Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is located within Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary in the Cardamom Mountains. The IBA comprises all areas of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest above 400 m asl, which is thought to be the lower altitudinal limit of Chestnut-headed Partridge Arborophila cambodiana. The topography of the IBA is dominated by Phnom Aural, which, at around 1,813 m asl, is Cambodia's highest mountain. At elevations below 1,200 m asl, the vegetation of the IBA is dominated by lowland evergreen forest. Elevations between 1,200 and 1,500 m asl support lower montane evergreen forest, while elevations above 1,500 m asl support upper montane evergreen forest. The IBA supports both restricted-range species found in the Cambodia-Thailand-Mountains Endemic Bird Area: Chestnut-headed Partridge and Cambodian Laughingthrush Garrulax ferrarius.
Non-bird biodiversity: Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina), Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang), Silvered Langur (Semnopithecus cristatus), Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus).Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Gaur (Bos gaurus), (Song Chansocheat, Ministry of Environment, pers. comm.).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Within the IBA, hunting pressure on bird populations appears to be relatively low, and largely restricted to the snaring of ground birds, such as Chestnut-headed Partridge, Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera and Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx renauldi, for domestic consumption. Such snaring is mainly conducted by agarwood collectors. Another potential threat to biodiversity is selective logging, which can lead to habitat degradation and loss. This threat is, however, currently low, since no large-scale, commercial logging is taking place within the IBA, and small-scale, illegal logging is on the decline.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Recommendations:- Current ranger patrolling and enforcement initiatives in Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary focused on illegal activities (hunting and logging) should be continued and increased to cover all important areas.
IBA contains Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Phnom Aural (Cambodia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/phnom-aural-iba-cambodia on 23/12/2024.
