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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/29/cambodia-chorng-indigenous-communities-siamese-crocodile-endangered-conservation-aoe>
"In the 1990s, conservationists in Cambodia feared the Siamese crocodile had
disappeared for good. Fishing and hunting had devastated the species throughout
the 20th century, leaving populations across its native south-east Asia on the
brink of extinction.
But in villages dotted among the wetlands of the remote Cardamom mountains,
Indigenous Chorng communities still reported seeing them. Passing this
knowledge to researchers surveying the area in 2000 led to an official
recording of the species – and bolstered the mission to revive the population.
“[The Chorng] share a spiritual relation between nature, sacred species and the
forest,” says Sony Oum, the country director for Conservation International in
Cambodia. “They believed that [the crocodiles] were there, and they helped the
scientists and researchers to spot the sites.”
Now, more than a quarter of a century on from the initial sighting, a
315-hectare (778-acre) wetland in Pursat province at the northern end of the
Cardamom mountains has been formally declared a genetic conservation area to
protect the habitat of one of the world’s last wild populations of Siamese
crocodiles.
The area, formally designated by Cambodia’s environment ministry on 22 July,
will be home to at least 40 Siamese crocodiles that are thought to live there,
making it a crucial site for a species still classed as critically endangered
on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
Habitat destruction, poaching and cross-breeding with crocodiles kept on farms
have left few genetically intact wild populations of Siamese crocodiles. With
small, isolated groups in the wild vulnerable to inbreeding, conservationists
say preserving genetic diversity can improve the animals’ ability to reproduce
and withstand disease."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
