the lake. The Mekong River, which forms the international border with Lao P.D.R., lies 15 km to the east of the site. Bung Khong Long Non-hunting Area was designated as a Ramsar Site in 2001.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 33 | |
| Forest | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Over-fishing and destructive fishing practices, illegal hunting (including egg collection), harvesting, logging, water pollution, excessive growth of aquatic plants, sedimentation, and land encroachment from the expanding adjacent communities are all threats to the site and its avifauna.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Soil erosion, sedimentation | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Nutrient loads | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Department of Environmental Science (2000) Conservation of important wetlands: Bung Khong Long Non-hunting Area, Nong Khai. Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University. Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (1999) Directory of internationally important wetlands in Thailand. Bangkok: Ministry of Science Technology and Environment. (In Thai.) Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (2002) Biological diversity in Bung Khong Long wetland. Bangkok: Ministry of Science Technology and Environment.