The Southern Annamites montane rain forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

(WWF ID: IM0152) covers a region of high biodiversity in the central and southern mountains of the

Annamite Range The Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains (french: Chaîne annamitique; lo, ພູ ຫລວງ ''Phou Luang''; vi, Dãy (núi) Trường Sơn) is a major mountain range of eastern Indochina, extending approximately through Laos, Viet ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Terrain ranges from wet lowland forest to evergreen hardwood and conifer montane rain forest. There is a short dry season centered on January–February, but fog and dew are common throughout the year and support a lush forest character.

Location and description

There are two general areas. One in the central highlands straddling central Vietnam and southern Laos northeast of the

Bolaven Plateau The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region in southern Laos. Most of the plateau is located within Champasak Province of Laos, though the edges of the plateau are also located in Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu Provinces. It is located between ...

. This northern sector around the

Kontum Kon Tum is the capital city of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam. It is located inland in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia. History After the People's Army of Vietnam invaded South Vietnam on March 30, 1 ...

Massif is a complex of granite mountains, and includes Ngọc Linh, the highest peak in Vietnam at . The ecoregion's other area is in the south of Vietnam around the

Da Lat Da Lat (also written as Dalat, vi, Đà Lạt; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mo ...

Plateau and a highest point of . The southern sector is built more on weathered basalt, which creates fertile soil for agriculture.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Tropical savanna climate - dry winter'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

(Aw)). This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year, and a pronounced dry season. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, and is drier than the average month. In this ecoregion, annual precipitation is 1,800-2,000 mm in the Annamites and in the western regions of the Da Lat Plateau, but can reach over 3,000 mm/year on the eastern edge of the Da Lat Plateau.

Flora and fauna

The region is about 75% forested. Most of this is a closed forest of broadleaf evergreens, and some needle-leaf evergreen. Wet evergreen forest cover from 600 to 900 meters elevation is characterized by species of Fagaceae, Myrtaceae, and Lauraceae. Above 900 meters, the wet hardwood forest supports a wide variety of tree species, generally dependent on the geology and soil of the location. The canopy of about 30 meters is lower at higher elevations and with thinner soils. Epiphytes are a common feature of these forests. Khasi pine ( ''Pinus kesiya'') is common throughout the region at elevations up to 1,800 meters.

Protected areas

About 11% of the ecoregion is protected in some official capacity, including: * Núi Chúa National Park reaches down to the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

in southeast Vietnam, with Nui Chua peak reaching 1,032 meters. It is a relatively intact ecosystem. *

Bạch Mã National Park Bạch Mã National Park ( vi, Vườn quốc gia Bạch Mã) is a protected area in central Vietnam, near the city of Huế. It covers 220 km2 and comprises three zones: a strictly protected core area, an administrative area and a buffer zo ...

includes a former colonial hill station above central coastal city of

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

. *

Kon Ka Kinh National Park Kon Ka Kinh National Park ( vi, Vườn quốc gia Kon Ka Kinh) is a national park of Vietnam, established by the decision (167/2002/QĐ-TTg) on November 25, 2002 of the then Prime Minister, Phan Văn Khải. Kon Ka Kinh National Park is a prior ...

covers a biodiverse region in the central highlands of Vietnam, and protects upstream areas of the Ba River. * Chư Yang Sin National Park is located in Đắk Lắk Province in the central highlands of Vietnam.

References

{{reflist Indomalayan ecoregions Ecoregions of Vietnam Ecoregions of Laos Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Montane forests