Myanmar: Investment Opportunities in Biodiversity Conservation

BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE
Geography, climate and history
Myanmar is situated in the north-west of the Indochinese peninsula, and is bordered to the west by the
People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of India, to the north-east by the People's Republic of
China, and to the east by Lao PDR and the Kingdom of Thailand (Figure 1). Myanmar is the largest country in
mainland South-East Asia, with a land area of 676,553 km 2 and a coastline of 2,832 km.
Myanmar exhibits extraordinary topographical diversity. The country spans an elevational range of nearly
6,000 m, from the summit of Hkakaborazi, South-East Asia's highest mountain, at 5,881 m asl, to the shores of
the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Between these two extremes, the country encompasses several
mountain ranges, extensive lowland plains, and one of Asia's largest river deltas. The country also includes all
or part of five major rivers: the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy), Thanlwin (Salween), Chindwin, Sittaung and Mekong.
The major mountain ranges in the country comprise: the Eastern Himalayas, which dominate the topography of
the far north of the country; the Chin Hills, which extend south from the international border with India; the
Rakhine Yoma Range, which extends south from the international border with Bangladesh, between the
Ayeyarwady River and the Bay of Bengal; the Bago Yoma Range, which lies between the Ayeyarwady and
Thanlwin Rivers; and the Tanintharyi Range, which runs along the international border with Thailand in the
south of the country. The topography of the north-east of the country is dominated by the Shan Plateau, which
averages around 1,000 m asl. The Ayeyarwady Plains dominate the topography of the centre of the country.
Myanmar has a tropical monsoon climate. During the rainy season (May to September), most parts of the
country experience a wet, humid climate, dominated by the south-west monsoon. During the dry season
(October to April), drier conditions prevail throughout much of the country, under the influence of the northeast
monsoon. This general pattern disguises extreme variation in climate within the country, with mean annual
rainfall ranging from under 500 mm in the centre of the country up to a high of 6,000 mm in Tanintharyi Division
and northern Rakhine State.
The Ayeyarwady floodplain, sheltered from south-west and north-east monsoons by a horseshoe of mountain
ranges, has an extremely dry and seasonal climate, which has given rise to specialised vegetation types, including
thorn scrub and deciduous dipterocarp forest. These dry scrub and forest landscapes have been isolated
from similar landscapes in South-East Asia and the Indian Sub-continent for significant periods of geological
history. As a result, the area, termed the Central Dry Zone, supports a number of endemic species. This area
has also experienced extensive and prolonged anthropogenic modification. Other centres of endemism in Myanmar
include the mountain ranges in the north and south of the country. However, the montane forest habitats of these
mountains have not been isolated from similar habitats in the main Himalayan chain for as long as those of
certain other mountain ranges in mainland South-East Asia, such as the Annamite Mountains. Perhaps as a
result, these mountain ranges appear to support only moderate levels of vertebrate endemism. Several freshwater
systems in the country, such as Inle Lake, have also been isolated for significant periods of geological
history, resulting in the evolution of endemic taxa.
Habitats and ecosystems
The major ecosystems in Myanmar can be grouped into forest, freshwater, coastal and marine, although
this report does not cover marine ecosystems. In the early 2000s, Myanmar had a forest cover of about
429,000 km 2 (equivalent to 66% of the country's land area), placing it among the countries with the largest
remaining forest cover in mainland South-East Asia (Leimgruber et al. 2004). Forest types range from lowland
wet evergreen forest in the south of the country, to sub-alpine forest at high elevations in the far north.
One of the most species-rich forest types in the country is lowland wet evergreen forest, which is distributed
in areas of high mean annual rainfall and low seasonality, predominantly close to the coast. This forest type
is characterised by a species-rich tree flora, dominated by members of the Dipterocarpaceae. Good accessi-
Myanmar: Investment Opportunities in Biodiversity Conservation
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