Prek Toal Ramsar Site

Inundate forest at Prek Toal Ramsar site
Bird colony inside Prek Toal Ramsar site
Bird colony inside Prek Toal
Tourist visit to Prek Toal Ramsar site
Spot-billed Pelican nest in Prek Toal Ramsar site
Greater Adjutant and Painted stork nest in Prek Toal Ramsar site
Darter nest in Prek Toal Ramsar site

Prek Toal Ramsar Site

  • Country: 
    Cambodia
  • Site number: 
    2245
  • Area: 
    21,342 ha
  • Designation date: 
    02-10-2015
  • Coordinates: 
    13°08'N 103°37'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

The Prek Toal Ramsar Site includes some of the most pristine floodplains in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve in Cambodia. During the dry seasons, the Site is dry and covered mostly by freshwater swamp forests, but it floods annually, with the water depth reaching up to eight metres. Prek Toal is at the north-west upstream end of Tonle Sap Lake and the rise and fall of the lake’s waters play a vital role in maintaining its biological wealth. The forests trap large quantities of sediment, and the nutrients deposited stimulate the growth of plants and fish which support the high numbers of waterbirds and other wildlife at the Site. Prek Toal includes a range of habitats for a great diversity of globally threatened species such as the critically endangered river terrapin (Batagur baska), Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), giant barb (Catlocarpio siamensis), and Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas). The high concentration and diversity of nesting waterbirds (with over 20,000 counted regularly since 2001), including many globally threatened species such as the endangered greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) and masked finfoot (Heliopais personatus), make the area unique in the biogeographic region. The local communities live in floating houses and depend on fishing and aquaculture for their livelihoods.

Administrative region: 
Battambang province

  • Global international designation: 
    • UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
  • National legal designation: 
    • Fish sanctuary - Prek Toal
    • Ramsar site - Prek Toal
  • Last publication date: 
    23-11-2015

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents