Site description (2003 baseline)
The IBA comprises the estuary of the Kampong Smach River, which flows into the Gulf of Thailand to the west of Bokor National Park. At the mouth of the river there are extensive mangroves and intertidal mudflats, while, upriver, there are stands of Melaleuca and Nypa. The mangrove along the western side of the estuary has been significantly reduced by land reclamation and conversion to rice agriculture but that on the eastern side is in a better condition, with stands of mature mangrove. The IBA is an important site for migratory waterbirds, including Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus. In addition, the IBA supports a number of large waterbirds during the non-breeding season, including Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Milky Stork M. cinerea and Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis. Most signficantly, there is a record of 22 Greater Adjutant L. dubius from 1994, although there have been no subsequent records, and the species may not regularly occur in significant numbers.
Key biodiversity
A large numbers of redshank and greenshank, and smaller numbers of Egret sp. And Pond Heros were found feeding as well as 42 Great Crested Terns roosting on a mudflat.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Stung Kampong Smach (Cambodia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/stung-kampong-smach-iba-cambodia on 23/11/2024.