Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) are attracting more tourists especially from the European Union (EU) to visit Cambodia’s Kampong Thom province.

According to H.E. Neth Pheaktra, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Environment, there are around 550 of them inhabiting in protected area of Tonle Sap lake, including Kampong Thom’s Baray and Staung districts.

The number of Bengal Florican in Cambodia represents about 70 percent of the species of Bengal Florican around the world, said H.E. Neth Pheaktra.

The Ministry of Environment in cooperation with development partners is implementing projects to preserve the Bengal Florican’s shelters and to support the local community to help protect the bird.

Bengal Florican is globally endangered and was included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

There are currently about 800 Bengal Florican worldwide including the 550 Bengal Florican, 230 of them are male, in Cambodia, he added.

The Ministry of Environment is managing Bengal Florican conservation area on a total of 31,159 hectares of land surface in Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press