Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary

Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary
Khmer: ដែនជម្រកសត្វព្រៃលំផាត់
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)[1]
Map showing the location of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary
LocationRatanakiri, Mondulkiri, and Kratie, Cambodia
Nearest cityBanlung
Coordinates13°19′18″N 106°55′11″E / 13.32178191°N 106.91986103°E / 13.32178191; 106.91986103
Area2,514.68 km2 (970.92 sq mi)[1]
Established1993[1]
Governing bodyMinistry of Environment

Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area covering 2,514.68 km2 (970.92 sq mi) in eastern Cambodia that was established in 1993.[1][2] It is heavily forested and straddles Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, and Kratie provinces. It is home to a variety of endangered wildlife such as banteng,[3] gaur, dholes and sun bear, as well as leopards, Eld's deer, sambar deer, muntjacs and wild pigs. In addition, a number of rare birds are present: surveys have confirmed the presence of green peafowl, greater and lesser adjutant storks, sarus cranes, oriental pied hornbills, giant ibises,[4] white-shouldered ibises, milky and woolly-necked storks, and slender-billed and white-rumped vultures,[5] which are increasingly rare in most of South and Southeast Asia.

A Chinese company is planning to build a dam on the Srepok River, which would flood the surrounding villages and inundate more than a third of the sanctuary.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d Protected Planet (2018). "Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary". United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 26 Dec 2018.
  2. ^ "Royal decree on Establishment of Natural Protected Areas (1993 ) - OD Mekong Datahub". data.opendevelopmentcambodia.net. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  3. ^ "Sanctuary restoration work aims to benefit wildlife - Khmer Times". 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  4. ^ "10 nests of Giant Ibis located in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary during breeding season - Khmer Times". 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  5. ^ "Why this wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia is in danger – along with hundreds more worldwide". BirdLife International. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  6. ^ "Cambodian Villagers Petition Chinese Embassy to Scrap Dam Projects". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 2022-06-21.