Rare birds caught on camera
FOUR wading bird species whose status is of concern to wildlife conservationists were detected by a grid of motionsensitive camera traps deployed from June 14-30 in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province, the Ministry of Environment reported on August 26.
The camera trap network was installed by a research team from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WSC) Cambodia to monitor the presence of wildlife and study their behaviour, movement patterns and welfare, as part of the Cambodia’s Protected Area System (Campas) project, the ministry noted.
The grid was deployed for 17 days, which is a fairly normal duration. As noted by World Wide Fund For Nature, camera trap batteries last for about 36 exposures – two weeks to a month – given that the flash must remain charged and ready to shoot 24/7.
Listed by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category of threatened species, the birds captured were the “Near Threatened” woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), “Vulnerable” lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) and sarus crane (Antigone antigone),
and the “Critically Endangered” giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea), according to the ministry.
“These rare birds are especially scarce in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. Case in point, the research team reportedly encountered just five sarus cranes – a vulnerable species that has global value, brought to the fore by its listing on the IUCN Red List,” it said.
It affirmed that the research team and park rangers are pulling
out all the stops to protect these bird species of concern, especially their nests during the breeding and nesting seasons from June to November.
The ministry appealed to the public to join hands in protecting these birds – including their nests, eggs and chicks – other wildlife species and their habitats, by refraining from hunting, setting up snares and other traps, using poisons or consuming bushmeat.
Separately, in a bid to stop
and prevent forest land encroachmentinPreahMonivong Bokor National Park in Kampot province, the environment ministry has equipped rangers with drones to assist them in their patrol, intervention and crackdown in a timely and effective manner.
Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra handed over the drones and other equipment to rangers at the provincial environment department on August 27. Pheaktra commended the rangers for their commitment in protecting natural resources, wildlife and ecosystem in Cambodia.
“Our officers face risks, hardship and even dangers in fulfilling their work, in addition to disease and other obstacles like floods,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said rangers still need to increase their capacity both in legal and technical aspects, keep abreast of advancements in information technology and remain highly ethical.
“Getting training to improve their capacity is necessary because forest or park rangers face a lot of challenges posed by criminals who have guns or homemade rifles, and dangers posed by snares set up in the forests for illegal poaching,” he said.
As a show of appreciation, five outstanding rangers out of 41 were awarded with certificates as part of the recent World Ranger Day celebrations.
According to Pheaktra, there are currently 1,260 park rangers stationed in natural protected areas and biodiversity corridors across the country, covering 7.3 million hectares, or 41 per cent of the country’s surface.
The protected areas are divided into national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, multiple-use area, natural heritages, wetland areas and biodiversity protected corridors.