A new study co-led by Newcastle University highlights how sand mining is endangering the normal functioning of the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
A new study co-led by Newcastle University highlights how sand mining is endangering the normal functioning of the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
The Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) in Cambodia is one of the most ecologically diverse lake ecosystems globally, and is the fourth most productive in terms of fish productivity.
Since 1997 the TSL has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve, serving as a habitat for globally significant populations of endangered amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, spanning a diverse array of over 800 species.
The lake is sustained by a significant annual flood pulse that reverses the direction of flow along the Tonle Sap River that fills the lake during the monsoon and subsequently returns freshwater to the downstream delta during the dry season. This flood pulse is critical for sustaining the lake’s biological productivity and biodiversity, and is also integral to regulating water systems and water levels across the entire Mekong delta, home to 23 million people.
Read More: Newcastle University
Photo Credit: patrickmoretti06 via Pixabay
