protected
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
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 Thailand t ...
. It is located near the south-eastern tip of the
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, Mekong River system. It is the largest fres ...
, one of three wildlife sanctuaries around the lake, including Boeng Tonlé Chhmar and
Prek Toal
Prek Toal is a bird sanctuary and Ramsar site located within the Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve, at the north-west corner of the Tonlé Sap. It is a popular area for ecotourism and birdwatching given the area's rich biodiversity and rare waterbirds ...
.
Vegetation
The dominant vegetation of the Stung Sen is open deciduous dipterocarp forest, permanent and seasonal wetlands and grasslands. The forests in the region are flooded in the rainy season. In the dry season, water recedes, leaving water only in a few permanent watercourses like the Stung Sen river and its larger tributaries and in small pools. These water bodies support semi-evergreen forest and thick bamboo forests.
Birds
Stung Sen provides habitats for a number of threatened species. The sarus crane (''Grus antigone'') and
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'') breed here. Other globally threatened and near-threatened species like the giant ibis (''Thaumatibis gigantea''),
white-shouldered ibis
The white-shouldered ibis (''Pseudibis davisoni'') is a large species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to small regions of Southeast Asia, and is considered to be one of the most threatened bird species on this part of the co ...
grey-headed fish eagle
The grey-headed fish eagle (''Haliaeetus ichthyaetus'') is a fish-eating bird of prey from South East Asia.Robson, C. (2000). ''A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia''. UK: New Holland Publishers. It is a large stocky raptor with adults h ...
(''Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus'') have been recorded here. The sanctuary has been designated as a protected
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**