Satellite view of the pine forests in the northern Naga Hills, India Photograph by USGS   Southern Asia: Along the border between India and Myanmar Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests   3,700 square miles (9,700 square kilometers) -- about half the size of New Jersey Critical/Endangered

· Protection in the Pines
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Protection in the Pines

Located high in the mountains, these conifer forests are home to relatively few animal species compared to the highly diverse forests that can be found at lower elevations. Still, these animals are often endemic to this ecoregion or highly adapted to rugged conditions, finding shelter in forests that are still largely intact.

Special Features

The mountains of this ecoregion are connected to the Himalayas, forming what is known as the Burmese-Java Arc. The pine forests are usually found at about 5,000 to 6,500 feet (1,500 to 2,000 m). In the lower elevations, Pinus merkusii is the dominant pine species, usually mixed with dipterocarps, members of a common tree family of this region. Higher up, other pine species can be found associated with maples, oaks, and other broadleaf species. Rhododendrons, hollies, and bamboo fill the understory.

	When preparing to give birth, a female wild boar builds a large nest lined with branches. Within two weeks of birth, each piglet will have chosen its own nipple from which it drinks exclusively.

Wild Side

Most of what we know about this ecoregion’s wildlife stems from a survey conducted in the late 1950s. Even then, wildlife was fairly scarce because of increasing deforestation and shifting cultivation. Still, surveyors spotted sambar deer, barking deer, wild boars, serows, and Asiatic black bears, as well as squirrels, chipmunks, and other small creatures. Stocky, goat-like serows were particularly abundant. Several endemic birds were noted as well, including two laughingthrushes -- the striped and the brown-capped. Stripe-throated and white-naped yuhinas, silver-breasted broadbills, rufous-vented tits, and babblers were other birds also found. The Chindwin River drew waterfowl, including shellducks and bareheaded geese.

Cause for Concern

The primary threat to the integrity of this ecoregion is shifting cultivation, which denudes forests, increases erosion and river sedimentation, and destroys wildlife habitat.

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