Stung Sen
Location:
13°40'-14°20'N, 104°30'-l05°lO'E; in northern Kampuchea near the Thai border, north and east of the town of Phum Kulen and 80-150 km west of the Mekong River, Preah Vibear Province.
Area:
Area of wetlands unknown; c.120 km of the Sen River in a region of c.300,000 ha.
Altitude:
35-80m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.10.4.
Wetland type:
11, 12, 13, 15, 18 and 21.
Description of site:
The upper reaches of the Stung Sen and its tributaries on the northern plains of Kampuchea. There are large areas of seasonally flooded marshes and grassland along the river banks. Throughout this region, the original deciduous forests were cleared during the Angkor period and have been burned annually ever since. The resulting savanna grasslands with patches of mixed deciduous forest and dry dipterocarp forest provide excellent habitat for a variety of large mammals.
Climatic conditions:
Tropical wet and dry climate, with an average annual rainfall of about 1,250 mm. There is a
distinct dry season from December to May.
Principal vegetation:
No information is available on the aquatic vegetation.
The principal vegetation throughout the region is dry dipterocarp forest and semi-evergreen rain forest with extensive tracts of man-made savannas. Most of the forest undergrowth is burned off annually, and with repeated burning, large areas have become savanna grassland, with only scattered trees and groves along water courses. Typical tree species include Shorea obtusa, Dipterocarpus obtusifolius, D. tuberculatus and Pentarme siamensis.
Land tenure:
No information.
Conservation measures taken:
None.
Conservation measures proposed:
The site lies within the proposed Preah Vihear Reserve (1,467,000 ha); this comprises much of Preah Vihear Province north to the borders with Thailand and Laos, and extends east to the Mekong River. McNeely (1975) suggested that this area might be considered for designation as a Biosphere Reserve. In 1986, the Vietnamese Army agreed to issue orders that Kouprey are to be prohibited game for the army patrols.
Land use:
No information. The region is sparsely populated.
Possible Changes in Land use:
No information.
Disturbances and threats:
The area was little disturbed during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but since 1975, wildlife populations throughout the region have been exposed to well-armed bands of Khmer Rouge fighters, National Liberation Front fighters and the forces of the Vietnamese and Kampuchean armies, living and fighting in these forests and largely dependent on game meat for food (MacKinnon, l986b).
Economic and social values:
No information.
Fauna:
No recent information is available on the waterfowl. The Giant Ibis Thaumatibis giganlea is known from the area (McNeely, 1975), and this and several other endangered species such as Pseudibis davisoni and Cairina scutulata may still occur. The endangered Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis, a species endemic to the Mekong Basin, is also thought to occur in the region.
As recently as the I 960s, the savanna grasslands supported a rich assortment of grazing animals, including herds of Kouprey, Banteng, Gaur, Eld's Deer, Asian Elephant and Wild Water Buffalo (Bos sauveli, B. javanicus, B. gaurus. Cervus eldi, Elephas maximus and Bubalis bubalus) along with attendant Tiger Panthera tigris and Leopard P. pardus (McNeely, 1975). Populations have been greatly reduced by hunting since then, and little is known of their current status. Some 1,000 Kouprey were thought to survive in Kampuchea in 1951, but these had been reduced by hunting to about 200 by 1964, since when the survivors have become dispersed and locally exterminated. A few animals are believed to linger on in Preah Vihear Province (MacKinnon, l986b).
Special floral values:
No information.
Research and facilities:
The region has been closed to researchers for many years. The site lies within a security area where the Vietnamese army is still conducting sweeping actions to remove pockets of Khmer Rouge resistance.
References:
IUCN (in prep); MacKinnon (1986a & 1986b); MacKinnon & MacKinnon (1986); McNeely (1975); Pantulu (1986a).
Criteria for Inclusion:
0
Source:
See references.