Nyaungu, Myanmar Photograph by Goto Osami   Southeastern Asia: Central Myanmar (formerly Burma) Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   13,600 square miles (35,100 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Hampshire and Connecticut combined Critical/Endangered

· Into the Dry Zone
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Into the Dry Zone

The climate here is harsh and dry. It rarely rains in this ecoregion more than 10 to 15 days a year. When it does rain, torrential showers wash away soil and expose weathered rocks. Winds are brisk enough to also cause soil erosion. Everywhere, water is scarce. Still, the harsh climate is not what threatens this ecoregion’s wildlife: It is human development and poaching. This ecoregion occurs in distinct dry patches that are imbedded in the much wetter Irrawaddy Moist Deciduous Forest ecoregion. A large patch occurs in central Myanmar, with two other island patches to the north and another two to the south.

Special Features

The dry forests in this ecoregion are dominated by trees that are low in stature and thorny. Common tree species include a type of tropical almond known as than and a tropical hardwood known as dahat. Several species of euphorb plants, common in dry forest areas, along with species of acacia, are interspersed with stands of bamboo. Indaing and other large dipterocarp trees and teak-dominated deciduous forests can also be found here. These forests are unique in their isolation in a mosaic of moist broadleaf forests, and they host a number of endemic species.

	The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes in the world, growing up to 25 feet in length and more than 200 lbs. (91 kg) in weight. Preying primarily on mammals and birds, the python needs to eat only the equivalent of its body weight in a year.

Wild Side

These dry forests are remarkable in their colors and vibrant life, despite the dry and parched climate. A remarkable variety of birds, reptiles, and small mammals are holding on in protected areas. Many deer species roam these forests and include barking deer, Eld’s deer, and sambar deer. A number of primates, including the rhesus macaque and the Hoolock gibbon, also call these dry forests home. Both the deer and monkeys remain under the watchful eyes of jungle cats, Asiatic jackals, and leopards. More than 300 bird species live here, too, including birds with restricted ranges such as hooded treepies and white-throated babblers. The babblers don’t actually babble so much as make a whirring sound. The dry zone is also a haven for many reptiles, notably the tree dwelling Burmese python, the terrestrial yellow tortoise, and the aquatic soft-shelled turtle.

Cause for Concern

Most of this ecoregion’s forests have been converted to agriculture or otherwise degraded. Many of the larger mammals have been driven to the point of extinction in this area, and poachers intensively hunt those still surviving in the remaining tracts of forest. Many species are declining in numbers because people collect them for food and pets.

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