The Western Forest Complex, straddling two countries,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, including 19 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, is the main

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

conservation corridor of the region. Covering 18,730 km², it is one of the largest protected territories in Southeast Asia. The geography of the Western Forest Complex ranges from lowlands to the mountains of the

Thai highlands The Thai highlands or Hills of northern Thailand is a mountainous natural region in the north of Thailand. Its mountain ranges are part of the system of hills extending through Laos, Burma, and China and linking to the Himalayas, of which they m ...

and the

Dawna The Dawna Range (; th, ทิวเขาถนนธงชัยตะวันตก, ทิวเขาดอยมอนกุจู), also known as Dawna Hills, is a mountain range in eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Its northern e ...

Tenasserim Hills The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range ( my, တနင်္သာရီ တောင်တန်း, ; th, ทิวเขาตะนาวศรี, , ; ms, Banjaran Tanah Seri/Banjaran Tenang Sari) is the geographical name of a r ...

.Western Forest Complex - Protected areas
/ref> Because of its large size, it supports diverse large mammal fauna, including

Indochinese tiger The Indochinese tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, includin ...

, Indochinese leopard,

dhole The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a ...

sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...

, 10 species of primates (all five of the region’s

macaque The macaques () constitute a genus (''Macaca'') of gregarious Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The 23 species of macaques inhabit ranges throughout Asia, North Africa, and (in one instance) Gibraltar. Macaques are principall ...

s),

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inh ...

, and four of Thailand's five deer species. Altogether 153 mammal species, 490 bird species, 41 reptiles, and 108 species of fish are confirmed in the area.

Protected areas

In Myanmar

* Tanintharyi Nature Reserve

In Thailand

* Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary * Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary * Thung Yai Naresuan (West and East) Wildlife Sanctuary * Khao Sanampriang Wildlife Sanctuary * Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary *

Erawan National Park Erawan National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเอราวัณ) is a 343,735 rai ~ park in western Thailand in the Tenasserim Hills of Kanchanaburi Province, Amphoe Si Sawat in tambon Tha Kradan. Founded on August 14, ...

Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเฉลิมรัตนโกสินทร์), also known as Tham Than Lot National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติถ้ำธารลอ� ...

* Sai Yok National Park * Si Nakharin National Park *

Khlong Lan National Park Khlong Lan National Park ( Thai อุทยานแห่งชาติคลองลาน) is a national park in Thailand. Description Khlong Lan National Park is situated in the Dawna Mountain Range. This park lies in Khlong Lan and M ...

Mae Wong National Park Mae Wong National Park (Thai alphabet, Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติแม่วงก์) is a List of national parks of Thailand, national park in Thailand. This park lies in Amphoe Mae Wong, Mae Wong and Amphoe Mae Poen, Mae ...

* Phu Toei National Park * Khlong Wang Chao National Park *

Khao Laem National Park Khao Laem National Park is a park of about 1,500 square kilometers in western Thailand, located in the northern area of the Tenasserim Hills, Kanchanaburi Province. It is a part of the Western Forest Complex, a system of protected wilderness in ...

Thong Pha Phum National Park Thong Pha Phum National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติทองผาภูมิ) is a national park in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The park, located on the border with Myanmar, is part of the Western Forest Complex pr ...

* Lam Khlong Ngu National Park * Mae Nam Phachi Wildlife Sanctuary *

Kaeng Krachan National Park Kaeng Krachan National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน, , ) is the largest national park of Thailand. It is on the border with Burma, contiguous with the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. It is a pop ...

References

External links

Western Forest ComplexDescription of Wildlife Sanctuaries Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Khaeng
{{coord missing, Myanmar Nature conservation in Thailand Parks in Myanmar