Place
Cardamom Mountains
ជួរភ្នំក្រវាញ
The Cardamom Mountains (ជួរភ្នំក្រវាញ) are a range of forested mountains in southwest Cambodia. The range takes its name from the cardamom plant (ក្រវាញ) that grows in its forests.[1] A book of the Cambodian organization CEPA, quoted by Thmey Thmey, describes the range as running from Pailin (ប៉ៃលិន) to Kampot (កំពត) along the coast. Its peaks average about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), forming a wall between the central plain and the coast.[1] In 2021 the Ministry of Environment called the Cardamoms the last great rainforest in Southeast Asia.[1]
Geography
Thmey Thmey gives the range an area of 1.5 million hectares (5,800 square miles).[1] The highest mountain in Cambodia, Phnom Aural (ភ្នំឱរ៉ាល់), 1,813 meters (5,948 feet) high, stands where Pursat (ពោធិ៍សាត់), Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu (កំពង់ស្ពឺ) provinces meet. Other high peaks are Phnom Samkos (ភ្នំសំកុះ), 1,750 meters (5,741 feet), and Phnom Tumpor (ភ្នំទំព), 1,569 meters (5,148 feet).[2] In Pursat the range covers a large part of the province as far as the border with Thailand, and the province lies between the mountains and the Tonle Sap (ទន្លេសាប) lake.[2]
South of Phnom Aural lies the Kirirom (គិរីរម្យ) plateau, known for its pine trees. Beyond the Pech Nil pass the Elephant Mountains (ជួរភ្នំដំរី) run from north to south down to the sea and end at the cliffs of Bokor.[1]
Nature
The forests hold many waterfalls and many kinds of wildlife, among them elephants, tigers, crocodiles, snakes, birds and insects. The mountains also hold minerals and stone that is carved into ornaments. Few roads reach the area, so few people live there and little research has been done.[1] The Ministry of Environment has said that the forests of the Cardamoms help to control temperature and rainfall and matter greatly for slowing climate change.[3] The ministry works with the group Wildlife Alliance and with local authorities to protect the forest, and has run a carbon program known as REDD+ with partners to sell carbon credits.[1]
The mountain forests of Pursat give cardamom, sandalwood, rattan, resin and plants for traditional medicine. The Por (ព័រ) and Chong (ជង) peoples live mostly near springs at the foot or on the slopes of the Cardamoms. In the past they were half-nomadic and moved often; they hunted, grew rice, dug marble to sell and gathered forest products.[2]
Protected areas
Royal sub-decrees of May 9, 2016, created two national parks in the range. The Southern Cardamom National Park covers 410,392 hectares in Koh Kong (កោះកុង), Pursat, Kampong Speu and Preah Sihanouk (ព្រះសីហនុ) provinces. The Central Cardamom National Park covers 401,313 hectares in Koh Kong, Pursat and Kampong Speu.[4][3] A sub-decree of January 26, 2017, created a biodiversity conservation corridor of 169,469 hectares across the Cardamom protected areas.[4]
A sub-decree of July 17, 2023, created the Cardamom National Park, with 926,123 hectares in Koh Kong, Pursat, Kampong Speu, Preah Sihanouk and Battambang (បាត់ដំបង) provinces.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Thmey Thmey, Hong Srina, The Cardamom Mountains cover 1.5 million hectares and are an important rainforest in Southeast Asia (August 14, 2021; in Khmer)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Thmey Thmey 25, Pursat province has 76 percent forest cover and many large mountains (July 17, 2021; in Khmer)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ministry of Environment, Senior ministry official: the Central Cardamom Mountains National Park is given high priority by the ministry (2023; in Khmer)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kampuchea Thmey, The nine protected areas of Koh Kong province (undated; in Khmer)
- ↑ Sabay News, The Cardamom Mountains National Park stretches across five provinces, with nearly 1 million hectares (July 31, 2024; in Khmer)