ACCESS TO STUNG SEN WETLAND

GENERAL INFORMATIONSTUNG SEN WETLAND is located in the southeastern edge ofTonle Sap Lake within Phat Sanday Commune, Kampong SvayDistrict, Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia. Stung Sen wetland is one of the three core areas of the Tonle Sap Biosphere
Reserve. It is also one of the Important Bird and Biodiversity
Areas (IBA KH019) in Cambodia.

Stung Sen Ranger Station

LegendCambodia
Agricultural Land
ForestGrassland
Shrubland
Soils and Rocks
Urban, Built-up Land
Water Bodies
Stung Sen Wetland

1:700,00004080160

Kilometers

WHAT IS RAMSAR CONVENTION
The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Ramsar
Convention (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), is an intergovernmental treaty
which provides a framework for national action and international
cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands andtheir resources. Cambodia ratified the convention on 24 thDecember 1996, and the convention entered into force on 23 rdOctober 1999.
Ramsar site : A wetland that meets at least one of the criteria foridentifying Wetlands of International Importance.
Towards a New Ramsar Site : The Stung Sen wetland meets
Criteria 2 (rare and endangered species), 3 (biodiversity), 4 (lifecycle & refuge), 6 (>1% of waterbird population) and 8 (fishspawning ground & others).
(For more information, visit the Ramsar website at http://www.ramsar.org)

CONTACT INFORMATIONKAMPONG THOM OFFICE :Mr. Pipat SORN (Stung Sen Core Area Site Manager)
Stung Sen Core Area Ranger Station, Phat Sanday Commune,
Kampong Svay District, Kampong Thom Province, CAMBODIA
H/P : (+855) 095 833 229
Ofﬁce hours : 7:00 to 11:00 and 13:00 to 17:00
PHNOM PENH OFFICE :Mr. Moran PICH (Ofﬁce Manager)
Department of Freshwater Wetlands Conservation of General
Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection, Ministry of Environment, (2nd Floor) Morodok Techo Building(Lot 503) Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA
H/P : (+855) 012 420 868
Email : moran_wcd@yahoo.com

RICH IN BIODIVERSITYHYDROLOGICAL SYSTEM : The Stung Sen wetland, a part ofthe Tonle Sap Lake, is strongly inﬂuenced by the water exchange
between the Mekong River, the Stung Sen River and Tonle SapLake. Annual ﬂooding cycle causes signiﬁcant ﬂuctuation in waterlevel, which results in high aquatic productivity and supports
unique faunal and ﬂoral communities.
UNIQUE VEGETATION : The hydrological cycle supports Stung
Sen wetland’s unique seasonally ﬂooded vegetation, including
gallery forest along the Stung Sen River, shrubland and grassland.
SPECIES : There are at least 9 mammal species, 79 bird species,
4 turtle species, and 94 ﬁsh species. The wetland is habitat to
globally endangered species including Silvered Langur, Hairynoised Otter, Lesser Adjutant, Yellow-head Temple Turtle, Mekong
Giant Barb, Striped Catﬁsh, and Isok Barb (Birdlife International
Cambodia Programme, 2016).
HABITAT AND REFUGE FOR A RANGE OF BIOTA : The site
also provides signiﬁcant beneﬁt to various biodiversity as important spawning grounds and migratory pathways for several ﬁshspecies, feeding grounds for a number of waterbirds, and habitat
for many mammal species.

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Local residents of Stung Sen wetland are heavily dependent onaquatic resources, including water, food, and income generation through fishing and agriculture, provided by the StungSen wetland.
The wetland also provides other services such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, water puriﬁcation, erosion protection, sediment deposition, and ﬂood andstorm control.
It is also a site with extensive ecotourism potential.

Tonle Sap Lake

Floating house in Stung Sen wetland

Lesser Adjutant (Vulnerable)

Asian Openbill (Least Concern)

Silvered Langur (Endangered)

Spot-billed Pelican (Near Threatened)

THREATS
THERE ARE SOME THREATS TO
THE STUNG SEN WETLAND.
HABITAT DEGRADATION : Wildﬁre, burning and cutting offorest for agriculture and access for hunting and ﬁshing.
HUNTING AND TRAPPING : Bird poisoning along lakeshore,
killing endangered otters for skin, hanging hooked lines andsound trapping for endangered birds.
OVER HARVESTING OF NATURAL RESOURCES : Illegalﬁshing and year-around ﬁshing including spawning seasons.

LegendCommunity Boundary

Floating Village

Long-tailed Macaque

Oriental Darter

Stung Sen Core Area Boundary

Hairy-nosed Otter

Silvered Langur

Oriental Darter

Smooth-coated Otter

Asian Openbill

Spot-billed Pelican

Otter signs and scars

Black-headed Ibis

Grey-headed Fish Eagle

Leopard Cat

Lesser Adjutant

Fish HabitatGrassland
ForestWater Bodies
Shrubland

FOR WETLAND CONSERVATION
An important measure for wetland conservation is designating
biodiversity-rich areas as protected areas (such as a Ramsarsite) while allowing their “wise use” by various stakeholders withappropriate wetland management.
Wise use of wetlands : It is crucial for people to use the wetland
in a sustainable manner so that its ecosystem functions andservices are maintained.

Setting ﬁsh traps

Fisherman heading to ﬁshing grounds

Otter skin

Burned forest in Stung Sen wetland

Various stakeholder involvement : It is important to engage all
stakeholders, including local residents, local authorities, relevant
institutions and NGOs, to make better decisions, share beneﬁts,
and promote collaboration among them for wetland conservation.