Lomphat: The latest census conducted by the NatureLife Cambodia Organisation's Conservation Team at Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary between July and August 2025 showed a positive sign, with up to 29 White-shouldered Ibises recorded. 'This is the highest number over the past five years, from 2020 to 2024, when the team recorded a peak of only 26 White-shouldered Ibises,' the organisation emphasised. This shows that LWS is the core that supports the sustainability of White-shouldered Ibis reproduction and survival, as well as other wildlife, and also highlights the potential and effectiveness of conservation efforts, it added.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the White-shouldered Ibis census is a key activity to monitor the population trends of this rare species during the non-breeding season. This data will serve as a basis for developing effective conservation strategies in the future. Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary plays a significant role in providing a safe habitat for the White-shouldered Ibis, one of the world's most endangered birds. Currently, the NatureLife Cambodia team is conducting a census of White-shouldered Ibis in LWS from July to October 2025.
Besides the Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, the birds are also inhabiting the Mekong floodplain landscape area in Kratie province and the eastern plain landscape area. In 2024, the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity successfully bred White-shouldered Ibis chicks under human care for the first time. One pair of the birds successfully incubated and raised two chicks in captivity.
Giant Ibis is a critically endangered bird species declared Cambodia's national bird, and conservation efforts are crucial to its protection. Currently, it is estimated that up to 95 percent of the global White-shouldered Ibis population resides in Cambodia, with fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining worldwide.