Prek Toal (16654)
Cambodia, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, A1d
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Prek Toal
Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.1167, Longitude: 103.6500
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 4 to 7
Area of KBA (km2): 397.23557
Protected area coverage (%): 88.05
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Prek Toal is one of the most intact areas of freshwater swamp forest around Tonle Sap Lake. This unique ecosystem is adapted to withstand seasonal variation of water level of up to 10 m, and consists of short-tree shrublands and gallery forests of 7-15 m tall trees, dominated by Barringtonia acutangula and Diospyros cambodiana and a variety of woody lianas. In the dry season (January to May), these large trees support the largest remaining colonies of storks, pelicans and ibises in mainland South-east Asia. The IBA is centred on the Prek Toal Core Area of Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve and includes all areas the bird colonies and the areas of best swamp forest. It is also completely inside a fishing concession (Fishing Lot No. 2 of Battambang Province),and the area is commercially fished on an industrial scale between January and July, severely restricting access to people who are not employees of the concessionaire. The waterbird colonies of Prek Toal contain some of the world's largest numbers of Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius, and Prek Toal is perhaps the only site in world where Milky Stork Mycteria cinerea breeds in freshwater. In addition, the IBA supports significant wet season breeding populations of Darter Anhinga melanogaster and Grey-headed Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus, and, Masked Finfoot Heliopais personata, young chicks of which have been recorded.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: Other regionally significant birds (Probably all breeding). Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Comb Duck, Watercock and Baya Weaver. Non-bird biodiversity: Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) occurs in the area (critical endangered). Also Long tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) near threatened. Extremely important for many fish species (Ramboth 1996). Important botanical community (McDonald et al. 1997). Turtle populations little known but said to be decreasing.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 50 | |
| Shrubland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Collection of eggs and chicks at the nest remains the single most threat to the continued survival of colonial waterbirds on the Tonle Sap. Teams of large waterbird collectors target breeding colonies of cormorants, pelicans, storks and ibises for egg and chick collection and organise several trips into the flooded forest during the breeding season. The intervention of government officials and international conservation teams, and the establishment of the Prek Toal Environmental station have significantly improved the situation in this vital breeding site since 1997. Collection undertaken by Tonle Sap people (fishermen) has been significantly reduced, but it is reportedly still conducted by farmers moving to the lake from upland areas in Battambang Province. Aside from fish, the main income derived from the natural resources of the inundated forest is firewood. Firewood collection for local cooking consumption is believed to be sustainable as the flooded forest vegetation is remarkably resilient, resprouting very rapidly after cutting. However, particular targeting of large trees may adversely affect availability of nesting sites for the large waterbirds.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Silvered Langur (Semnopithecus cristatus), Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang) (Long Kheng, Ministry of Environment, pers. comm.).Asiatic Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea), Malayan Box Turtle (Cuora ambionensis), Malayan Snail-eating Turtle (Malayemys subtrijuga), Yellow-headed Temple Turtle (Hieremys annandalii), Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) (Long Kheng, Ministry of Environment, pers. comm.).