Wetlands in Pakchan Proposed Nature Reserve
Location:
10°35'-10°55'N, 98°30'-98°40'E; the western part of Pakchan Reserved Forest, about 75 km north of Kawthaung and 60 km south of Bokpyin, Tenasserim Division.
Area:
Area of wetlands unknown; proposed Nature Reserve 25,920 ha.
Altitude:
Mainly near sea level; Nature Reserve to 750m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.5.1.
Wetland type:
02, 03, 07, 15 & 21.
Description of site:
The proposed Nature Reserve includes a coastal strip of low-lying islands, tidal mangrove swamps and freshwater swamp forests, together with the forested hill ranges rising steeply to the east. Almost all the water courses are perennial and flow either west, becoming brackish in their lower, tidal reaches, or east to the Pakchan River which defines the Burma-Thailand border.
Climatic conditions:
Monsoonal climate, transitional between the pronounced wet and dry seasons of the bulk of the country and the more even rainfall pattern of peninsular Malaysia. The prevailing winds blow from the west and southwest during the May to September monsoon, and from the north during the October to April dry season. The average annual rainfall at Kawthaung, 75 km to the south, is 3,964 mm, with the wettest period being May to September. The mean minimum and maximum temperatures at Kawthaung are 21°C (December and January) and 34°C (March and April), respectively.
Principal vegetation:
The coastal strip supports a diverse mangrove vegetation, with a primary Avicennia dominated accretion, a secondary Rhizophora dominated accretion and a Spring Tide Bank type of mixed Bruguiera sp and Sonneratia sp. The mangrove forest merges into freshwater swamp forest with an abundance of orchids and ferns. Most of the Reserved Forest is climax evergreen rain forest, characterized by a number of species restricted within the country to Tenasserim. Dipterocarpaceae are dominant, especially Dipterocarpus sp, with species of Shorea, Parashorea, Anisoptera and Vatica also common. Eugenia, Garcinia, Lophapetalum, also restricted within Burma to Tenasserim, are well represented, and the Burmese endemic palm Calamus helferianus is present.
Land tenure:
State owned.
Conservation measures taken:
The proposed Nature Reserve lies within Pakchan Reserved Forest (145,367 ha), established in July 1931 and contiguous with Lenya Reserved Forest (c.64,800 ha).
Conservation measures proposed:
In 1983, it was recommended that after detailed surveying, a Nature Reserve should be established in the western and northern part of the Reserved Forest, to be managed in conjunction with the offshore proposed Lampi Marine National Park (FAO, 1983d).
Land use:
In general, the area is sparsely populated. A number of villages are located close to the proposed boundary and along the coast, including Karathuri, Mathe, Aung Ba and Tolobusa. There is no known resident population in the Reserved Forest with the possible exception of a limited number of resin-tappers. Principal occupations include employment in the State Timber Corporation, fishing, trading and collecting forest produce such as resin (kanyin) and cane.
Disturbances and threats:
The forest is under threat from illegal resin-tapping, often carried out on excessively small trees. The most serious threat lies in extensive, illegal logging in the east of the Reserved Forest, allegedly by Thais, to feed a number of saw-mills over the border. In addition, Thais are thought to be responsible for elephant hunting and smuggling live animals to Thailand.
Economic and social values:
The Reserved Forest is of considerable value as protection for the watershed between the coast and the Pakchan valley.
Fauna:
Little information is available on the fauna as large areas have not been surveyed due to security considerations. Large mammals known to occur in the Reserved Forest include Panthera tigris, Elephas maximus, Sus scrofa, Hylobates lar, Presbytis obscura, Cervus unicolor and a species of Bos. The region is known to support a very rich and diverse avifauna including several rare pheasants (Phasianidae), but no details are available on the waterbirds.
Special floral values:
The proposed Nature Reserve includes areas of freshwater swamp, now a rare formation in Burma, and extensive mangrove formations still in excellent condition. The Reserved Forest includes some of the finest climax evergreen rain forest in Burma.
Research and facilities:
The area was initially surveyed in 1982 (FAO, 1982d) and subsequently in more detail in 1983 (FAO, 1983d). However, there has been no comprehensive ecological survey of the area, and there are no scientific or visitor facilities.
References:
Blower (1982); Chhibber (1927); FAO (1982d, 1983d & 1985a); IUCN (in prep).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b.
Source:
See references.