Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Site description The IBA comprises of the open wetlands and swamp forest of the Boeung Chhmar Core Area of Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve and the adjacent Moat Khla area to the north. Boeung Chhmar is a permanent, 4,000 ha lake, surrounded by flooded swamp forest, comprising tall (7-15 m high) gallery forest and fairly homogeneous stands of short (2-4 m high) trees and scrub. Boeung Chhmar is linked to Tonle Sap Lake by a maze of channels and streams. Moat Khla is an area of flooded swamp forest, characterised by a dense network of interconnected channels and shallow creeks, running parallel to the lakeshore, bordered by tall (7-15 m high) gallery forest, dominated by Barringtonia acutangula and Diospyros cambodiana. Boeung Chhmar has been designated as a Ramsar site.Boeung Chhmar is clearly one of the important feeding sites for large waterbirds in Cambodia, particularly in the post-breeding period, and regularly supports significant numbers of Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala and Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius. In addition, Masked Finfoot Heliopais personata has been recorded at Moat Khla.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Boeng Chmar and Associated River System and Floodplain	Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar)	28,000	protected area contained by site	28,000
Boeng Tonle Chhmar	Multiple Use Management Area - Core Area	14,560	protected area contained by site	14,560

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) known to occur at Moat Khla, but local people reperted that now is very rare. IUCN category - critically endangered. The flooded forest is extremely important for many fish species (Rainboth 1996). The flooded forest represents and important and unique botanical community (McDonald et al. 1997).Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Silvered Langur (Semnopithecus cristatus)Asiatic Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea), Malayan Box Turtle (Cuora ambionensis), Malayan Snail-eating Turtle (Malayemys subtrijuga), Yellow-headed Temple Turtle (Hieremys annandalii), Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis).

Management considerations Over-exploitation is the biggest threat to biodiversity at the IBA. There are two floating villages within the IBA, and local people hunt birds and collect eggs and chicks opportunistically while engaged in fishing and other activities. These activities are a particular threat to birds that breed at the IBA. Additional threats to biodiversity at the IBA include cutting of trees for firewood and clearance of forest for agriculture, although the impacts of these threats are currently limited.

Protection status Moat Khla/Boeung Chhma Core Area, Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, is contianed by IBA

Conservation response - Enforcement activities should be undertaken by appropriate Government personnel to control illegal hunting and fishing activities, particularly in the Beong Chhma Core Area and Boeng Chhma/Moat Khla Ramsar Site.- Further surveys should be carried out to identify any, as yet undocumented, breeding colonies, particularly of Darters in the wet season and adjutants in the dry season. - Further research and survey is also required to better understand key post-breeding areas.- If appropriate initiate a local conservation program based on the successful model of Prek Toal (IBA #3) to protect key areas for breeding or feeding.- Initiate an environmental education program, based on the successful model in Prek Toal (IBA #3). This should work with both adults and children, but particularly through the local schools throughout the Boeng Chhma Core Area.

Further web sources of information 

Site account from Directory of Important Bird Areas in Cambodia: key sites for conservation (Seng Kim Hout 2003)

References Document nameEdwards, P.J. (1996) Cambodia wetlands ornithological survey. Xenus Ecology. Newmarket, UK.Edwards, P.J. (1996) Recent waterbird surveys in Cambodia. Forktail 15: 29-42.Goes F., Hong Chamnan, Suon Mean, Luon Keng and Meas Rethy. 1998. Waterbird counting and survey at Prek Toal and Boeng Chhma/Moat Khla. May - June 1998. Tonle Sap Technical Coordination Unit/Ministry of Environment. Phnom Penh.Goes F. and Hong C. (2002). The status and conservation of large waterbirds on the Tonle Sap Great Lake, Cambodia 2000-2001. Wildlife Conservation Society, Phnom Penh.McDonald, A., Pech, B., Phauk, V. and Leeu, B. (1997). Plant communities of the Tonle Sap floodplain. UNESCO, IUCN, WI and SPEC, Phnom Penh.Mundkur, T., Carr, P., Sun Hean and Chhim Somean 1995. Surveys for large waterbirds in Cambodia. March - April 1994. Cambridge, UK: IUCN/SSC.Parr, J. W. K., Eames, J. C., Sun Hean, Hong Chammnan, Som Han, Vi La Pich and Seng Kim Hout 1996. Biological and social aspects of waterbird exploitation and natural resource utilization of Prek Toal, Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. Cambridge, UK: IUCN/SSC.Pich Bunnat and Long Kheng (2001.) Survey on reptiles and waterbirds at Boeung Tonle Chhmar and Moat Khla on 25-29 October 2001. Unpublished report, Wildlife Conservation Society, Cambodia.