Cardamom Mountains Moist Forests - A Global Ecoregion

Truly a showcase for Asia's biological diversity

About the Area
Human population pressures are low in much of this region, and that's helped to protect much of the wildlife habitat - especially for tigers and Asian elephants.

The forests of the Elephant and Cardamom Mountains, especially the rainforests on the western slopes, are mostly intact in Vietnam, although the small area that extends into Thailand is not.

Local Species
Tree species include Anisoptera costata, A. glabra, Dipterocarpus costatus, Hopea odorata, Shorea hypochra, Caryota urens, and Oncosperma tigillarium.

The forests support a number of endangered species such as the Pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus), Tiger (Panthera tigris), and Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Other mammals include Sun bear (Ursus malayanus), Clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), Gaur (Bos gaurus), and Banteng (B. javanicus).

Some species occur here which are otherwise found only in Thailand's southern peninsula. These include the Flying lemur (Cynocephalus variegatus), Moustached hawk cuckoo (Cuculus vagans), Buffy fish-owl (Ketupa ketupu), Silver oriole (Oriolus mellianus), and the greater Mouse deer (Tragulus napu).

Threats
There is a need for more protected areas in hilly regions, as they seem to be vulnerable to human population pressures and activities.

Species are risk as well, for example, Pileated gibbon populations are declining due the rapid destruction of their forest habitats. It is estimated that all species of gibbons will be at risk of extinction in the near future due to deforestation.

Resources
• NationalGeographic.com