Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA comprises Chhnuk Tru, an inland delta formed where the Tonle Sap and Stung Sen Rivers meet the Tonle Sap Lake. During the dry season, the IBA contains large areas of exposed mudflat, bisected by a complex of small, medium and large waterways. During the dry season (March to May), the IBA is important for large numbers of migratory shorebirds, although more survey work needs to be carried out to establish the patterns of use of the IBA by migratory shorebirds and feeding large waterbirds from the colonies to the northwest. The area also regularly supports more than 1% of the Asian biogeographic population of Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus. The IBA is situated within Tonle Sap Multiple Use Area, designated under the 1993 Royal Decree on Protected Areas, and Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.
The site also supports many shorebird species such as Asiatic Golden Plover, Little-ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Greater sand Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper.
Non-bird biodiversity: 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)].
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Opportunistic hunting of waterbirds is probably the most serious threat to biodiversity at the IBA. Several small, mobile, floating villages are dotted throughout the area, including Kampong Loung, Chhnuk Tru and Phat Sanday, and fishing activities are a source of disturbance to bird populations.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Recommendations- Further surveys should be undertaken in the low water season from April to July to better understand the importance of the area for feeding waterbirds, both post-breeding large waterbirds from the Tonle Sap and migratory shorebirds.- Enforcement activities should be undertaken by appropriate Government officers focusing on controlling hunting and disturbance of waterbirds and illegal fishing methods.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chhnuk Tru (Cambodia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chhnuk-tru-iba-cambodia on 23/11/2024.
