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The Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, covering an area of 2,500–3,000 square kilometers (km2) in the dry season. Owing to a hydrological phenomenon, the Tonle Sap River draining the lake reverses its flow in the wet season when the waters of the Mekong River flow into the lake to inundate 10,000–16,000 km2 for months. The wetlands born of this cycle are home to a high biodiversity of fish, reptile, bird, mammal, and plant species that qualified the Tonle Sap as a biosphere reserve in 1997. This biological richness is reflected in the enormous productivity of the Tonle Sap as a fishing area: the lake supports one of the most productive fisheries in the world, and provides most Cambodians with their main source of animal protein, calcium, and vitamin A. The fisheries, together with the flooded forest and agricultural lands of the inundated area, have underpinned human activity since ancient times. Indeed, the Tonle Sap and the associated heritage of Angkor have defined Cambodia's identity.
Today, the land, water, and biotic resources of the Tonle Sap directly benefit 40% of the population of the provinces adjoining the lake and shore up food security and employment lsewhere. The lake also benefits the lower Mekong basin as a feeding and spawning area for migratory fish. It is of global significance for biodiversity conservation.
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