Indochina: Exploring, discovering and protecting rare species

Many parts of Indochina have yet to be fully explored. In fact, several new species of large mammals have recently been discovered there. For example, there is an antelope known only from horn specimens found in the Emerald Triangle.

Many parts of Indochina have yet to be fully explored. In fact, several new species of large mammals have recently been discovered there. For example, there is an antelope known only from horn specimens found in the Emerald Triangle.

WWF-supported scientists discovered the saola and giant muntjac in Vietnam in the mid-1990s. In 1999, the first images of Javan Rhinos were captured in camera traps supported by WWF, proving that this species was not extinct in Indochina as previously believed.

Collecting data on rhino and elephant populations in AREAS priorities is an important part of AREAS work in Indochina.

• Tenasserim Western Forest Complex, Myammar & Thailand
• Cat Tien, Vietnam
• Lower Mekong Forests (Emerald Triangle), Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam
• Taman Negara-Hala Belum Complex

Priority Landscapes in the Indochina Bioregion	Global 200 Ecoregions	Estimated rhino population			Estimated elephant population*
		Greater one-horned	Javan	Sumatran
Cat Tien (Vietnam)	Annamite Range Moist Forests		<10		<50
Lower Mekong Forests (Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., Vietnam)	Annamite Range Moist Forests, Indochina Dry Forests, Mekong River				Several hundred
Tenasserim Western Forest Complex (Thailand, Myanmar)	Northern Indochina Subtropical Moist Forests, Kayah- Karen/Tenasserim Moist Forests, Salween River				1,000

* Elephant population data are for the most part speculative at best. Several elephant populations have likely continued to decline, making it even more likely that numbers presented here have significant margins of error.