Stung / Prasat Balang (16668)
Cambodia, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Stung / Prasat Balang
Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.0167, Longitude: 104.7167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 4 to 70
Area of KBA (km2): 1050.11211
Protected area coverage (%): 13.08
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA is located to the north-east of Stung/Chi Kreng/Kampong Svay Grasslands IBA (KH016), and comprises an area of deciduous dipterocarp forest, interspersed with patches of seasonally inundated grassland, seasonal pools and streams. The IBA is one of the only currently known non-breeding areas for Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Cambodia. The species visits the site when its breeding areas in the inundation zone of Tonle Sap Lake are flooded. In addition, the wetland habitats at the IBA are used as a feeding area by a number of large waterbird species, including Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus, Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans and Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus.
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: Regionally significant species such as Woolly-necked Stork (12 birds recorded in 2002) and Asian Openbill (27 birds recorded in 2002).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 25 | |
| Grassland | 25 | |
| Forest | 25 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 25 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats to biodiversity at the IBA have yet to be evaluated in detail. However, one of the major threats is thought to be opportunistic hunting of birds by local people fishing with spotlights at night, during the wet season. Bengal Floricans were at least formerly targeted by some hunters in this IBA.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small 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 |
| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Document nameHong Chamnan et al. (2002) Field survey for Bengal Florican in the wet season in Kampong Thom province. Wildlife Conservation Society, Cambodia. Unpublished