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Bakan grassland in Pursat province has been designated as a national protected area officially called the Bakan Protected Landscape.
The announcement on the official designation was made by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the Pursat Provincial Administration and Department of Environment.
This key move safeguards a vital habitat for biodiversity and aligns with Cambodia’s commitment to the global 30×30 initiative: aiming to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s land and seas by 2030, said a WCS’ news release on Friday.
According to the source, covering 38,430 hectares, comparable to the combined area of the Galapagos Islands, the Bakan Protected Landscape is a critical component of the Tonle Sap ecosystem. It is a naturally flooded grassland that becomes a dynamic aquatic habitat in the wet season. This unique environment is home to critically endangered species like the Bengal Florican, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Manchurian Reed-warbler, and Cambodia’s only known population of the elusive Chinese Grassbird.
Recognising the ecological importance of this landscape since the early 2000s, WCS Cambodia and its partners have dedicated the past five years to advocating for its official protection. This marks Cambodia’s first new protected area in the Tonle Sap Floodplain since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, illustrating a continued focus on preserving this ecologically significant region.
Over the last decade, the lake region has undergone significant land use changes, threatening its rich biodiversity. The Bakan Protected Landscape remains the last significant inundated natural grassland habitat in the southern part of the Tonle Sap Floodplain, underscoring the urgency and importance of its protection.
Local communities have been central to this conservation initiative. Their continued engagement has been instrumental from initial planning to the present, and they will maintain their crucial role in combining traditional practices with the conservation of this diverse ecosystem.
The official protection of the Bakan Landscape is not just a national achievement—it is a concrete step towards the global 30×30 initiative. Supported by Cambodia and over 100 other nations, this initiative is critical to bending the curve on biodiversity loss, responding to climate change, and ensuring a sustainable future for our planet.
Through the combined efforts of WCS Cambodia, the Ministry of Environment, local communities, the Rainforest Trust, the European Union’s Our Tonle Sap project, and the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, this milestone symbolises the continued collaboration among conservation organisations dedicated to the landscape’s protection and community support.
