The wildlife of Cambodia is very diverse with at least 162 mammal species,[1] 600 bird species, 176 reptile species (including 89 subspecies),[2] 900 freshwater fish species, 670 invertebrate species, and more than 3000 plant species. A single protected area, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, is known to support more than 950 total species, including 75 species that are listed as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List.[3] An unknown amount of species remains to be described by science, especially the insect group of butterflies and moths, collectively known as lepidopterans.[4]
Many species in Cambodia, including several endemic ones, are recognized by the IUCN or World Conservation Union as threatened, endangered, or critically endangered due to deforestation and habitat destruction, poaching, the illegal wildlife trade, and farming, fishing, and forestry concessions. Intensive poaching may have already driven Cambodia's national animal, the kouprey, to extinction, wild tigers to extirpation, and Eld's deer, wild water buffaloes and hog deer are at critically low numbers.
Wildlife in Cambodia includes dholes, elephants, deer (sambar, Eld's deer, hog deer and muntjac), wild oxen (banteng and gaur), panthers, bears, and tigers. Cormorants, cranes, ibises, parrots, green peafowl, pheasants, and wild ducks are also found, and species of venomous snakes and constrictors are numerous. Deforestation, mining activities, and unregulated hunting, have diminished the country's wildlife diversity rapidly.
Cambodia also has many endangered species, including Asian elephant, Siamese crocodile, wild water buffalo, and the Germain's silver langur.
Much work is being done in this area to help conserve and protect Cambodia's unique wildlife. Wildlife conservation organizations operating in Cambodia include Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Fauna and Flora International, BirdLife International, Wildlife Alliance, and many others. On 20 December 2016, 163 new animal species were reported in Southeast Asia including one known as the Klingon newt for its resemblance to a Klingon from Star Trek.[5]
Some animals native to Cambodia:
See main article: List of mammals of Cambodia.
See main article: List of birds of Cambodia.
See main article: List of non-marine molluscs of Cambodia.
There are several species of insects in Cambodia still undescribed by science.
Only preliminary research has been done on butterflies and moths (lepidopterans) in Cambodia, even though it is an abundant lifeform in the country. No identification literature exists for Cambodia on this group yet.[4]
See also: List of trees of Cambodia. Cambodia supports more than 3,000 identified plant species, many of which are endemic to unique local ecosystems such as the Tonlé Sap floodplain, forests of the Cardamom and Dâmrei Mountains, and elevated plains. These ecosystems provide diverse habitats that sustain a variety of plant species, contributing to the country's rich biodiversity.
Several plant species in Cambodia are considered rare and/or endangered, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts:
Efforts to preserve Cambodia's flora include the establishment of protected areas and national parks, such as Preah Monivong National Park and the Cardamom Mountains Protected Forests. Organizations and government initiatives are working towards sustainable management and conservation practices to protect these valuable plant species and their habitats.
Sand mining in waterways, overfishing, illicit fishing methods, and the illegal wildlife trafficking are the three main threats to biodiversity in Cambodia.[9] In the Cardamom Mountain region, poaching through snaring is another major factor in the decline in the population of pileated gibbons, dholes, serows, spotted linsangs and many more.[10]