Title
Overcoming the challenges of monitoring large waterbirds in a seasonally fl ooded forest, Prek Toal Core Area, Tonle Sap, Cambodia
Author(s)
Sun, V.
Published
2015
Publisher
Cambodian Journal of Natural History
Abstract
The Tonle Sap Great Lake in Cambodia is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Its unique cultural, social and environmental values were recognised by its designation as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Prek Toal, the most important of three core areas, is the last significant breeding stronghold in mainland Southeast Asia for many globally threatened and near-threatened large waterbird species. The Prek Toal Conservation Project started in 2001 using local conservation teams, half of whom were former bird and eggs collectors, and half were government staff . The monitoring system began by setting up and testing different methods for collecting accurate information on the colonies. The dynamic hydrological system of the core area—which is flooded for six months of the year, with changing water levels and seasonally flooded forest—presents significant challenges for monitoring. Because different species of birds breed at different times of the year and the capacity of the data collectors was limited, some methods could not be applied and data collection had to be adjusted. The pilot monitoring system was not successful initially. After two years of testing and adjustment, however, we developed a method to undertake standardised colony population monitoring that provides quality information on each species from when they arrive to breed until they leave the colony. The project has been extremely successful, with harvesting reduced by up to 90% and we have recorded dramatic increases in the breeding populations of seven globally threatened and near-threatened species.
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PUB15736