lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

FLORA & FAUNA

Plants 325
As in the rest of tropical Asia, most indigenous vegetation in Myanmar is
associated with two basic types of tropical forest: monsoon forest (with
a distinctive dry season of three months or more) and rainforest (where
rain falls more than nine months per year). It’s said there are over 1000
plant species endemic to the country.
Monsoon forests are marked by deciduous tree varieties, which shed
their leaves during the dry season. Rainforests, by contrast, are typically
evergreen. The area stretching from Yangon to Myitkyina contains main-
ly monsoon forests, while peninsular Myanmar to the south of Mawla-
myine is predominantly a rainforest zone. There is much overlapping
of the two – some forest zones support a mix of monsoon forest and
rainforest vegetation.
In the mountainous Himalayan region, Myanmar’s fl ora is character-
ised by subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest up to 6500ft; temperate
semi-deciduous broadleaf rainforest from 6500ft to 9800ft; and, above
this, evergreen coniferous, subalpine snow forest and alpine scrub.
Along the Rakhaing and Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) coasts, tidal for-
ests occur in river estuaries, lagoons, tidal creeks and along low islands.
Such woodlands are characterised by mangroves and other coastal trees
that grow in mud and are resistant to seawater. Beach and dune forests,
which grow along these same coasts above the high-tide line, consist of
palms, hibiscus, casuarinas and other tree varieties that can withstand
high winds and occasional storm-sent waves.
The country’s most famous fl ora includes an incredible array of fruit
trees, over 25,000 fl owering species, a variety of tropical hardwoods, and
bamboo. Cane and rattan are also plentiful.
Myanmar holds 75% of the world’s reserves of Tectona grandis, bet-
ter known asteak (kyunn in Burmese). This dense, long-wearing, highly
prized hardwood remains one of Myanmar’s most important exports, de-
spite sanctions being placed on its import to the US and the European
Union.

TOP PARKS & RESERVES

PARK

SIZE (SQ

MILES) FEATURES

BEST TIME

TO VISIT

PERMIT

NEEDED?

Hkakabo Razi National Park

(p 266 )

1472 highest mountain in Myan-

mar; forests; rare species

such as takin, musk and

black barking deer, and

blue sheep

Oct-Apr yes

Indawgyi Wetland Wildlife

Sanctuary (p 241 )

299 Southeast Asia’s largest

lake, 120 species of birds

Jan-Apr no

Inle Wetland Bird Sanctuary

(p 186 )

642 fl oating agriculture, birdlife,

otters, turtles

Year-round no

Moeyungyi Wetlands (p 85 ) 40 125 species of birds Nov-Apr no

Mt Victoria (Nat Ma Taung)

National Park (p 287 )

279 second-highest mountain

in Myanmar, rare birds and

orchids

Nov-Mar yes

Popa Mountain Park (p 127 ) 50 extinct volcano, unique dry-

zone ecosystem, monkeys

Nov-Mar no

Alan Rabinowitz’s

Beyond the Last

Village: A Journey

of Discovery in

Asia’s Forbid-

den Wilderness

(2001) details the

author’s attempts

to set up wildlife

reserves in

Myanmar’s

northern areas.