Halong Bay, Vietnam Photograph by © Jack Stein Grove/Zegrahm Expeditions   Southeastern Asia: Southeastern China and northwest Vietnam Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   86,600 square miles (224,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Kansas and Connecticut combined Critical/Endangered

· Hornbills and Pangolins
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
More Photos

Hornbills and Pangolins

The South China-Vietnam Subtropical Evergreen Forests ecoregion forms a transitional zone between the tropical forests of Vietnam to the south and the subtropical and mixed forests of southern China. The landscape in this area is quite dramatic. In the western portions are forested mountains and abundant rivers and streams. The rivers and streams host gallery forests that make their way to the South China Sea at the region’s eastern edge. Throughout this ecoregion, large hornbills peer out from their nest cavities high up in tall trees. Chinese pangolins, which resemble scaly anteaters, seek termites and ants along the ground and in the forest canopy.

Special Features

This ecoregion is rich in species from both the more tropical southern regions of Indochina and the subtropical forests of southern China. In Vietnam, 16 different protected areas cover 10 percent of this ecoregion, though most of these protected areas are fairly small and unconnected. Several endemic and restricted-range species inhabit these subtropical forests, including the Tonkin snub-nosed langur, Lowe's otter civet, and a number of plants and insects.

	Unlike their mongoose cousins, civets have partly or totally retractile claws and webbing between their toes. Lowe’s otter civet is one of only two species of otter civets, which are so named for their resemblance to otters in habit and appearance. Otter civets are good swimmers, but they can also climb trees.

Wild Side

The Francois’ leaf langur lives in and around the abundant rocky outcroppings and limestone caves within this ecoregion. Though this monkey prefers to live on the ground, it will often climb trees with great agility to escape predators such as leopards and to seek fruits and other foods. Its distant cousin, the Tonkin snub-nosed langur, prefers to live in forested areas and eats shoots, leaves, and fruit. Lowe’s otter civet, an unusual member of the mongoose family, looks like a cross between a cat and a weasel. These interesting animals live close to rivers and streams, where they hunt fish and crabs. Webbing between their toes helps them swim. An Asian montane ground squirrel lives in small burrows in the mountains of this ecoregion and collects seeds and nuts from the ground.

Cause for Concern

This ecoregion is a shadow of its former self. Large areas of tropical broadleaf forest have been cleared by loggers and farmers. Hunters roam the remaining forests, further reducing animal populations already threatened by habitat loss. Some habitat remains, but animals here find little relief from the pressures of logging, agriculture, and hunting.

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