Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary
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Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary ( Khmer: ដែនជម្រកសត្វព្រៃកែវសីមា) is a
protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
of mixed
seasonal tropical forest Seasonal tropical forest, also known as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen seasonal, tropical mixed or monsoon forests, typically contain a range of tree species: only some of which drop some or all of their leaves during the dry season. This tropic ...
in eastern Cambodia, located in Mondulkiri and Kratié provinces. The area was first established as Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in 2002, later becoming Seima Protection Forest in 2009, finally becoming Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016. The site is of national, regional, and global importance for a range of biodiversity, with more than 950 species recorded within the protected area.Griffin, Olly. 2019. The Biodiversity of Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary ជីវចម្រុះនៅក្នុងដែនជម្រក សត្វព្រៃកែវសីមា https://cambodia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?EntryId=37002&PortalId=133&DownloadMethod=attachment It is also the ancestral and contemporary home of a large number of the Bunong ethnic group.


Landscape and climate

Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS) lies between above sea level, and is situated in the southeast corner of Cambodia along the border with Vietnam. The northwest section of KSWS forms part of Cambodia's Eastern Plains, while the montane southeast section constitutes the south-western edge of the
Annamite Range The Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains (french: Chaîne annamitique; lo, ພູ ຫລວງ ''Phou Luang''; vi, Dãy (núi) Trường Sơn) is a major mountain range of eastern Indochina, extending approximately through Laos, Viet ...
range along the Sen Monorom plateau.Evans, T. D., O’Kelly, H. J., Soriyun, M., Hor, N. M., Phaktra, P., & Pheakdey, S. (2013). Seima Protection Forest. In ''Evidense-based Conservation Lessons from the lower Mekong. Bogor, Indonesia: CIFOR'' (pp. 157–86). EarthScan from Routledge. Major habitat types found within the protected area include tropical evergreen, mixed deciduous,
semi-evergreen Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical woody spec ...
and deciduous
Dipterocarp forest Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fr ...
. As in much of Cambodia, two main seasons predominate in KSWS: tropical wet and dry. During the wet season, which runs between April to October, the area receives an average of of rainfall. Temperatures range annually from . The protected area covers part of the Prek Te, and a large part of the Prek Chhlong watersheds, providing
ecosystem service Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. Such ecosystems include, for example, agroecosystems, forest ecosystem, grassland ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems. Th ...
s to residential and agricultural areas.


Biodiversity

Mixed forest types and a range of elevation gives rise to a rich collection of biodiversity, both flora and fauna. A total of 959 plant, fungi, and animal species have been recorded in the area, the highest reported number for any Cambodian protected area. A total of 356 bird species have been recorded, exceeding the highest number recorded on
eBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project ...
for any site in Cambodia and with at least 21
Picidae Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. M ...
species, KSWS has one of the highest global diversities of any site. Seven primate species are found in the protected area, including the vast majority of the world's population of the black-shanked douc langur, with an estimated 25,000 individuals.Nuttall, M., Menghor, N., & O’Kelly, H. (2013). ''Monitoring of key species in the Seima Protected Forest'' (p. 29). Phnom Penh, Cambodia: WCS. The next largest population, found in Vietnam, is only 500 individuals. A total of 1,432 southern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon are found in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forest areas, including the world's only habituated groups of this species, at Jahoo Gibbon Camp. Significant threatened ungulate populations are present, including
Eld's deer Eld's deer (''Rucervus eldii'' or ''Panolia eldii''Pitraa, Fickela, Meijaard, Groves (2004). ''Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 880–895.), also known as the thamin or brow-antlered deer, is ...
,
sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
,
banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...
, and the largest living wild bovid, the
gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...
. In 2016, the
tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
was acknowledged as having been driven to extinction in Cambodia, and in KSWS the last record of tiger was from 2006. At least 15 newly discovered species have been described from KSWS (the type locality); two mammals, two amphibians, two reptiles, and nine insects: * Titania's woolly bat (''
Kerivoula titania Titania's woolly bat (''Kerivoula titania'') is a species of bat found in Southeast Asia. Taxonomy and etymology It was initially described as a new species in 2007 based on specimens collected from Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Cambod ...
'') * Indochinese thick-thumbed bat (''
Glischropus bucephalus ''Glischropus bucephalus'', the Indochinese thick-thumbed bat, is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. The bat is found in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam north of the Isthmus of Kra. Taxonomy Specimens of this specie ...
'') * O'Reang horned frog (កង្កែបស្នែងអូររាំង, ''
Ophryophryne synoria ''Ophryophryne synoria'' is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae. It is only known from its type locality in eastern Cambodia (Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri Province) and from southern Vietnam ( Bình Phước and Đồng Na ...
'') * Mouhot's litter frog (កង្កែបស្លឹកមួហួត, ''
Leptobrachium mouhoti Mouhot's litter frog (''Leptobrachium mouhoti''; km, កង្កែបស្លឹកមួហួត, ) is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae. It is Endemism, endemic to Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. However, its taxonomic relationshi ...
'') * Red-eyed green pit-viper (''
Trimeresurus rubeus ''Trimeresurus rubeus'', commonly known as the ruby-eyed green pitviper, is a venomous pit viper species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A ...
'') *''Scincella nigrofasciata'', a skink species *''Cyana angkorensis'', a moth species *''Naarda furcatella'', a moth species *''Dichomeris hainanensis'', a moth species *''Dichomeris magnimacularis'', a moth species *'' Thubana seimaensis'', a moth species *''Promalactis apicuncata'', a moth species *''Promalactis quadrilobata'', a moth species *''Promalactis seimana'', a moth species *''Tanna kimtaewooi'', a cicada species A total of 75
threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...
(classified as Critically endangered,
Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
, or Vulnerable on the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
) have been recorded as present at the site, as well as 106
CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
listed species, and 46 species listed as Endangered or Rare under Cambodian law. A total of 28
EDGE species Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species are animal species which have a high 'EDGE score', a metric combining endangered conservation status with the genetic distinctiveness of the particular taxon. Distinctive species have ...
are found within KSWS, seven species of which are in the global top 100 for their
taxonomic group In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
.


