The sunken forest of Kampong Phhluk, Tonle Sap, Cambodia
The sunken forest of Kampong Phhluk, is flooded much of the year by the swollen waters of the Tonle Sap, Cambodia. Tonle Sap is a unique reservoir of excess water brought down from the Himalaya to the sea by the Mekong River. During the monsoon, water from the Mekong flows into this massive lake. Fish and other life harvested from Tonle Sap provides 80% of the protein for Khmers. From a geological perspective, the Tonlé Sap Lake and Tonlé Sap River are a current freeze-frame representation of the slowly, but ever shifting Lower Mekong Basin. Annual fluctuation of the Mekong’s water volume, supplemented by the Asian Monsoon regime causes the unique flow reversal of the Tonle Sap River. As one of the world’s most varied and productive ecosystems the region has always been of central importance for Cambodia’s food provision. It proved capable to maintain the Angkorean civilisation , the largest pre-industrial settlement complex in world history. Either directly or indirectly it affects the livelihood of large numbers of a predominantly rural population to this day. With regards to a growing and migrating population, ineffective administration and widespread indifference towards environmental issues the lake and its surrounding ecosystem is coming under increasing pressure from over-exploitation and habitat degradation, fragmentation and loss. All Mekong riparian states have either announced or already implemented plans to increasingly exploit the river’s hydroelectric potential. A succession of international facilities that dam the river’s mainstream is likely to be the gravest danger yet for the entire Tonle Sap eco-region.
Size: 4896px × 3264px
Location: The sunken forest of Kampong Phhluk, Tonle Sap, Cambodia
Photo credit: © Paolo Patrizi / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cambodia, ecosystems, fish, forest, khmers, lake, monsoon, pepper, reservoir, river, sap, tonle
