Cardamom Mountains rain forests

Last updated
Cardamom Mountains rain forests
braikmbujaa.jpg
Ecoregion IM0106.png
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm Indomalayan realm
Biome tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Borders
Bird species450
Mammal species100+
Geography
Area44,289 km2 (17,100 sq mi)
Countries
Provinces
Elevation0-1,800 metres
GeologySandstone with some limestone, volcanic rock and granite
Conservation
Conservation status relatively stable/intact
Protected18,647 km² (43%) [1]

The Cardamom Mountains rain forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in Southeast Asia, as identified by the WWF. The ecoregion covers the Cardamom Mountains and Elephant Mountains and the adjacent coastal lowlands in eastern Thailand and southwestern Cambodia, as well as the Vietnamese island of Dao Phu Quoc.

Contents

Geography

The Cardamom Mountains rain forests ecoregion spans a total of 44,288.8 km2 (17,100.0 sq mi) of relatively unexplored rain forest. The ecoregion is bounded by the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest, and the Indochina mangroves ecoregion fringes its shores. The Central Indochina dry forests lie to the east and north, in the rain shadow of the mountains. The Chao Phraya lowland moist deciduous forests lie to the northwest.

Flora

There are several forest types present.

Lowland evergreen forests grow in the narrow coastal plain between the mountains and the Gulf of Thailand. These forests have mostly disappeared.

Dwarf rain forests occupy waterlogged areas in the southern slopes of the mountains, with the tree canopy not exceeding 12 meters in height. The conifers Dacrydium elatum and Podocarpus neriifolius are the predominant trees, with scattered Nageia fleuryi and Dacrycarpus imbricatus . [2]

Montane forests cover large parts of the ecoregion above 700 metres elevation. Trees form a dense canopy up to 30 meters high. Trees in the beech family (Fagaceae) are prominent, including Lithocarpus cambodiensis, Lithocarpus guinieri, Lithocarpus farinulentus, Lithocarpus harmandii, and Castanopsis cambodiana. Other prominent trees are in the laurel family (Lauraceae), including species of Cinnamomum and Litsea , and the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), including species of Syzygium and Tristaniopsis . The montane forests are also home to diverse palms, understory shrubs, tree ferns, and epiphytes, including many orchids. [2]

Dwarf montane forests grow in acidic sandstone-derived soils in the southern Elephant Mountains, where the conifers Dacrydium elatum, Dacrycarpus imbricatus, and other trees form a low canopy 5–10 meters high. Forests dominated by Pinus latteri are found on the Kirirom Plateau in the Elephant Mountains. [2]

The Cardamom Mountains rain forests are part of the regional Indo-Burma Hotspot, a biodiversity hotspot of global importance with a large biological variation, and home to many rare, threatened and endemic species. [3] The Cardamom Mountains rain forests is home to many endemic species. Because of its remote location, very small human population, and difficult terrain, most of these forests remain relatively unexplored by scientists.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to several large mammals, including Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), tiger (Panthera tigris), clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), dhole (Cuon alpinus), gaur (Bos gaurus), banteng (Bos javanicus), Sumatran serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), and pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus).

The ecoregion is home to over 450 species of birds, including two endemic species, the chestnut-headed partridge (Arborophila cambodiana) and Siamese partridge (Arborophila diversa). [4]

Endemic reptiles include the Cardamom Mountains wolf snake (Lycodon cardamomensis) and Cardamom Mountains bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus cardamomensis). [5]

Protected areas

The Cardamom Mountains rain forest is one of the last intact rain forests left in Southeast Asia. It is also one of the most species-rich areas in the world, including many rare, threatened and endemic species. [6] [7]

After the Cambodian peace agreements and normalization in the 1990s, large parts of the Cardamom Mountains, and adjoining lowlands of the ecoregion, were designated as protected areas, mostly national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. With the establishment of the large Southern Cardamom National Park in May 2016, nearly all of the mountain range is now under some form of high level protection. [8]

Thailand
Cambodia
Vietnam

Conservation status

Even though most of the ecoregion is under protection, it is under pressure from many degrading and destructive activities. This includes construction and infrastructure projects, mining, clearing for plantations, sand pumping, illegal loggings, hunting and poaching (both opportunistic and organized). [9] [10] [8]

The protection laws has been poorly enforced and the Cambodian government has accepted and even encouraged destructive activities throughout, including national park areas. [11] The establishment of the Southern Cardamom National Park in 2016, may signal a change and improvement of the protection enforcement on ground level, as international organisations has stepped in with financing and practical help with park ranger tasks in an administrative collaboration with the Cambodian government. Also, a number of planned construction, plantation and mining projects has been put on hold. [12]

Ecoregion designation

The WWF's numerical designation for the ecoregion is IM0106.