National, regional, and global importance

In addition to having the highest number of species recorded in any Cambodian protected area, KSWS has been highlighted as an area of biodiversity importance under a range of prioritization frameworks.


Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance

The Keo Seima
REDD+ Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50"'' ...
project qualifies under the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards Gold Level for biodiversity under both vulnerability and irreplaceability criteria.


Biodiversity hotspot

Under the framework developed by
Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...
, KSWS forms part of the
Indo-Burma Indo-Burma is a biodiversity hotspot designated by Conservation International. Geography Indo-Burma encompasses of tropical Asia, east of the Ganges-Brahmaputra lowlands. Formerly including the Himalaya chain and the associated foothills in Nepa ...
Biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the co ...
.


Endemic Bird Area (EBA), Important Bird Area (IBA)

The protected area forms part of the EBA 144, South Vietnam Lowlands
Endemic Bird Area An Endemic Bird Area (EBA) is an area of land identified by BirdLife International as being important for habitat-based bird conservation because it contains the habitats of restricted-range bird species (''see below for definition''), which are the ...
, recognized for its breeding populations of three restricted-range bird species that characterize the EBA:
Germain's peacock-pheasant Germain's peacock-pheasant (''Polyplectron germaini'') is a pheasant that is endemic to Indochina. The name commemorates the France, French colonial army's veterinary surgeon Louis Rodolphe Germain. Description The bird is a medium-sized, approx ...
, Orange-necked partridge and
Grey-faced tit-babbler The grey-faced tit-babbler (''Mixornis kelleyi'') is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. See also *Kelley-Roosevelt ...
. KSWS is also covered parts of two
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
s: KH026 (the Mondulkiri - Kratie Lowlands) and KH027 (Snoul / Keo Sema / O Reang). These are prioritized for conservation of Orange-necked partridge,
Siamese fireback The Siamese fireback (''Lophura diardi''), also known as Diard's fireback, is a fairly large, approximately long, pheasant. The male has a grey plumage with an extensive facial caruncle, crimson legs and feet, ornamental black crest feathers, re ...
, Green peafowl,
White-winged duck The white-winged duck or white-winged wood duck (''Asarcornis scutulata'') is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus ''Cairina'' with the Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and allied with the dabbling ducks. However, mtDNA cyt ...
, and
Great hornbill The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...
, and for vultures, ibises, sarus crane and green peafowl.


Global 200

Under the
Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...
priority ecoregions for global conservation, KSWS is included in two areas: * Indochina Dry Forests, ecoregion 54. Critical or Endangered. *
Annamite Range The Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains (french: Chaîne annamitique; lo, ພູ ຫລວງ ''Phou Luang''; vi, Dãy (núi) Trường Sơn) is a major mountain range of eastern Indochina, extending approximately through Laos, Viet ...
Moist Forests, ecoregion 25. Vulnerable.


Last of the Wild

KSWS is included as one of the 569
Last of the Wild Last of the Wild is an initiative created in 2002 on behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University to identify the last remaining 'wild' areas o ...
areas globally that in 1992 - 1995 were found to have been least affected by human activities, and again included in the v2 2004 update. These areas are: *
Southeastern Indochina dry evergreen forests The Southeastern Indochina dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of Indochina. Setting The ecoregion covers an area of , extending across portions of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Southeastern Indoch ...
*
Central Indochina dry forests The Central Indochina dry forests are a large tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregion in Southeast Asia. Location and description The ecoregion consists of an area of plateau and low river basin in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and ...


