Projects

	Table of Contents
p. 7 of 26 BACK | NEXT Home Why Biodiversity Corridors? Biodiversity Landscapes in the GMS Western Forest Complex Tonle Sap and Inundation Zone Cardamom and Elephant Mountains Northern Plains Dry Forest Eastern Plains Dry Forest Tri-border Forests Central Annamites Northern Annamites Mekong Headwaters Project Strategy GMS BCI Pilot Sites Key Documents Project Team and Partners Key Events Photo Slide Show Contacts

Northern Plains Dry Forest

Northern Plains Dry Forests

Country: Cambodia and Laos

Provinces/Districts: Stung Treng, Preah Vihear, Otdar Meanchy, Siem Reap, and Kampong Thom (Cambodia); Champasak (Laos).

This biodiversity conservation landscape, located in northern Cambodia and touching southern Lao PDR, represents the Central Indochina Dry Forests and smaller extents of the Southeastern Indochina Dry Evergreen Forest ecoregions.

The important protected areas include Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary (WS), Beng Per WS, and the Preah Vihear Protected Forest. All three are in Cambodia, although there are four other protected areas in Thailand that are adjacent to the northern boundary of the landscape. Because of the intact habitat between the protected areas, there appears to be potential to maintain the habitat linkages.

The landscape supports several large, wide-ranging mammals and birds of conservation significance. The landscape is within a Level 1 Tiger Conservation Unit. Recent surveys have also shown that the landscape supports globally significant populations of several other highly threatened species, including Banteng, Wild Water Buffalo, White-winged Duck, Sarus Crane and the Giant Ibis. Many of these are landscape species.

Key Conservation Issues and Threats to Biodiversity
Human immigration and the accompanying habitat conversion for agriculture and settlements are considered to be significant threats. The important wetland habitats are especially vulnerable since they are suitable for conversion to rice paddies. Although the level of hunting in the region is undocumented and unclear, patterns elsewhere in the region probably hold even within this landscape.

Impacts of the GMSEC
The biodiversity conservation landscape falls within the Southern GMSEC. Route R6 runs to the east of the landscape, but the zone of influence extends into the Preah Vihar Protected Forest.