 Natural Resources
The Kingdom of Cambodia is a land rich in natural wonders, including species of animals, birds, fish, flora and fauna which remain undocumented. In recognition of this fact, His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk issued, in November 1993, a Royal Decree called "The creation and Designating of Protected Areas "which underscored the value of the Kingdom's riches resource: its abundant natural bio-diversity. The decree established a system of 23 protected area covering 3.4 million hectares, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected cultural landscapes and multiple-use areas.
Located in the southern province of Kompong Speu, Kirirom National Parks is the most accessible to tourists. The park includes a visitor's center built on land donated by the King. Emerged in the middle of the Elephant Mountains, the parks is filled with placid vistas, wild animals and waterfalls.
The Tonle Sap and the Mekong River systems form the geographical and environmental lifeline of Cambodia. As well, the Kingdom is blessed with some of the largest remaining virgin rainforests in Southeast Asia which carpet wide swaths of the country in verdant belts of rich tropical foliage.
Along coastal areas, inland natural splendors are complemented by pristine beaches with fine sand as white as snow. Deserted tropical isles bask in the sun while gentle waters lap their tranquil shores and swaying coconut trees rustle serenely in the fresh ocean breeze. For the knowledgeable nature watcher, Cambodia is a spectacle to behold.
TONLE SAP
The extraordinary bi-diversity and hydrology of the Tonle Sap River and Great Lake make it an ecological wonder of the world.
The lake itself is the largest freshwater body of water in Southeast Asia. When the rains start in June or July, the water level of the Mekong River begin to rise dramatically. Flood waters pouring out of the Mekong catchments basin from Tibet to Laos eventually force the flow of the Tonle Sap River - which merges with the Mekong at Phnom Penh-to reserve. The Great lake welcomes the swelling tide and expands ten times in size to an area over 26,000 square kilometers. Come October and the tapering off of the monsoon rains, the waters begin to flow again southwards, through Vietnam and into the south China Sea.
The Cyclical ebb and flow each year of the waters in the Tonle Sap have sustained and nourished the Khmer people for centuries. Their lives are inextricably intertwined with the aquatic environment which surrounds them, producing a riverine symbiosis deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. Khmer mythology, Khmer civilization and Khmer history intimately reflect these seasonal rhythms of the mighty Mekong and the Great Lake.
FISHES & BIRDS
With the annual replenishment of the waters of the Great Lake by the nutrient-rich waters of the Mekong, fish yields are some of the highest in the world. More than 300 freshwater species have been identified, including carp, giant catfish, murrel, climbing perch and gourami. Fish are so abundant that entire communities of river-born fisher fork have spent their whole lives on the waters of the great Lake since time immemorial. Moreover, the lake and its surrounding shores serve as the home to a plethora of feathered friends. For the astute birdwatcher, the Kingdom's riverine system is a winged wonderland unparalleled in Asia. Flocks with countless numbers of birds unique to the region swoop over the lake, making their homes among the shallow waters and mangrove forests along the shoreline.
WILDLIFE
Cambodia is home to some of the most significant populations of mammalian wildlife in Asia. Endangered species such as leopards, tigers, bantengs, gaur, barking deer and the near-extinct Kauprey- the Kingdom's national animal and the world's rarest large mammal- have been sighted off the beaten path. In additional, wild elephants still roam remote pristine forests and monkeys and snakes abound in mountainous areas .
While the international market for endangered species poses a great threat to the preservation of the Kingdom's wildlife, conservationists strive to research, document and preserve them.
An array of beautiful butterflies can be found in season from the seaside to Siemreap. Swirling blue and turquoise clouds add a touch of magic to the air. Black and orange Monarch butterflies, species of black and indigo, and enormous yellow speckled wings in motion, lend soothing color to the panoply of tropical splendor.
FLORA
Cambodia is a tropical land of densely forested hills, emerald-green rice paddies with tall, elegant sugar palm and waterways filled with reeds, water-lilies and lotuses.
The beautiful lotus, with fragrant pink and white blossoms exposed in the morning and evening, is scared to Buddhism and used for votive offerings in temples.
The northern forests have thick bamboo, vines, rattans and palms nestled with mahogany, mesanti and other increasingly rare wood. The south, including Phnom Penh, has jacaranda trees.
Urban areas as well as the countryside are resplendent with shady flame trees bearing gracefully their scarlet blooms, towering mango trees, numerous fruit trees including papaya, the red hibiscus, serene rows of tamarinds and near the sea, casuarinas, eucalyptus an pine trees.
FORESTS
The Kingdom is abundant in lush, tropical forests. In the northern half of the country thick jungle canopy runs from the western border with Thailand all along the Dangrek mountain escarpment to the rugged, mountainous hills which border Vietnam in the east. These ancient stands are rich in hardwoods, including towering Mahogany and Treak trees.
The northeastern- most province is aptly named Ratanakiri, which literally means Gemstone Mountain, as the area is resplendent with mineral deposits, including gold, rubies and sapphires.
In the southwest lie the Elephant Mountains where the Kingdom's highest peak- Mt. Oral which at 1,771 meters sits majestically overlooking a vast sea of forested terrain.
The mountains along the coast of the Gulf of Siam are home to unique stands of Pine trees where, buffeted by the seasonal downpour of Monsoon rains, these hardy species have taken root.
In the eastern province of Mondulkiri, where less precipitation is found, large expanses of savanna forest- with scenery reminiscent of Africa- can be found. Many of these areas are practically uninhabited and are the home to herds of wild elephants, banteng and gaur. |
