Yom River, north of Den Chai, Thailand Photograph by Thailand Photo Album   Southeastern Asia: Laos and northern border of Thailand. Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   16,300 square miles (42,100 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Hampshire and New Jersey combined Vulnerable

· Hunted to Extinction
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Hunted to Extinction

These forests are largely devoid of wildlife. Although you would expect to find large populations of tigers, bantengs, and elephants in the fertile river basins and moist forests of this ecoregion, illegal hunting has driven most of these mammals to the vanishing point. The loss of large trees has similarly devastated bird populations.

Special Features

Steep hills and narrow river valleys define this dramatic ecoregion. Comprising the upper reaches of the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers, and several tributaries, the countryside is heavily wooded with teak, Sokram (a legume), and Padauk trees. Unfortunately, much of the area is dominated by teak plantations, as opposed to native forest. Such alteration of the area’s original vegetation adversely affects the ecoregion’s biodiversity.

	The green peafowl is one of only two peafowl species found in the wild; the Indian peafowl is the other. The peafowl is the largest member of the pheasant and turkey family. Although commonly called peacocks, this term is properly applied only to the male peafowl. Female peafowl are called peahens.

Wild Side

These forests are notable not for the few animals that remain, but for the vast populations that once lived here. Tigers and types of wild cattle called bantengs and gaurs once roamed in abundance across the river valleys but now are relegated to a few protected areas. Flocks of yellow-footed pigeons and green imperial pigeons used to fill the skies, as did huge groups of parakeets. Today, only a few pigeons and parakeets remain. Still, the ecoregion supports the presence of such large and sensitive species as the green peafowl. If this species can survive, then other bird species and perhaps large mammals may be able to make a comeback in regenerated secondary forest, if they are protected from hunting.

Cause for Concern

These river valleys have long been cultivated, and shifting cultivation has caused more recent forest destruction. Large areas of forest have been replaced by teak farms, cotton fields, and fruit orchards. Logging and burning have also greatly altered the landscape. The construction of hydroelectric dams on Thailand’s major rivers has destroyed many riverine areas. Lastly, illegal wildlife hunting and trading continues with little or no law enforcement.

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