Myanmar Protected Areas: Context, Current Status ... - Istituto Oikos

Geography
The Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range Wildlife Reserve (WR) is located in the southern portion of the
Rakhine State, in the Thandwe District, inside the homonymous mountain range. The central area of
the Yoma consists of a series of ridges running more or less from north to south, although the main
drainage lines cut across them from east to west. The streams are in steep valleys with many waterfalls.
The geology is dominated by Cretaceous Flysch-type sediments and limestones. The main lithologies
found are sandstone, shales and limestone, where the soils are principally of the red brown forest type.
The steep slopes and the friable soils result in frequent landslides. The area experiences a monsoonal
climate typical of that found throughout Southern Myanmar. Rainfall occurs only between May and
September, with an annual rainfall on the coast of more than 4000 mm (source: World Meteorological
Organization and FAOCLIM database), decreasing towards the mainland to the east. The humidity is
highly intercepted by the mountains, and in the valley of the Ayeyawaddy annual rainfall drops to
around 1000 mm. Temperatures are usually between 20° C in January and less than 30° C during April/
May. The leafless season for the deciduous species starts in December and ends at the beginning of the
rainy season in May. The protected area was established in 2002 and is more than 1,700 Km². large. The
main key protected resources are wildlife species, among the most important is a population of wild
Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus): according to the Park staff, currently there are around 150 living in the
area. The topography of the protected
area is mountainous, ranging from
80 meters asl. in the valleys of the
southern region, to more than 1,200
meters asl in the northern heights.
Several streams and rivers dissect the
area and are all part of the western
catchment (e.g. Kyeintali river), flowing
westwards to the sea which is located
only around 15 km from the border
of the PA. Moving towards the east
side, outside the protected area, the
elevation decreases as well, eventually
reaching the large alluvial valley of the
Ayeyawaddy river.The main vegetation
types occurring inside the mountain
range and in the protected area are
the evergreen forest and the bamboo
brakes. Going towards the sea there
are many deciduous species mixing
with the evergreen, and occasional
mangrove forests or agricultural areas
on the coast and in the narrow valleys.
The pattern of vegetation types is
determined by rainfall, altitude and
exposure, therefore an interesting
natural mosaic of different habitats was
observed also in previous surveys (FAO
1983a). On the east side dry deciduous
species became quickly dominant,
and eventually the agricultural areas
prevail close the Ayeyawaddy River:
the pattern of the vegetation seems to
Location of Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range WR
be more homogenous.
In-depth Study of Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range Wildlife Reserve
4.1 Data and methods
The study was conducted following subsequent steps. In this context, a simple overview of the
methodology used is given; for more information it is possible to contact the authors.
Step 1. Data harmonisation and collection
The first step was to carry out consultation meetings with Forestry experts from BANCA and
Environmental experts from RCCA to review the baseline knowledge about the vegetation of the study
area. At the same time, a GIS database was set up using, as a basis, topographic maps, Landsat satellite
images and Digital Elevation Models, alongside many shapefiles coming from the Myanmar Information
Management Unit (MIMU), the mapping facility of United Nations operating in Yangon. Combining all
the information, a preliminary land cover classification of years 2000-2003 was carried out. The most
evident land cover classes were drawn in a map, such as mangrove forests, bamboo brakes, evergreen
forests, mixed deciduous forest and agricultural areas. With the same approach, a satellite image dating
from 1974 was analyzed using as a primary source of information the knowledge of the past situation of
the RCCA expert, eventually producing another draft vegetation map.
Vegetation maps from international organizations, such as the JRC GLC2000 Project, UNEP 2001 Land Use/
Land Cover, and ESA Ionia GlobCover, have been retrieved and their accuracy analysed. Unfortunately
their spatial accuracy is very low compared to the needs of the present ²project, and some errors were
found in such maps mainly due to the lack of a ground survey. For example, the UNEP 2001 land cover
map erroneously classified some areas as covered by coniferous forest that are in fact absent in the study
area. Therefore it has been chosen not to use them. Data used in this study are summarised in Table 1.
Table 16 GIS data used
LIST OF GIS DATA USED:
Digital Elevation Models:
Aster GDEM (a product of METI and NASA), 30 m of resolution
Landsat Satellite Images (USGS – NASA):
1) Landsat 7 ETM+, p133r048, Date: 03.03.2000
2) Landsat 7 ETM+, p133r047, Date: 24.02.2000
3) Landsat 7 ETM+, p134r047, Date: 03.03.2003
4) Landsat 1 TM, p143r048, Date: 11.02.1974
Topographic Maps:
Indian Grid IVB, Sheets 85J-85K-85L, Half-Inch to One Mile
Climate:
FAOCLIM database
Shapefiles:
Administrative boundaries, Road network, Hydrology
(all from Myanmar Information Management Unit)
Step 2. Ground truth campaign
Subsequently, a field trip of five days (from 22nd to 26th March 2010) was organized to collect ground
truth data, in order to refine the preliminary classification and define a complete legend of the vegetation
types occurring in the area. The map below indicates the route followed by the field team, comprising: a
remote Sensing researcher from the University of Milano - Bicocca, a GIS expert from the Istituto Oikos,
a forestry expert from BANCA, an environmental expert from RCCA.
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