This is a selection of photos from the Central Section of the Mekong River. It consists of a series of narrow channels and forested islands in the Mekong River in North Central Cambodia (Sambor-Koh Preah). These photos were taken while I was assisting with field surveys for sandbar nesting birds during the dry season of 2012. The habitat consists of a mix of dry-deciduous, flooded, mixed evergreen forests, sandbars and rocky islets. It is the home of white-shouldered ibis, green peafowl, Cantor's giant softshell turtle, the recently discovered Mekong wagtail and a wide array of other creatures. Many people inhabit the shores and islands and subsist on the river's wide diversity of fishes. This amazing area and its inhabitants are threatened with destruction by a proposed dam at Sambor which would inundate the entire area. Rampant land clearance for farming/tropical hardwoods/large-scale ag. concessions also threaten the continued existence of this place as well as over-hunting and gold mining.
