The clouded leopard, also called mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through Northeast India and Bhutan to mainland Southeast Asia into South China. It was first described in 1821 on the basis of a skin of an individual from China. The clouded leopard has large dusky-grey blotches and irregular spots and stripes reminiscent of clouds. Its head-and-body length ranges from 68.6 to 108 cm with a 61 to 91 cm long tail. It uses its tail for balancing when moving in trees and is able to climb down vertical tree trunks head first. It rests in trees during the day and hunts by night on the forest floor.
Kanchanaburi is the largest of the western provinces (changwat) of Thailand. The neighboring provinces are Tak, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom, and Ratchaburi. In the west it borders Kayin State, Mon State, and the Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar.
Tak is one of Thailand's seventy-seven provinces (changwat) and lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani and Kanchanaburi. The western edge of the province has a long boundary with Kayin State of Myanmar (Burma).
Uthai Thani, one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat) lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and Tak. It lies somewhat off the route between Bangkok, 200 km distant and Chiang Mai.
The Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Thailand in the northern part of Kanchanaburi Province and the southern part of Tak Province. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1972, and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991 together with the adjoining Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Indochinese tiger is a population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar and Thailand In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, including 85 in Myanmar and 20 in Vietnam, with the largest population unit surviving in Thailand, estimated at 189 to 252 individuals during the period 2009 to 2014.
The Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary is in Uthai Thani and Tak Provinces, Thailand. The park was established in 1974, and is part of the largest intact seasonal tropical forest complex in Mainland Southeast Asia. It, coupled with the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1991. Together, the two sanctuaries occupy 622,200 hectares. As of 2014 it still contained viable populations of large mammals, including gibbons, bears, elephants and Indochinese tigers, although like all other sites in mainland Southeast Asia, some species have disappeared or have experienced severe declines.
Seub Nakhasathien was a Thai conservationist, environmental activist, and scholar who is renowned for his effort to protect Cheow Lan Lake, Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. Seub committed suicide to signify the importance of the environment and to preserve it. According to the Bangkok Post, "The death of Seub Nakhasathien, a forest conservator who committed suicide in 1990,...helped transform the status of Thungyai Naresuan and the adjacent Huay Kha Kaeng Western Forest Complex into a sacrosanct site and inspired many youth to become forest patrol staff."
The Indochinese leopard is a leopard subspecies native to mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. In Indochina, leopards are rare outside protected areas and threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation as well as poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. In 2016, the population was previously thought to comprise 973–2,503 mature individuals, with only 409–1,051 breeding adults. The historical range had decreased by more than 90%. However, as of 2019, it is estimated that there are 77-766 mature Indochinese leopards and that their numbers are decreasing.
The Dawna Range, also known as Dawna Hills, is a mountain range in eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Its northern end is located in Kayah State where it meets the Daen Lao Range, a subrange of the Shan Hills. The range runs southwards along Kayin State as a natural border with Mon State in the west forming parallel ranges to the northern end of the Tenasserim Hills further south and southeast. The Dawna Range extends east of the Salween southwards from the Shan Hills for about 350 km, at the western limit of the Thai highlands. Its southern end reaches the Thai-Myanmar border in the Umphang area, entering Thailand west of Kamphaeng Phet. The Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary is in the Thai side of the range.
Thungyai–Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries is the inscribed name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Thailand covering the areas of two adjacent wildlife sanctuaries: Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Khaeng. They cover areas in Kanchanaburi, Tak and Uthai Thani provinces, and form a large part of Thailand's Western Forest Complex. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1991.
Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Thailand. It covers the areas of five protected areas in the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains and Sankamphaeng Range, namely Khao Yai, Thap Lan, Pang Sida and Ta Phraya National Parks, and Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary. The property was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2005.
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.
Namtok Huai Yang National Park is a national park in Thailand, consisting of several waterfalls and forests on the mountain range bordering Thailand and Myanmar.
Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand site in the Umphang District of Tak Province, northwestern Thailand. It was announced as a protected sanctuary in 1989.
Ton Sak Yai National Park is a national park in Nam Pat, Tha Pla, Thong Saen Khan and Mueang Uttaradit districts in Uttaradit Province, Thailand, it was formerly known as Khlong Tron National Park.
Tabo–Huai Yai Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Bueng Sam Phan, Nong Phai, Mueang Phetchabun districts of Phetchabun Province and Nong Bua Daeng, Phakdi Chumphon districts of Chaiyaphum Province of Thailand. The sanctuary covers an area of 652 square kilometres (252 sq mi) and was established in 1997.
