Biodiversity - GMS-EOC

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History of Protected Area ManagementCambodia was the first country in SoutheastAsia to establish a national park: the 10,800-ha forestaround the Angkor Temple complex, in 1925.Twenty-three protected areas were designated in1993, covering about 19% of the total land area andrepresenting a diversity of habitats.In Yunnan Province, PRC, there are two majorcategories of protected area: nature reserves andforest parks. The Yunnan Provincial ForestDepartment exercises overall authority for protectedareas, which are managed at four levels: nation,province, prefecture, and county. There are 111nature reserves that cover in total about 5% of theprovince.The Lao PDR has one of the youngest and mostcomprehensive protected area systems in the world.Established in 1993, the system of nationalbiodiversity conservation areas was based uponsound scientific principles and now covers 12–14%of the land area.The Protection of Wildlife, Wild Plants andNatural Areas Law was promulgated in Myanmarin June l994 in order to carry out biodiversity andenvironmental conservation more effectively.Currently, about 5% of the land area of Myanmarare protected areas including 23 wildlife sanctuariesand 5 national parks, with plans to increase thiseventually to l0% of the land area.Protected areas in Thailand were given alegislative basis in the early 1960s with technicalassistance from IUCN through promulgation of theWildlife Act (1960) and National Park Act (1961).Khao Yai was the first National Park, established in1961, followed by Salak Pra Wildlife Sanctuary in1965. Currently, more than 15% of the country iscovered by protected areas, with a target of 25% bythe year 2005.Viet Nam established an extensive nationalnetwork of protected areas in the 1990s. This hassucceeded in slowing the rate of destruction of thecountry’s forests. The network is now beingexpanded to include wetlands and marine areas.Currently, more than 6% of the country is covered byprotected areas.Conservation CoverageThere are now 550 protected areas in thesubregion, of which 380 are judged to havebiodiversity conservation as a major function. Theirclassification varies from country to country andthere are 14 different classes of protected areasaround the subregion (see Table). Not all classesappear to fulfil major roles in conservingbiodiversity. For example, the forest parks ofThailand and Yunnan Province, PRC, Thailand’snonhunting areas, and the protected landscapes ofCambodia and Viet Nam may have limited value forbiodiversity conservation.Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand haverelatively large protected area systems. Thailand’ssystem is long established, although several areashave been added in recent years. Those in Cambodiaand the Lao PDR are of recent origin, designedspecifically with biodiversity conservation andrepresentation in mind. In these larger systems, coverof biotic communities and their species is very goodLegally Designated Protected Areas (km 2 )PROTECTED AREA TYPEIUCNCATEGORYCAMBODIAYUNNANPROVINCE, PRCLAO PDR MYANMAR THAILAND VIET NAMNam Et, Nam Et-Phou Loei NationalBiodiversity Conservation Area;Vienthong district of Houaphanh, LaoPDR (upper); Khong Island,Champassak, Lao PDR (lower)Bird sanctuariesElephant rangesForest parksMountain parksMultiple use areasNational biodiversity conservationareasNational marine parksNational parksNature reservesNonhunting areasProtected landscapesSpecies/habitat reservesWildlife parksWildlife sanctuariesTotals of all protected areasProportion of total land area (%)IVIVVVVIIVIIIIIa or IVVIII or VIVIIIV4,0408,71397020,30034,02318.886219,14220,0045.029,03029,03012.38941,2951292052,32869,30314,1602.18615,21937,1134,11830,61177,92215.22,54713,9351,1795,0292,6906.8Areas having biodiversityprotection as a major function(km 2 )29,01319,14229,03014,03172,94321,511Proportion of total land areacovered by protected areashaving biodiversity protectionas a major function (%)164.812.32.114.26.5Source: Clarke 2001.84 Greater Mekong Subregion Atlas of the Environment
although there is a paucity of lowland dry evergreenforest. Forests of this type, where they occur inland,have been extensively destroyed throughoutSoutheast Asia.In Cambodia, 12 out of 17 protected areas arelarger than 500 km 2, and comprise 95% of the totalsystem. The figures for the Lao PDR are even higher:19 out of 20 and 98%, respectively. The average sizeof Thailand’s protected areas is less than half thosefor Cambodia and the Lao PDR, only 50 out of 124areas being larger than 500 km 2 , covering 73% of thetotal protected area.Yunnan Province’s and Myanmar’s protectedarea systems have the smallest average sizes in thesubregion. In Yunnan Province, PRC, only 8 out ofthe 111 protected areas exceed 500 km 2 although,because five areas are larger than 1,000 km 2 , theyinclude 67% of the total system by area.The protected area system in Myanmar hasscope for enlargement. The ultimate target of 10%cover, according to the Myanmar National ForestPolicy of 1995, is believed to be a realistic targetbecause large, well-forested, and sparsely populatedtracts of country exist in the north. At