Southern Cardamom National Park

Southern Cardamom National Park
ឧទ្យានជាតិជួរភ្នំក្រវាញខាងត្បូង
Stung Proat, Cardamom Mountains
Map showing the location of Southern Cardamom National Park
Map showing the location of Southern Cardamom National Park
LocationKoh Kong, Pursat, Kampong Speu and Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia
Coordinates11°25′43″N 103°40′02″E / 11.428598°N 103.667159°E / 11.428598; 103.667159
Area4,103.92 km2 (1,584.53 sq mi)[1]
Established2016
Governing bodyCambodian Ministry of Environment, Department of Nature Conservation and Protection

Southern Cardamom National Park (Khmer: ឧទ្យានជាតិជួរភ្នំក្រវាញខាងត្បូង, romanized: utyeancheate chuor phnomkravanh khangotbaung) is a national park in Cambodia. The protection was established on 9 May 2016 and covers 4,104 km2 (1,585 sq mi) in the southern parts of the Cardamom Mountains.[2] The national park is administratively divided into three sectors; Western Sector, Central Sector and Eastern Sector.[3]

The Southern Cardamom National Park connects existing protected areas in and around the Greater Cardamom Mountains, providing a total contiguous area under protection of 18,211 km2 (7,031 sq mi). The other protected areas in the landscape include Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Cardamom Mountains and Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary, covering the northern parts of the Cardamom Mountains, and Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary, Botum Sakor National Park and Kirirom National Park, south of the park. In addition to safeguarding habitats and wildlife corridors for larger animals, a main purpose of the national park is to create a safe wildlife protection for reintroducing tigers to Cambodia. Tigers went extinct in Cambodia in 2007.[4]

The park is home to more than 60 globally threatened animals such as the Malayan sun bear and Sunda pangolin as well as endangered species like the Irrawady dolphin and Siamese crocodile.[5] The park has 17 species of endangered trees, some of which are endemic to Cambodia.[5]

The protection of the park is the responsibility of the Cambodian government, and the task is carried out by Cambodia’s Forestry Administration in cooperation with the Global Conservation agency and Wildlife Alliance. Global Conservation is an international organisation specialising in the protection of endangered UNESCO World Heritage and national parks in developing countries.[3]

Part of the protected area forms part of the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project (SCRP).[6] Human Rights Watch criticized this project for driving members of the Chong ethnic group from their indigenous lands,[7] prompting Verra to open an investigation into the project.[8]

Flora and fauna

In July 2024, sixty Siamese crocodiles from five distinct nests have successfully hatched. This marks the largest wild breeding record of the species this century and significantly enhances the survival prospects of this critically endangered reptile.[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Sub-decree No.89 on Establishment of Southern Cardamom Mountains National Park". Open Development Cambodia. 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Strategic New National Park Created in Cambodia". Rainforest Trust. 18 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Cardamom National Park, Cambodia". Global Conservation.
  4. ^ "Cambodia declares new national park, plans to reintroduce tigers". Mongabay Environmental News. 1 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b DK (24 October 2023). Habitats: From Ocean Trench to Tropical Forest. Penguin. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-593-84586-8.
  6. ^ "Verra Search Page". registry.verra.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Cambodia: Carbon Offsetting Project Violates Indigenous Group's Rights". Human Rights Watch. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Verra Statement on Today's Human Rights Watch Report". Verra. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  9. ^ "New hope for critically endangered Siamese crocodile". Phys.org. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  10. ^ Gaffney, Austyn (17 July 2024). "For These Nearly Extinct Crocodiles, Life Found a Way". New York Times.
  11. ^ Baby crocodiles hatching - New hope for critically endangered Siamese crocodile. Fauna & Flora. 17 July 2024 – via YouTube.