Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is located within Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary in the Cardamom Mountains, adjacent to the international border with Thailand. 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 mountainous and dominated by three discrete peaks: Mount Samkos (1,717 m asl), Mount Khmaoch (1,496 m asl) and Mount Tumpor (c.1,250 m asl). At elevations up to 1,000 m asl, the vegetation of the IBA is dominated by lowland evergreen forest, which has been disturbed by logging in many areas. At elevations between 1,000 and 1,300 m asl, lowland evergreen forest grades into hill evergreen forest. Above 1,300 m asl, near the summit of Mount Samkos, dwarf hill evergreen forest formations are found. 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), Silvered Langur (Semnopithecus cristatus), Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus).Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Southern Serow (Naemorhedus sumatraensis).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
One of the major threats to biodiversity at the IBA is illegal logging, with logging roads being constructed into the IBA from Thailand. As well as the direct impact of logging in terms of habitat degradation, the construction of roads is facilitating access to the area by returning refugees, and, as a result, increasing the rate of conversion of forest to agriculture, particularly in lowland areas. The construction of roads also facilitates hunting, much of it is for local consumption and linked with the collection of agarwood (from Aquilaria sp.). However, hunting for commercial purposes, particularly from Thailand, is also thought to be increasing.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Recommendations:- Current ranger patrolling and enforcement initiatives in Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary focused on illegal activities (hunting and logging) should be continued and increased to cover all important areas.
Overlaps with Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Phnom Samkos (Cambodia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/phnom-samkos-iba-cambodia on 23/12/2024.
