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(January 04, 2010) Many local communities in Cambodia have little control over the management of their land and other natural resources, and consequently little incentive to actively engage in the conservation of these areas. WCS and government partners have pioneered efforts to help local communities obtain land tenure rights, and engage in economic activities such as ecotourism and the cultivation of wildlife-friendly produce, that are compatible with conservation. In this way, local communities have an economic...

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(January 04, 2010) The production of verifiable carbon credits requires an estimation of the net change in carbon emissions resulting from a climate change mitigation project. To estimate this change, the actual emissions that take place over the life of a project are compared with the modelled projection of emissions under the 'without project' or 'baseline' case. Formulation of this baseline case requires an estimate of carbon stock within the project site and also an estimate of the expected carbon stock of fut...

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(January 01, 2010) Remote cameras are being used to try and confirm the location of Tigers within the Seima Protection Forest (SPF). Paired Camera-traps are distributed across the SPF, and are automatically triggered when a Tiger walks between the two cameras.Camera-traps are situated in suitable locations within the SPF. Trapping locations are areas that are likely to be used by tigers, such as trails, old logging roads and dried river beds. Following a decade of field activities in the SPF, conservation project ...

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(January 01, 2010) A key proposal in the effort to protect Tigers in the Seima Protection Forest is the creation of 'strict protection zones'. These are areas where resource gathering will be prohibited and access strictly controlled.At present residents of local villages have traditional rights to harvest non-timber forest products, principally tree resin, bamboo, rattan and fish, from all parts of the SPF. This is allowed under the Forestry Law, and is part of overall goal of the project to secure livelihoods fo...

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(January 01, 2010) The "Bird Nest Protection Project" encourages local people in the Northern Plains landscape to locate, report and monitor nest sites, and therefore reduces the exploitation of eggs and chicks by these communities. The project also increases the breeding success of threatened water birds.This highly effective project provides benefits to local communities to conserve threatened birds. Under the project, local people are offered a reward for reporting nests, and are paid to monitor and protect the...

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(January 01, 2010) Recent data analysis has confirmed that Prek Toal is the most important breeding site for waterbirds in and around the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR), while also highlighting several additional sites that are important for waterbirds. It also suggests that Prek Toal is not only a breeding site, but that significant numbers of Spot-billed Pelican, Oriental Darter and Lesser Adjutant stay in the area the whole year round.The data suggest that Boeung Tonle Chhmar is an important feeding site in...

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(January 01, 2010) The Ang Trapeang Thmor site boasts a long history dating back to the Angkorian era. Remains of an ancient laterite bridge are visible on the present-day main access road leading to the reservoir, which was part of a major causeway road. This road caused water to accumulate to the north of the causeway, contributing to the wetlands which are a key feature of the habitat today.During Pol Pot's Democratic Kampuchea regime, an 11-km stretch of the east-west causeway was converted into a dam, along w...

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(January 01, 2010) Holding complete Sarus Crane counts at the beginning, middle and end of the dry season allows us to piece together the complex pattern of crane movements as they move between wetland areas scattered throughout the country.In January almost all of the cranes were concentrated in the Tonle Sap basin area and Boeung Prek Lapouv, in the Mekong Delta (a total of 601 were counted). Analysis of the 2008 and 2009 shows that large numbers of Sarus Cranes use the Tonle Sap grasslands and nearby seasonal a...

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(January 01, 2010) The annual Vulture census provides information on the minimum populations of the three target vulture species in Cambodia. This information is vital for conservation planners across the species' range.It provides accurate information on the vulture populations, as regular monthly vulture restaurants do not usually take place simultaneously and so individuals may often be counted more than once at successive restaurants. By contrast, the census ensures that each bird is counted only once, and dat...

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(December 31, 2009) Very little information is known about seasonal habitat use and movements of Bengal Floricans, making it difficult to target conservation efforts effectively across their range. Researchers from the University of East Anglia, led by graduate student Charlotte Packman, are seeking to increase our understanding of Bengal Floricans movements by deploying radio and satellite transmitters on individual birds to record their movements.These transmitters, deployed on males, females and subadults, will ...