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardamom Mountains</span> Mountain chain in Cambodia

The Cardamom Mountains, or the Krâvanh Mountains, is a mountain range in the southwest part of Cambodia and Eastern Thailand. The majority of the range is within Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phnom Aural</span>

Phnom Aural, also spelled Phnom Aoral, is the tallest peak in Cambodia. It is 1,813 meters tall. It is in the eastern part of the Cardamom Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Indochina subtropical forests</span> Ecoregion in Southeast Asia

The Northern Indochina subtropical forests are a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northern Indochina, covering portions of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and China's Yunnan Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Cambodia</span>

The wildlife of Cambodia is very diverse with at least 162 mammal species, 600 bird species, 176 reptile species, 900 freshwater fish species, 670 invertebrate species, and more than 3000 plant species. A single protected area, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, is known to support more than 950 total species, including 75 species that are listed as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List. An unknown amount of species remains to be described by science, especially the insect group of butterflies and moths, collectively known as lepidopterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Indochina

The Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests is a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion which occupies the lower hillsides of the mountainous border region joining Bangladesh, China's Yunnan Province, India, and Myanmar. The ecoregion covers an area of 135,600 square kilometres (52,400 sq mi). Located where the biotas of the Indian Subcontinent and the Indochinese Peninsula meet, and in the transition between subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests are home to great biodiversity. The WWF rates the ecoregion as "Globally Outstanding" in biological distinctiveness.

Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in western Cambodia, bordering Thailand. The sanctuary was established in 1993 and covers 3,307.56 km2 (1,277.06 sq mi). It is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Range montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in New Guinea

The Central Range montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the Central Range of the New Guinea Highlands, which extends along the spine of the island. The montane rain forests of the ecoregion are distinct from the surrounding lowland forests, and are home to many endemic plants and animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenasserim–South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests</span> Ecoregion on Mainland Southeast Asia

The Tenasserim–South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion on Mainland Southeast Asia. The ecoregion extends north–south along the Kra Isthmus. It includes lowland forests along the coasts, and montane forests on the Tenasserim Hills and Bilauktaung range, which form the mountainous spine of the isthmus.

Lycodon cardamomensis, also known as the Cardamom Mountains wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake found in south-western Cambodia and eastern Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khao Chamao–Khao Wong National Park</span>

Khao Chamao - Khao Wong National Park, is a National Park in Khao Chamao District, Rayong Province in Thailand. The park covers an area of 52,300 rai ~ 84 square kilometres (32 sq mi) of forested mountains. North of the national park is the larger Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary.

Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand's Chanthaburi Province. It covers the area around Khao Soi Dao Tai and Khao Soi Dao Nuea, the two highest peaks in the Chanthaburi Mountains of Eastern Thailand, which form part of the much larger Cardamom Mountains extending well into Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Cardamom National Park</span>

Southern Cardamom National Park is a national park in Cambodia. The protection was established on 9 May 2016 and covers 4,104 km2 (1,585 sq mi) in the southern parts of the Cardamom Mountains. The national park is administratively divided into three sectors; Western Sector, Central Sector and Eastern Sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion on the Malay Peninsula

The Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests is an ecoregion on the Malay Peninsula. It occupies the mountainous spine of the peninsula in Malaysia and southernmost Thailand. It is in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayah–Karen montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion on Mainland Southeast Asia

The Kayah–Karen montane rain forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion on Mainland Southeast Asia. The montane rain forests cover several connected mountain ranges, including the Daen Lao Range, the Dawna Range, the Karen Hills, the Khun Tan Range, and the Thanon Thong Chai Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chao Phraya lowland moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in Central Thailand

The Chao Phraya lowland moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in Thailand. The ecoregion occupies the coastal lowlands along the Gulf of Thailand lying east and west of the Chao Phraya River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulawesi montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Sulawesi montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. It includes the highlands of Sulawesi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vogelkop montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in New Guinea

The Vogelkop montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in western New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the mountains of western New Guinea's Bird's Head and Bomberai peninsulas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern New Guinea montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in New Guinea

The Northern New Guinea montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in northern New Guinea. The ecoregion covers several separate mountain ranges lying north of New Guinea's Central Range and south of the Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luang Prabang montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Central Laos and Northeast Thailand

The Luang Prabang montane rain forests ecoregion covers elevations over 800 meters in the Luang Prabang mountains that straddle the border between northern Thailand and north-central Laos, and the highlands that stretch eastward across north-central Laos. While much of the forest cover has been degraded, there are still large areas of relatively untouched forest.

Ichthyophis cardamomensis, the Cardamom caecilian, is a species of caecilian within the family Ichthyophiidae.

References

  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cardamom Mountains rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. "Indo-Burma". Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  4. Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press.
  5. Thy, N.; Nguyen, T.Q.; Chan-Ard, T. & Golynsky, E. (2012). "Lycodon cardamomensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T192088A2038310. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192088A2038310.en . Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  6. "Strategic New National Park Created in Cambodia". Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  7. Report 2016-2017 Phnom Penh Office (Report). UNESCO Phnom Penh Office. June 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 Morgan Erickson-Davis (1 June 2016). "Cambodia declares new national park, plans to reintroduce tigers". Mongabay . Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  9. Timothy J. Killeen (2012). The Cardamom Conundrum - Reconciling Development and Conservation in the Kingdom of Cambodia. NUS Press. ISBN   978-9971-69-614-6.
  10. Kalyanee Mam (20 July 2014). "A Threat to Cambodia's Sacred Forests". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  11. "Southern Cardamom Forest Registered as a National Park!". Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  12. Cardamom National Park, Cambodia