Phou Loei Nat. Bio. Cons. Area, Laos Photograph by IUCN/ Stuart Chape   Southeastern Asia: Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   27,700 square miles (71,800 square kilometers) -- about half the size of Illinois Vulnerable

· Mountains in the Mist
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Mountains in the Mist

The Luang Prabang Montane Rain Forests ecoregion is globally outstanding for its diversity of bird species, despite the fact that more than 70 percent of the original forest has been lost as a result of shifting cultivation. Scientists are unaware of any endemic mammals or birds existing here, but that may be due to this ecoregion’s inaccessibility and lack of biological surveys. The areas that do remain intact present strong opportunities for large mammal conservation.

Special Features

Forests of evergreens once blanketed the upper reaches of the Luang Prabang mountain range, which stretches across northern Laos, Thailand, and a portion of Vietnam. Today, only 30 percent of the original forest remains. The rest has been converted to scrub or degraded in other ways. The remaining forests, however, contain a rich mix of tree species, including hardwoods and conifers coexisting at various elevations. At altitudes above 5,250 feet (1,600 m), foggy conditions have created a stunted forest community filled with rhododendron, ferns, orchids, and lichens.

	The stomach of the Francois’ leaf monkey is unusual in that it is large and multi-chambered, with a forestomach supporting bacteria that is able to digest cellulose--the main component of leaves and other tough foliage. This enables these monkeys to eat a form of food that is plentiful and in little demand by other species.

Wild Side

Despite the loss of habitat, this ecoregion contains large tracts of untouched forest that shelter several large mammals--including tigers, Asian elephants, wild dogs, Himalayan (or Asiatic) black bears, Francois’ leaf monkeys, and gaurs. Many of these animals are hunted by poachers. For example, the gall bladders and paws of black bears are often sold for use in Asian traditional medicines and exotic cuisine. Once hunted mainly for their beautiful coats, tigers are now more often killed so that their bones, whiskers, skin, and even eyes can be sold in the traditional medicine trade. And, as is the case with their African cousins, the tusks of Asian elephants are still coveted by ivory traders. Birds fare better, with more than 540 different species being found in this ecoregion.

Cause for Concern

Although extensive forest still exists on the steeper mountain slopes, shifting cultivation continues to threaten this ecoregion’s remaining forests. Land (especially in Vietnam and Thailand) is increasingly cleared even in the steeper areas as the local population continues to increase. Large hydroelectric projects are also taking away precious habitat, especially in Laos and Vietnam. Illegal hunting of wildlife is another serious threat to biodiversity.

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