Boeng Tonle Chhmar is a large multiple use management area in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

bordering

Tonlé Sap Tonlé Sap (; km, ទន្លេសាប, ; or commonly translated as 'Great Lake'; vi, Biển Hồ, Chữ Hán: 湖海/壺海) is a lake in the northwest of Cambodia. It belongs to the Mekong River system. It is the largest freshwater l ...

lake that was established in 1999. It is located in Peam Bang Commune in Kampong Thom Province. Boeng Tonle Chhmar is a state owned sanctuary. The wildlife sanctuary consists of a lake surrounded by flooded forest on the north eastern side of the Tonle Sap lake. It contains areas of permanent open water, a system of small waterways and areas of flooded forest. In the wet season, Boeng Tonle Chhmar ceases to be a discrete lake and becomes part of the much enlarged Tonle Sap. The sanctuary is an example of near natural South Asian wetland. The area plays an important role in the hydrology and biology of two major river systems, the Stoung river and the Chikreng river. This area is home to a large number of diverse plant, fish, mammal and waterbird species. Many of these are listed as rare, vulnerable, or globally endangered. The Tonle Sap lake and its surrounding biosphere play a vital role in the Cambodian economy and several million depend on fish from the lake as a source of protein. Boeng Tonle Chhmar is one of three

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on W ...

sites in Cambodia with the site number 997.

Location and access

Boeng Tonle Chhmar and the connected creek system are located on the flood plain of the Tonle Sap. This flood plain in turn is part of the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

Basin. The Boeng Chhmar area is close to the center of the lake and located on the northern shore. To the south and the west, Boeng Chhmar joins the Tonle Sap lakeshore. While to the north and the east the protected area joins with areas of floodplain forest. The protected area lies within the administrative boundaries of Peam Bang commune, Stoung District, Kampong Thom Province. The commune contains five floating villages - Pov Veuy, Pechakrei, Peam Bang, Ba Lat and Doun Sdaeng which all lie in the vicinity of the protected area.

Birds

Beong Chhmar is home to important colonies of numerous globally or regionally threatened bird species including the

brahminy kite The brahminy kite (''Haliastur indus''), formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harrie ...

(''Haliastur indus''),

painted stork The painted stork (''Mycteria leucocephala'') is a large wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctiv ...

(''Mycteria leucocephala''),

black-necked stork The black-necked stork (''Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus'') is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetlan ...

(''Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus''),

lesser adjutant The lesser adjutant (''Leptoptilos javanicus'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Like other members of its genus, it has a bare neck and head. It is however more closely associated with wetland habitats where it is solitary ...

(''Leptoptilos javanicus''), greater adjutant (''Leptoptilos dubius''),

spot-billed pelican The spot-billed pelican (''Pelecanus philippensis'') or gray pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially larg ...

(''Pelecanus philippensis''), Indian cormorant (''Phalacrocorax fuscicollis'') and the

Oriental darter The Oriental darter (''Anhinga melanogaster'') is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water ...

(''Anhinga melanogaster'').

References

{{National parks of Cambodia Geography of Kampong Thom province Protected areas of Cambodia Protected areas established in 1999 Ramsar sites in Cambodia 1999 establishments in Cambodia