BANGKOK - Southeast Asia’s elusive large-antlered muntjac deer likely has a foothold in a national park in northeastern Cambodia, researchers said, after a trail camera snapped a muntjac fawn in the conservation redoubt for the first time.
Virachey National Park, part of the majestic Annamite mountains, also appears to be the most important stronghold of the northern yellow-cheeked gibbon – a species identified only in 2010 that is occasionally hunted for its meat.
The findings are the result of detailed studies in Virachey since 2018 including environmental DNA sampling, camera trap surveys and other research that highlight the park remains a biodiversity refuge despite a legacy of destructive logging.
The work, published this month by conservation group Fauna & Flora, involved the cooperation of Cambodian environment and forestry officials. It received funding from several sources including the U.K. and U.S. governments.
“Understanding the biodiversity of the park is just beginning,” said Pablo Sinovas, director of Fauna & Flora’s Cambodia program.
“These findings strengthen the case for protecting the area, which we know is currently threatened by deforestation, forest degradation, habitat fragmentation and snaring,” he said in an email.
Cambodia has destroyed about 34% of its natural forests since 2001, according to Global Forest Watch satellite data.
The studies, Sinovas said, had galvanized the establishment of a consortium funded by the U.K. to increase conservation efforts for Virachey and the broader landscape it is part of.
