Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand Photograph by © WWF-Canon/Adrian BROOKS   Southeastern Asia: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   123,600 square miles (320,100 square kilometers) -- about the size of Arizona and Maryland combined Vulnerable

· Disappearing Wildlife
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Disappearing Wildlife

Step onto the vast Khorat Plateau of central Indochina, and you will be in one of the most species-diverse dry forests in Asia. The presence of large mammals such as tigers and Asian elephants is awe-inspiring, but because the ecoregion is so endangered, the experience of seeing such creatures is becoming uncommon.

Special Features

This large ecoregion encompasses several types of habitats as it sprawls across the plateau and dips down into lowland river basins. Dipterocarp (tall hardwood trees) forests growing in dry regions give way to stands of deciduous trees in areas that are more moist. Wooded areas open up to grassy savannas. Natural fires and those started by people are frequent, so undergrowth is not very dense. Some fire-adapted palms and other species grow well in the presence of such frequent fires, but, generally, the fires are destroying large trees and degrading the forests of this ecoregion.

	Considered an ancestor of the domestic cow, the elusive and possibly extinct kouprey is a graceful animal whose leap is more akin to that of deer than cattle. In old males, the animal’s signature dewlap--the loose fold of skin hanging from the throat--may be long enough to touch the ground.

Wild Side

Large mammals that have been pushed to the brink of extinction elsewhere have a chance at life on this plateau. Such threatened and endangered mammals as the tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, banteng, and the possibly extinct kouprey can be found here, although in ever-shrinking numbers. Leopards, jungle cats, and Asiatic jackals join the tiger as the ecoregion’s top predators. In semi-evergreen areas, primates can be found swinging in the trees, including the pileated gibbon and two species of leaf monkeys. Nearly 500 bird species also can be seen here, including the threatened Bengal florican, greater adjutant, and white-shouldered and giant ibises. Untouched forest areas can support up to a dozen species of woodpeckers. Along the banks of this ecoregion’s sluggish streams and waterholes, several reptiles, including snakes and skinks, can often be found.

Cause for Concern

Although large blocks of forest remain in the portion of this ecoregion in northeastern Cambodia, natural habitat has been extensively cleared throughout Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Conversion of the forest to agriculture and settlements, as well as frequent fires, remain the main threats to habitat and biodiversity. Irrigation, impoundments, and other water schemes have also altered habitat around wetlands.

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