High Conservation Value Forest

During development of the REDD+ project a number of high conservation values were identified: * HCV1: Forest areas containing globally, regionally or nationally significant concentrations of biodiversity values ** HCV 1.1: Protected Areas ** HCV 1.2: Threatened and Endangered Species ** HCV 1.3: Endemic Species * HCV2: Forest areas containing globally, regionally or nationally significant large landscape level forests * HCV3: Forest areas that are in or contain rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems


Communities

Unusually for a protected area in Cambodia, KSWS is home to a large human population, predominately of the Bunong ethnic group. A traditionally
Animist Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...
group, forests play a large role in community identity. In March 2012, Andoung Kraloeng village in KSWS became the first
Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
community in Mondulkiri Province, and third nationally, to receive a collective land title under the 2001 Land Law. Since then, a total of 11 indigenous communities have been awarded legal rights to their traditional land within KSWS, facilitated by the
Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...
and the KSWS project. These titles have already proved vital for communities, allowing them to resist illegal land grabs, with one precedent-setting case reaching the high courts. Rural livelihoods in the area are typically based on agriculture and forest use, including rain-fed rice paddy, cassava, cashew, rubber and resin tapping from
Dipterocarpus '' D. retusus'' in Köhler ''Dipterocarpus'' is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae. ''Dipterocarpus'' is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for ...
species,
Dipterocarpus alatus ''Dipterocarpus alatus'' ( th, ยางนา, , ; Khmer: ''chhë tiël ba:y, chhë tiël tük, chhë tiël thom''DY PHON Pauline, 2000, Plants Used In Cambodia, self-published, printed by Imprimerie Olympic, Phnom Penh or ឈើទាល (''ch ...
and
Dipterocarpus intricatus ''Dipterocarpus intricatus'' ( Khmer: ''tra:ch(ត្រាច), tra:ch sa, tra:ch snaèng, tra:ch sra:'',DY PHON Pauline, 2000, ''Plants Used in Cambodia'', self-published, printed by Imprimerie Olympic, Phnom Penh Thai: ''yang-krat'') is a sp ...
. Mondulkiri Province has one of the highest population growth rates in Cambodia.


Management

From first establishment in 2002 until 2016, the site was under management by the Forestry Administration, part of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may refer to: * Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Cambodia) * Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) * Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Niue) * Depar ...
of the
Royal Government of Cambodia The politics of Cambodia are defined within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the king serves as the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. The collapse of communism set in motion events that led to th ...
. In 2016, all protected areas under management of the Forestry Administration, including what was then Seima Protection Forest, were transferred to management by the
Ministry of Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
and the sub-national Departments of Environment for Mondulkiri and Kratié provinces. The area has been supported by the
Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...
since its inception providing technical and financial support across the site. A number of other NGOs support projects and communities throughout KSWS, including World Hope International supporting Jahoo Gibbon Camp in Andoung Kraloeng village, and the Elephant Livelihoods Initiative Environment (E.L.I.E.) supporting the Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in Pu Trom village.


REDD+ project

The majority of KSWS is included in a
REDD+ Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50"'' ...
project that is the largest carbon emission reduction program in Cambodia's land use sector. The project was the second demonstration site in Cambodia, following the development of the Oddar Meanchey Community Forest REDD+ (OM CF REDD+). Over the 10-year period from 2010 the project is predicted to avoid 17.4 million tons of CO2-e emissions, equivalent to 4 million
passenger vehicles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...
or 4
coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts Nameplate capacity, capacity. They ...
s. The project was the first initiative in Cambodia to use an extensive
free, prior and informed consent Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is aimed to establish bottom-up participation and consultation of an indigenous population prior to the beginning of development on ancestral land or using resources in an indigenous population's territory. ...
process with independent legal advice, and local communities from 20 villages in and around the protected area have signed agreements to join the KSWS REDD+ project and receive a proportion of profits from the sale of carbon credits.


Threats

Large-scale development projects are under active development, with more planned in the landscape, including mining concessions, active economic land concessions for rubber, new roads, and power transmission lines. Economic Land Concessions (ELC) granted within the protected area and activated between 2010 and 2014 led to the loss of more than 20,000 ha of forest within the protected area, with additional leakage around the ELC boundaries. Renaissance Minerals, owned entirely by the Australian Emerald Resources, have two gold exploration licenses that fall entirely within the protected area and the adjacent protected area,
Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary ( km, ដែនជម្រកសត្វព្រៃភ្នំព្រេច) is a large protected area in eastern Cambodia that was established in 1993. It is part of maybe the largest protected area complex i ...
. KSWS shares its eastern border with
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, and cross-border trade contributes to
illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...
of high value timber species. Migration from other provinces and local demand for expanding farming land continues to drive conversion of forest to agriculture in areas in close proximity to roads, existing agriculture, and markets. Poaching with snares threatens many terrestrial species, with a young
Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...
calf killed at the site in 2016. Populations of some other key species may be declining as a result of intensive snaring. Elephants are also threatened by agricultural encroachment, with one baby elephant killed in 2018 when becoming trapped in a hole left by the use of fire to illegally clear forest for agriculture, and 11 elephants becoming trapped in an irrigation pool in 2017; in this case, all 11 elephants were successfully rescued by local communities, local authorities, and NGOs including the
Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...
,
World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
, the Elephant Valley Project.


References


External


Map of protected areas in Cambodia
{{Protected areas of Cambodia Wildlife sanctuaries of Cambodia Protected areas of Cambodia 2002 establishments in Cambodia Protected areas established in 2002