Myanmar coastal rain forests | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Indomalayan realm |
Biome | Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 64,222 km2 (24,796 sq mi) |
Countries | |
States and regions | |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Vulnerable |
Protected | 3,534 km2 (6%) [1] |
The Myanmar coastal rain forests [2] is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion on Mainland Southeast Asia. The ecoregion occupies Myanmar's coastal lowlands along the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
The Myanmar coastal rain forests occupies the coastal lowlands of Myanmar. It extends from the Naf River, which forms the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar, along the Rakhine coast. It also occupies the lower basins of the Irrawaddy and Sittaung rivers, and the coastal lowlands of Mon State and Tanintharyi Region along the Andaman Sea. In Rakhine it is bounded on the east by the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests, which occupy the lower slopes of the Arakan Mountains. In the Irrawaddy and Sittaung basins, the Irrawaddy moist deciduous forests lie inland to the north, while the Irrawaddy freshwater swamp forests occupy the wide Irrawaddy Delta to the south. Further east, the Kayah–Karen montane rain forests and Tenasserim–South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests cover the eastern mountains, and another enclave of the Irrawaddy moist deciduous forests lies in the lower Salween basin. The Myanmar Coast mangroves fringe the coast and river estuaries. [3]
The climate is humid and tropical. Rainfall is highest during the summer, when Southwest monsoon brings moisture-laden air from the Bay of Bengal.
The forests are mostly made up of evergreen trees, or semi-evergreen trees which drop some of their leaves during the dry season. Dipterocarps are the predominant trees, and common dipterocarps include Dipterocarpus alatus, D. turbinatus, D. obtusifolius, Anisoptera glabra, Hopea odorata , and Parashorea stellata . Other trees include Swintonia floribunda, Pentace burmanica, Lagerstroemia calyculata, L. floribunda , and L. speciosa . Understory plants include Calamus palms and the creeping bamboo Neohouzeaua helferi . [3]
Large mammals in the ecoregion include tiger (Panthera tigris), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), dhole (Cuon alpinus), sun bear (Ursus malayanus), clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), leopard (Panthera pardus), Asian golden cat (Catopuma temmincki), and gaur (Bos gaurus). Habitat loss and poaching have made large mammals scarce. The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) was once native to the ecoregion, but Myanmar's last rhinoceros was killed in 1984. [4]
The Burma pipistrelle (Hypsugo lophurus) is an endemic bat, and the disc-footed bat (Eudiscopus denticulus) is a near-endemic. [4]
Over 350 species of birds live in the ecoregion. [4]
A 2017 assessment found that 3,534 km², or 6%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. About half the unprotected area is still forested. [1]
The Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Thailand, and the southernmost tip of Myanmar (Kawthaung). The island country of Singapore also has historical and cultural ties with the region. The indigenous people of the peninsula are Orang Asli and Malays, an Austronesian people.
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their species dynamics, and environmental conditions". For example, based on their levels of endemism, Madagascar gets multiple listings, ancient Lake Baikal gets one, and the North American Great Lakes get none.
The Malabar Coast moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwestern India.
The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is an ecoregion in the Western Ghats of southern India with tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. This biome covers the Nilgiri Hills between elevation of 250 and 1,000 m in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.
The Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion of northern India.
The Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in western Myanmar (Burma). Surrounded at lower elevations by moist tropical forests, this ecoregion is home a diverse range of subtropical and temperate species, including many species characteristic of the Himalayas, as well as many endemic species.
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.
The Southeastern Indochina dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of 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.
The Irrawaddy dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in central Myanmar. The ecoregion occupies portions of the Irrawaddy, Sittaung, and Salween river basins, in areas with less than 800 mm of annual rainfall.
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.
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.
The Peninsular Malaysian rain forests is an ecoregion on the Malay Peninsula and adjacent islands. It is in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome.
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.
The Irrawaddy moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in central Myanmar. The ecoregion occupies the central basin of the Irrawaddy River and the lower basin of the Salween River. The ecoregion is characterized by forests of tall trees which drop their leaves in the dry season. Most of the ecoregion's forests have been converted to agriculture.
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.
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.