present,Myanmar has the lowest proportion of cover in thesubregion (2.1%), and most of its protected areas arein the 101–500 km 2 range (average 494 km 2 ). Nine ofits 29 protected areas are larger than 500 km 2 and4 exceed 1,000 km 2 .Viet Nam’s system has good biodiversityrepresentation but individual protected areas arerelatively small. Only 11 out of the 80 protected areasare larger than 500 km 2 —covering 49% of the totalprotected area.Legal instruments for biodiversity conservationand protected area management vary from countryto country. Thailand has the most sophisticated setof laws and regulations while the Lao PDR has theleast developed. Viet Nam is thinking of revising itsnational wildlife laws, while Cambodia and the LaoPDR plan to do so soon. In many cases, the broadumbrella of laws and policies is in place but theimplementing regulations are still to come.Thailand, Viet Nam, and Yunnan Province,PRC have already used up a large portion of theirforests. The remaining forests are now mostly withinprotected areas. However, in many cases, this hasnot stopped the continuing unsustainable and illegalextraction of timber. To safeguard the biodiversity ofthe subregion for future generations, this issue mustbe tackled. In Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar,governments at the highest levels must support theprotected area system while committing the humanresources necessary to ensure that the areas aremanaged appropriately. In the short run, the muchneededsupport is likely to continue to come frominternational and nongovernment organizations.Protected Areas Highlighted in the AtlasPROTECTED AREA DESIGNATION COUNTRY ATLAS FEATURE PAGEAuralBotum-SaakorCan GioCang Shan, Er Hai HuChu Mom RayDian Chi HuHuai Kha KhaengInle LakeKhammouane LimestoneKhao Ang Ru NaiKulen PromtepLomphatMae TuenMae Yuam Fang KhwaMui Ca MauMuong NheNakai-Nam TheunNam EtNam KadingOmgoyPhnom BokorPhnom PrichPhnom SamkosPhou Dene DinhPhou LoeuyPhou Xang HePhu Kao-Phu Phan KhamPu MatRoniem Daun SamSam Roi YodSi NakarinThung Yai NaresuanTonle Sap LakeUmphangXe PianeXishuangbannaYok DonWildlife SanctuaryNational ParkBiosphere ReserveNature ReserveNature ReserveNature ReserveWildlife SanctuaryBird SanctuaryNational BiodiversityConservation AreaWildlife SanctuaryProtected LandscapeWildlife SanctuaryWildlife SanctuaryWildlife SanctuaryNational ParkNature ReserveNational BiodiversityConservation AreaNational BiodiversityConservation AreaNational BiodiversityConservation AreaWildlife SanctuaryNational ParkWildlife SanctuaryWildlife SanctuaryNational BiodiversityConservation AreaNational BiodiversityConservation AreaNational BiodiversityConservation AreaNational ParkNature ReserveWildlife SanctuaryNational ParkNational ParkWildlife SanctuaryMultilpe Use AreaBiosphere ReserveNational BiodiversityConservation AreaState Nature ReserveNational ParkCambodiaCambodiaViet NamYunnan Province, PRCViet NamYunnan Province, PRCThailandMyanmarLao PDRThailandCambodiaCambodiaThailandThailandViet NamViet NamLao PDRLao PDRLao PDRThailandCambodiaCambodiaCambodiaLao PDRLao PDRLao PDRThailandViet NamCambodiaThailandThailandThailandCambodiaThailandLao PDRYunnan Province, PRCViet NamCardamom Mountains Rain ForestsCardamom Mountains Rain ForestsCan Gio WetlandEr Hai LakeSe San WatershedDian Chi LakeKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsInle LakeAnnamite Range Rain ForestsCardamom Mountains Rain ForestsIndochina Dry ForestsIndochina Dry ForestsKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsDat Mui WetlandsNorthern Indochina SubtropicalForestsAnnamite Range Rain ForestsNorthern Indochina SubtropicalForestsAnnamite Range Rain ForestsKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsCardamom Mountains Rain ForestsIndochina Dry ForestsCardamom Mountains Rain ForestsNam Ou WatershedNorthern Indochina SubtropicalForestsAnnamite Range Rain ForestsIndochina Dry ForestsAnnamite Range Rain ForestsCardamom Mountains Rain ForestsSam Roi Yod WetlandsKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsTonle Sap LakeKayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsIndochina Dry ForestsLuishaihe Watershed; NorthernIndochina Subtropical ForestsIndochina Dry Forests737359614360766272737474767658717271727673747345717274727357767655767444, 7174Freshwater lake in the limestoneregion of Viet Nam (upper);Siphandon Wetlands, Champassak,Lao PDR (lower)Note: Only those protected areas with areas of 1,000 km 2 or more are included in the above list.Source: WWF 2003.Environment and Natural Resource Use 85
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Page 6 and 7: Annamite Range Rain ForestsThis eco
Page 8 and 9: Indochina Dry ForestsThis ecoregion
Page 10 and 11: Kayah-Karen Montane Rain ForestsThe
Page 12 and 13: Kouprey (upper left); saola (lowerl
Page 14 and 15: Sterculla brevissima (top left); fl
Page 20 and 21: AgricultureShare of Agriculture in
Page 24 and 25: Ayeyarwady Delta, MyanmarThe Ayeyar
Page 26 and 27: Crushing sugarcane using waterbuffa
Page 28 and 29: FisheriesFisher sorting his catchFi
Page 30 and 31: The Mekong River, Lao PDR (upperlef
Page 32: Farmer in the floating gardens of I

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