Central Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia Photograph by Barney Long / Fauna & Flora International   South Eastern Coast of Thailand, Coastal Cambodia, and Western-most Southern Vietnam Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   17,100 square miles (44,200 square kilometers) -- about the size of Vermont and Massachusetts combined Relatively Stable/Intact

· Untouched and Unknown
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern

Untouched and Unknown

Sitting astride the Cardamom Mountains and the Elephant Range in southwestern Cambodia and southeastern Thailand, and separated from other rain forests by the vast, dry Khorat Plateau, this ecoregion is relatively isolated and largely unexplored. This isolation, along with the regionâs moist and stable climatic conditions, undisturbed habitat, and rugged terrain, create conditions that led to the evolution of high biodiversity.

Special Features

The Cardamom Mountains are very wet÷rising more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to intercept and extract the moisture from monsoon winds. Annual rainfall can reach nearly 200 inches (500 cm) in some places. As a result, the rain forests here are dense with foliage. In the lower elevations, tall trees reach nearly 100 feet (30 m) high, allowing enough light through to foster a mid-canopy of palms and rattans. Shrubs, climbers, and lianas prosper in the dense understory. The upper montane forests are less rich, but they do support patches of dwarf rain forest trees only half the height of their counterparts at lower elevations.

	The Siamese crocodile, a relatively inoffensive cousin of the larger and more aggressive saltwater crocodile, is thought to be nearly extinct. Although it resembles its larger cousin, the Siamese has a broader snout, raised crests behind the eyes, and a preference for freshwater lakes and marshes.

Wild Side

Once wildlife surveys are conducted here, they are expected to turn up many species not currently known to science. More than 100 mammal species are already known to make their homes here, including such threatened species as the large Indian civet, Indochinese tiger, and the shy banteng, which is a type of cattle. Scientists believe that several large mammals that have disappeared elsewhere in Indochina÷including the Sumatran rhinoceros÷may very well be found in this ecoregion. Nearly 500 bird species are known to dwell here, but scientists think more could be discovered. One population of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile has been spotted here as well.

Cause for Concern

The forests of this unpopulated ecoregion are relatively intact, with a third of the area officially designated as protected. Still, several of these protected areas are under threat from illegal logging and legal logging concessions given to commercial logging companies. The still-booming wildlife trade in Cambodia and Thailand is also threatening biodiversity.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.