Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Indomalayan |
Biome | Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
Borders | Peninsular Malaysian rain forests |
Geography | |
Area | 17,097 km2 (6,601 sq mi) |
Countries | |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Vulnerable |
Protected | 5,678 km2 (33%) [1] |
The Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests [2] 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 ecoregion occupies elevations above 1000 meters in the Titiwangsa Mountains, which form the mountainous backbone of the Malay Peninsula. It also includes ranges to the east in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang states. The highest peak in the Titiwangsa Mountains is Mount Korbu at 2,183 meters elevation. Other peaks include Mount Tahan (2,188 m), the highest peak in peninsular Malaysia, and Mount Benum (2,130 m). The ecoregion is surrounded at lower elevations by the ecologically-distinct Peninsular Malaysian rain forests. [3] [4]
The montane forests are made up of evergreen trees, which form a canopy 10–20 meters high. The tree canopy is lower than the lowland forests and lack emergent trees, and the trees mostly and lack buttressed roots and have smaller glossy-green leaves. Ephiphyes, including orchids, ferns, mosses, and lichens, are more abundant.
Above 1000 meters elevation, the dipterocarps that characterize the lowland forests become fewer, and trees in the beech family (Fagaceae) become predominant, including evergreen oaks (Quercus) and species of Lithocarpus and Castanopsis . Trees in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and conifers are also common, including species of Agathis, Dacrydium , and Podocarpus . [4]
Upper montane forests occur above 1500 meters elevation. Trees form a flat-topped canopy from 1.5 to 18 meters high. Epiphytes, including orchids, ferns, leafy liverworts, and lichens, are abundant. Common trees include species of Dacrydium, Daphniphyllum, Eurya, Ficus, Gordonia, Ilex, Leptospermum, Lindera, Lithocarpus, Melicope, Podocarpus, Prunus, Quercus, Syzygium, Schima, Ternstroemia , and Tristaniopsis , and Pterophylla fraxinea . Rhododendrons are common shrubs, especially on acidic and peat soils. [3]
The ecoregion home to several large and endangered mammal species – Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), gaur (Bos gaurus), tiger (Panthera tigris), sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), and siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus). The Malayan mountain spiny rat (Maxomys inas) is the only endemic mammal. [4] The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) once inhabited the forests, but Malaysia's last rhinoceroses died in 2019, and the species' few remaining members survive only in Sumatra. [5]
The ecoregion is home to over 250 species of birds, including the endangered Malayan crested argus (Rheinardia nigrescens), and the threatened endemic mountain peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron inopinatum). [4]
A 2017 assessment found that 5,678 km², or 33%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [1] Protected areas within or partially within the ecoregion include Royal Belum State Park, Cameron Highlands Wildlife Sanctuary (677.97 km²), Grik Wildlife Reserve (518.0 km²), and Bukit Kutu Forest Reserve (24.43 km²) in the Titiwangsa Mountains. Royal Belum State Park adjoins Bang Lang National Park and Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand, which protect the Thai portion of the ecoregion. Taman Negara National Park (4524.54 km²) includes Mount Tahan and the montane forests to the east, as well as lowland and hill forest. [6]
The Vanuatu rain forests are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion which includes the islands of Vanuatu, as well as the Santa Cruz Islands group of the neighboring Solomon Islands. It is part of the Australasian realm, which includes neighboring New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, as well as Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.
The Solomon Islands rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion covering the Solomon Islands archipelago.
The South Western Ghats montane rain forests is an ecoregion in South India, covering the southern portion of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu at elevations from 1,000 to 2,695 m. Annual rainfall in this ecoregion exceeds 2,800 mm (110 in).
The Sundaland heath forests, also known as Kerangas forest, is a type of tropical moist forest found on the island of Borneo, which is divided between Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as on the Indonesian islands of Belitung and Bangka, which lie to the west of Borneo.
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.
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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.
The Borneo montane rain forests is an ecoregion on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It includes montane tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known as a cloud forests. The ecoregion is partly in East Malaysia and Indonesia (Kalimantan).
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 East African montane forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate areas above 2000 meters in the mountains of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The Cromwell Mountains is a mountain range on the Huon Peninsula in north-eastern Papua New Guinea.
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 Sulawesi montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. It includes the highlands of Sulawesi.
The Vogelkop–Aru lowland rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion covers the peninsular lowlands of western New Guinea, along with the Aru Islands and other nearby islands.
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.
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.
The Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in southern Mexico and southern Guatemala, extending into the northwestern corner of El Salvador.
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The Fiji tropical moist forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Fiji and Wallis and Futuna. It covers the windward sides of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, Fiji's largest islands, as well as the smaller Fijian islands and the three islands that make up Wallis and Futuna, an overseas territory of France. The drier leeward sides of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu are home to the distinct Fiji tropical dry forests ecoregion.