The Western Forest Complex, straddling two countries,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, including 19 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, is the main

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

conservation corridor of the region. Covering 18,730 km², it is one of the largest protected territories in Southeast Asia. The geography of the Western Forest Complex ranges from lowlands to the mountains of the

Thai highlands The Thai highlands or Hills of northern Thailand is a mountainous natural region in the north of Thailand. Its mountain ranges are part of the system of hills extending through Laos, Burma, and China and linking to the Himalayas, of which they may ...

and the

Dawna The Dawna Range (; th, ทิวเขาถนนธงชัยตะวันตก, ทิวเขาดอยมอนกุจู), also known as Dawna Hills, is a mountain range in eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Its northern e ...

Tenasserim Hills The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range ( my, တနင်္သာရီ တောင်တန်း, ; th, ทิวเขาตะนาวศรี, , ; ms, Banjaran Tanah Seri/Banjaran Tenang Sari) is the geographical name of a r ...

.Western Forest Complex - Protected areas
/ref> Because of its large size, it supports diverse large mammal fauna, including

Indochinese tiger The Indochinese tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, including ...

Indochinese leopard The Indochinese leopard (''Panthera pardus delacouri'') is a leopard subspecies native to mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. In Indochina, leopards are rare outside protected areas and threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation as w ...

dhole The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...

sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...

, 10 species of primates (all five of the region’s

macaque The macaques () constitute a genus (''Macaca'') of gregarious Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The 23 species of macaques inhabit ranges throughout Asia, North Africa, and (in one instance) Gibraltar. Macaques are principally ...

s),

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...

, and four of Thailand's five deer species. Altogether 153 mammal species, 490 bird species, 41 reptiles, and 108 species of fish are confirmed in the area.

Protected areas

In Myanmar

* Tanintharyi Nature Reserve

In Thailand

* Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary *

Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary The Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าห้วยขาแข้ง, ) is in Uthai Thani and Tak Provinces, Thailand. The park was established in 1974, and is part of the l ...

* Thung Yai Naresuan (West and East) Wildlife Sanctuary *

Khao Sanampriang Wildlife Sanctuary Khao may refer to: * Khao, Iran ( fa, خاو), a village in Kurdistan Province, Iran * Khao ( th, เขา, pronounced ), the term for 'mountain' in Central and Southern Thailand; see List of mountains in Thailand * Khao ( th, ข้าว, pronoun ...

Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าอุ้มผาง) is a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand site in the Umphang District of Tak Province, northwestern Thailand. It was announced as ...

Erawan National Park Erawan National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเอราวัณ) is a 343,735 rai ~ park in western Thailand in the Tenasserim Hills of Kanchanaburi Province, Amphoe Si Sawat in tambon Tha Kradan. Founded on August 14, ...

Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเฉลิมรัตนโกสินทร์), also known as Tham Than Lot National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติถ้ำธารลอ� ...

Sai Yok National Park Sai Yok National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติไทรโยค) is a List of national parks of Thailand, national park in Sai Yok District, Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The park, home to mountains, wa ...

Si Nakharin National Park Khuean Srinagarindra National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเขื่อนศรีนครินทร์; ; ; " Srinagarind Dam National Park") is a national park in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The park, centr ...

Khlong Lan National Park Khlong Lan National Park (Thai อุทยานแห่งชาติคลองลาน) is a national park in Thailand. Description Khlong Lan National Park is situated in the Dawna Mountain Range. This park lies in Khlong Lan and Mu ...

Mae Wong National Park Mae Wong National Park ( Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติแม่วงก์) is a national park in Thailand. This park lies in Mae Wong and Mae Poen Districts of Nakhon Sawan Province and Pang Sila Thong District of Kampha ...

Phu Toei National Park Phu Toei National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติพุเตย) is a national park, with an area of 198,422 rai ~ in Dan Chang District of Suphan Buri Province, Thailand. It has been the 86th national park since 30 September ...

Khlong Wang Chao National Park Khlong Wang Chao National Park ( Thai คลองวังเจ้า) is a national park in Thailand. Description Khlong Wang Chao National Park is situated in the Thanon Thong Chai Mountain Range. Most of the area consists of complicated m ...

Khao Laem National Park Khao Laem National Park is a park of about 1,500 square kilometers in western Thailand, located in the northern area of the Tenasserim Hills, Kanchanaburi Province. It is a part of the Western Forest Complex, a system of protected wilderness in ...

* Thong Pha Phum National Park *

Lam Khlong Ngu National Park Lam Khlong Ngu National Park (Thai language, thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติลำคลองงู) is a national park in Chale, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. It was established on 25 December 2009. Th ...

Mae Nam Phachi Wildlife Sanctuary Mae is an American rock band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience", based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University. Histor ...

Kaeng Krachan National Park Kaeng Krachan National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน, , ) is the largest national park of Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thaila ...

References

External links

Western Forest ComplexDescription of Wildlife Sanctuaries Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Khaeng
{{coord missing, Myanmar Nature conservation in Thailand Parks in Myanmar