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(December 31, 2009) In December 2001, the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) was established by Royal Decree with three complementary functions:a conservation function to contribute to the conservation of biological diversity, landscapes, ecosystem, including genetic resources, plant, fishery and animal species, and to the restoration of the essential character of the environment and habitat of biodiversity;a development function to foster sustainable development of ecology, environment, economy, society, and cultu...

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(December 31, 2009) The Tonle Sap Conservation Project (TSCP) is a seven year (2004-2011) GEF project aimed at developing the management capacity for biodiversity conservation in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) in Cambodia through (i) enhancing the capacity for management of biodiversity; (ii) developing systems for monitoring and management of biodiversity; and (iii) promoting awareness, education, and outreach on biodiversity conservation in the TSBR. The project is the third component of a broader program...

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(December 31, 2009) Despite the success of conservation efforts in the Tonle Sap Lake and floodplain, a recent threats assessment indicates that there are still a number of illegal activities that threaten biodiversity in the area.There are worries that uncontrolled developments in the outer floodplain are destroying much important habitat and may also have negative impacts on the overall ecosystem. In particular, dams and irrigation channels obstruct water flow and fish migration and heavy use of chemicals may pol...

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(December 31, 2009) WCS-Cambodia has provided technical advice to law enforcement monitoring staff in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR) to facilitate the introduction of MIST (Management Information SysTem) software. MIST has been specifically designed to service protected area management needs, providing a standardized, computer-based system for recording wildlife and human activities during ranger patrols, and generating map-based information for use in decision-making and planning.The introduction of MIST c...

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(December 31, 2009) Grassland habitats in the Tonle Sap floodplain remain very highly threatened, both inside and outside the Integrated Farming & Biodiversity Areas (BFCAs). Within the four BFCAs that are situated in the Bengal Florican breeding grounds, at least 2% of the total area was converted to dry season rice fields in 2009.Expansion of industrial farming in the floodplain is also causing major changes in the patterns of burning, grazing, hunting, water flow and human disturbance, most of which are expe...

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(December 30, 2009) A study is currently being undertaken in the Northern Plains to collect DNA from the elephants to enable an estimation of the size of the elephant population in the landscape. This will be completed in 2010, and follows the same model that was implemented successfully in the Seima Protection Forest.A preliminary survey has been implemented to find the most important sites for elephants in the Northern Plains. Consultations were conducted with the local community to find recent records of elephan...

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(December 30, 2009) Efforts to protect and monitor elephant populations in the Seima Protection Forest (SPF), as in many parts of their range, had for a long time been hampered by a lack of information on population levels and trends, as well as a paucity of data concerning elements such as movement patterns and seasonal migrations. With this in mind, the SPF monitoring program was extended in 2006 to include a fecal DNA based survey that was designed to provide the first reliable population estimate for elephants ...

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(December 29, 2009) There are many threatened bird species that can be seen in the Northern Plains landscape. This page contains information on aspects such as the population status and breeding habits of some of the key species.Threatened speciesWhite-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoniUntil recently, the only known breeding site for this Critically Endangered species on mainland South-East Asia was around Tmatboey in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary. Its numbers since breeding was first discovered here in 200...

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(December 29, 2009) Although for much of the period the Angkorian empire was ruled from Angkor, important secondary centres existed elsewhere. Some of these were situated in the Northern Plains, and evidence exists that these settlements helped to shape the natural landscape that exists today.Analysis of satellite imagery and aerial photographs for the Northern Plains shows that the landscape was extensively altered by the infrastructure of the Angkorian Empire. At least four types of remains are visible: temples, ...

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(October 16, 2009) Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has been identified as the cause of the catastrophic decline of vulture populations in the Indian subcontinent, causing renal failure, visceral gout and rapid death in vultures. Diclofenac is so toxic that less than 1% of livestock carcasses need to contain the drug to cause the declines observed in White-rumped Vultures in India.Meloxicam, an alternative NSAID, has been tested and has no known harmful effects on vultures and othe...

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