The Tonle Sap freshwater swamp forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

(WWF ID: IM0164) covers the seasonally flooded forests surrounding

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 ...

, the largest lake 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 ...

, and the floodplains of its connections to 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 ...

. Over 35% of the ecoregion experiences flooding during the wet season (August – January).

Location and description

The ecoregion stretches about 400 km from the northern wetlands of Tonle Sap Lake to the salt-water affected mangroves of the Mekong River Delta. The region follows the boundaries of the floodplain of the lake and the Tonle Sap River. The region is flat, although a few hills rise to 300 meters.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Tropical savanna climate - dry winter'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

(Aw)). This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year, and a pronounced dry season. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, and is drier than the average month.

Flora and fauna

Half of the ecoregion is in use for agriculture. About 20% is forested, mostly in deciduous trees due to the seasonal flooding. Two types of forests are associated with the Tonle Sap floodplains: a stunted swamp forest around the lake (about 10% of the area), and a short tree shrubland for the larger outlying areas. The swamp forest reaches 7–15 meters in height, but the tall trees tend to be spaced out with floating aquatic vegetation in between. Characteristic trees in this swamp forest are ''

Barringtonia acutangula ''Barringtonia acutangula'' is a species of ''Barringtonia'' native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia, from Afghanistan east to the Philippines, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Common names include freshwater m ...

'' (sometimes called the 'freshwater mangrove') and ''

Diospyros ''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark tim ...

camboniana''. The shrubland is dominated by spurge plants (genus

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...

), trees of the legume family (genus Fabaceae), and trees of the white mangrove family (genus

Combretaceae The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combret ...

Protected areas

12% of the ecoregion is listed as being within an officially protected area, although historically the protections have been weak. *

Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve The Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve is a unique ecological phenomenon surrounding the Tonlé Sap or Great Lake of Cambodia. In 1997, it was successfully nominated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Tonlé Sap The lake is linked to the Mekong River by t ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Biosphere Reserve surrounding the "great lake". * Prek Toal, a bird sanctuary and tourist site at the north end of the lake. * Boeng Tonle Chhmar, a state-owned multi-use nature sanctuary in the middle reaches of the lake.

References

{{reflist Ecoregions of Cambodia Ecoregions of Vietnam Indomalayan ecoregions