Cambodian national park reveals rare wildlife species

A years-long survey of a Cambodian national park has revealed endangered species never before recorded in the country, highlighting the need for greater conservation efforts, environmentalists said yesterday.

The complex survey work uncovered fauna ranging from pangolins to critically endangered large-antlered muntjacs inside Virachey National Park, a relatively untouched haven for biodiversity.

The more than 405,000-hectare park stretches across Cambodia's northeastern region, bordering Laos and Vietnam.

More than 150 cameras were deployed during the survey, which also enlisted the help of local communities to document animals and plants in the protected area.

A total of 89 species were detected, including 20 globally threatened species like the red-shanked douc langur, Sunda pangolin, clouded leopard, dhole and sun bear, according to the survey lead conservation organization Fauna & Flora.

It also found nine species that have never been recorded in Cambodia before, including the critically endangered large-antlered muntjac, Sokolov's glass lizard and the Vietnamese leaf-toed gecko.

The findings "reaffirm the park's importance as a biodiversity stronghold and provide compelling evidence to galvanise increased conservation efforts," said the organization.

The park, which forms part of one of the largest forest landscapes in mainland Southeast Asia, is "a biodiversity hotspot, a vital carbon sink, and home to a rich diversity of indigenous communities," it added.

However it warned that the region "faces mounting pressures" from destruction of natural habitats, often for agriculture, infrastructure, or other land uses, alongside snaring and poaching.

Agence France-Presse