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The Tonle Sap Basin

The Tonle Sap Basin, defined as the catchment area of the Tonle Sap River at its confluence with the Mekong River, has an area of 85,000 km2, of which 80,000 km2 lie in Cambodia (5,000 km2 lie in Thailand). It extends over 44% of Cambodia's total land area, including the Tonle Sap, and includes all or part of 8 of Cambodia's 24 provinces. It is home to 32% of Cambodia's total population, or about 3.6 million people (1998 figure).

Source: 2003. FAO. The Tonle Sap Great Lake: A Pulse of Life. Legend Permanent water area Seasonally inundated area Watershed

Threats to the Tonle Sap include over-exploitation of fisheries and wildlife resources, encroachment during the dry season, and cutting of the flooded forest. In the watersheds, the degradation of natural vegetation is destroying habitats and resulting in deteriorating water and soil quality and increased siltation rates. Limited awareness and understanding of the impacts of human actions, insufficient governance and accountability systems, and inadequate mechanisms for management coordination and planning compound these root causes of degradation.

As a result, despite the inherent richness of the lake, most indicators of poverty are worse in the basin than in the nation as a whole. Cambodia faces environmental disaster if the Tonle Sap ecosystem is degraded further. What is more, the destruction of the natural resources of the Tonle Sap Basin also has serious transboundary environmental implications.