Quantifying the availability of seasonal surface water and identifying the drivers of change within tropical forests in Cambodia

• Published in: PloS one 2024-07, Vol.19 (7), p.e0307964
• Main Authors: Mamalis, Louisa, Arnold, Kathryn E, Mahood, Simon P, Khean, Mao, Beale, Colin M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic birds; Aquatic resources; Automobile drivers; Biodiversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Birds - physiology; Cambodia; Climate and land use; Climate Change; Conservation of Natural Resources; Dry season; Drying; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Economic models; Ecosystem; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered populations; Endangered species; Environmental protection; Floods; Forests; Fresh Water; Geospatial data; Habitats; Land use; Nests; People and Places; Population decline; Precipitation patterns; Protected areas; Regression analysis; Regression models; Remote sensing; Seasons; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Surface water; Surface water availability; Tropical Climate; Tropical forests; Water availability; Waterfowl; Wildlife conservation; Wildlife sanctuaries
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307964

Surface freshwater is a vital resource that is declining globally, predominantly due to climate and land use changes. Cambodia is no exception and the loss threatens many species, such as the giant ibis a Critically Endangered waterbird. We aimed to quantify the spatial and temporal (2000-2020) change of surface water availability across northern and eastern Cambodia and to assess the impact of this on the giant ibis. We used a Random Forest Classifier to determine the changes and we tested the impact of land use and geographical covariates using spatially explicit regression models. We found an overall reduction of surface water availability of 4.16%. This was predominantly driven by the presence of Economic Land Concessions and roads which increased the probability of extreme drying and flooding events. The presence of protected areas reduced these probabilities. We found changes in precipitation patterns over the wider landscape did not correlate with changes in surface water availability, supporting the overriding influence of land use change. 98% of giant ibis nests recorded during the time period were found within 25m of surface water during the dry season, highlighting their dependency on surface water. The overall surface water decline resulted in a 25% reduction in dry season suitable habitat for the giant ibis. Although absolute changes in surface water over the whole area were relatively small, the impact on the highest quality habitat for ibis is disproportionate and therefore threatens its populations. Defining the threats to such an endangered species is crucial for effective management.