A Forest in Need of Friends
The Indo – Burma Forest is not only another one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots but one of the most imperilled on earth. It once stretched from the eastern part of India across Southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Southern Vietnam and covered almost 2 million square miles (373,000 km2). Today however, less than 5% remains in its natural state.
Home to large mammals such as the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus), the Indochinese Tiger (Panthera Tigris corbetti) and the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) as well as over 1,200 bird species and a human population exceeding 300 million, few places illustrate more clearly the conflict between maintaining ecological integrity in the face of socio-economic vulnerability than the Indo - Burma region.
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Geographic scope | Eastern part of India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of southern China |
| Size | Over 2 million km² — one of the largest biodiversity hotspots |
| Population | Over 300 million people — the most populous biodiversity hotspot |
| Biodiversity | 1,200+ bird species, rare freshwater turtles, and six large mammals discovered since 1992 |
| Endemism | High levels of plant and animal endemism — many species found nowhere else |
| Threat level | Among the top 5 most threatened hotspots — less than 5% of natural habitat remains intact |
Other Reasons to fight for the Indo -Burma Rainforest
- Newly discovered species and those yet to be discovered. Since the 1990s, six large mammal species
have been discovered here, including the Saola, the Annamite Striped Rabbit and a tiny Leaf Deer—small
enough to fit into your hand, which rather begs the question. What else
do we not know about these forests? Will species vanish before we even
know of their existence?
- Karst limestone ecosystems: The region has vast limestone formations that host highly specialized, often endemic species, including cave-dwelling fish and snails.
- Freshwater biodiversity: The Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake support one of the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world, vital for both biodiversity and food security.
- Cultural diversity: Indo-Burma is home to hundreds of ethnic
groups with deep ecological knowledge and traditions tied to the forest,
making it a hotspot of biocultural diversity.
Key Threats
According to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF),* the Indo-Burma region faces some of the most intense and complex pressures of any biodiversity hotspot:
- Shifting cultivation and large‐scale plantations (rubber, oil palm, cassava) drive ongoing deforestation in uplands and frontier zones.
- Rapid urban expansion and infrastructure projects fragment remaining forests, exacerbated by illegal logging and land clearing for housing and industry.
- Fire‐driven tree cover loss peaks (e.g., 196 000 ha in 2017) underscore vulnerabilities to drought, while marginal net regrowth (0.38 %) shows restoration lagging behind loss.
- Over exploitation has reached critical levels
in some areas due to inadequate planning and management. A bit of an overview follows.
Mother and Baby Asian Elephants
Threats
Causes/ Consequences
Wildlife trade & hunting
Unregulated trade and traditional use have devastated many species. Enforcement is weak, and financial incentives for poaching remain high.
Agro-industrial expansion
Forests are being cleared for rubber, oil palm, coffee, tea, and eucalyptus plantations, often driven by foreign investment.Hydropower development
Dams on major rivers (e.g. Mekong) flood habitats, disrupt sediment flows, and block fish migration routes.
Agricultural encroachment
Shifting cultivation and expanding farmland continue to degrade upland and lowland forests.
Infrastructure
developmentRoads and railways fragment habitats and facilitate illegal logging and wildlife trade.
Logging
Although large-scale logging has declined, selective and illegal logging still degrades forest quality.
Mining & quarrying
Localised but significant impacts from gold, gem, and construction material extraction.Nevertheless, despite starting from a very low base, the region has also been at the forefront of some of the most innovative conservation measures. Many of these projects are supported by grants to local communities from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) - a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Governments of Canada and Japan and the World Bank.
One of its key aims is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation by bringing together community groups, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), academic institutions and private enterprises through a combination of grant making and capacity development. Begun in Indo-China in 2008, it now operates in 60 countries worldwide and funds some 1,800 community groups.
Innovative and Distinctive Conservation Efforts
Community Forest and Fisheries
One Health Approach to Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade
- The One Health framework focuses on disease prevention by linking it to zoontic diseases and integrating human, animal and ecosystem health
Youth-Led Anti-Trafficking Campaigns
- In Laos, young people are being trained to lead awareness campaigns and monitor wildlife trafficking, creating a new generation of conservation advocates.
Women in Conservation Leadership
· Programs are actively supporting women’s leadership in conservation, especially in managing community fisheries and protected areas in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Eco-labelling and Biodiversity-Friendly Production
· Pilot projects are promoting eco-certified products and sustainable agriculture that align with biodiversity goals, offering economic incentives for conservation.
Transnational Projects
Another key feature given the region’s immense political and cultural diversity are the growing number of cross border collaborations. Imagine the difficulty of trying to manage conservation in a region such as the Mekong River which serves 6 different countries and has 745 dams either completed or in progress -many of them for hydro -electricity, if one country tried to do it alone. Instead, the CEPF has stepped in with a number of transboundary initiatives such as the following.
1. CEPF Regional Strategy
CEPF has invested over US$13.8 million (2020–2025) in transboundary conservation across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and southern China.
- Mekong River and tributaries
- Tonle Sap Lake
- Limestone highlands along the Vietnam–China border
- Northern Highlands and Hainan Island
2. Biodiversity Corridors Initiative
- Promotes ecological connectivity across borders, especially in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
- 1985
National Master Plan set a 40 % forest‐cover target by 2025, catalysing massive
planting campaigns but sparking debates over land rights and community
displacement.
- “Tree
Title Deeds” program (launched May 2025) grants farmers legal claims on rubber
and fruit trees as collateral, creating economic incentives for on-farm
reforestation and stewardship.
- Private-sector
projects like evertreen’s Thai Jungle Reforestation engage local communities to
plant native species (teak, rubber, flame-of-the-forest), restoring habitat and
livelihoods since 2023.
Thailand: A Multi-Actor Conservation Mosaic
Thailand’s forest protection strategy weaves together government policy, community stewardship, private-sector sanctuaries, and NGO support. The country maintains a network of 143 protected areas, covering around 31% of its land—administered by the Department of National Parks (DNP). The Community Forest Act empowers local villages to co-manage 1.5 million hectares, regenerating woodlands and supporting wildlife on communal lands.
Key Highlights:
- 🐘 Western Forest Complex – A transboundary corridor linking reserves in Thailand and Myanmar
- 🌳 REDD+ Pilots – Supports forest stewardship in Mae Chaem & Kaeng Krachan
- 🦉 Privately Protected Areas – NGO sanctuaries aligned with IUCN standards
- 🛡️ Joint Patrols & Partnerships – Combining military support and international funding
- 🏞️ Boon Rueang Wetland Forest Project – A model for community-led conservation
Thailand's Department of National Parks protects its endangered plants and animals including elephants, gibbons and hornbills. It also conducts anti poaching patrols and oversees restoration projects. It does this with help from organisations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, established by the Bronx Zoo in New York in 1895, which provides scientific input into species monitoring and protection in 50 countries.
Conservation International works with local partners on biodiversity corridors and and community -based conservation. A typical example is the protection of the Cardamom Mountains which lie between Thailand and Cambodia and are a refuge for countless rare and endangered species such such as pangolins, sunbears, Asian elephants, Gaurs - the world's largest bovines, and dholes - a relative of dogs and wolves. Funding comes from diverse sources including petroleum giants such as Exxon, Shell and Mohamed bin Zayed's Species Conservation Fund and the Mubadala Investment Corporation's local affiliate, Mumbala Petroleum. as well as private donors.
The Bird Conservation Society of Thailand is one of the oldest conservation groups in the country and the local partner of Birdlife International. Birdlife International seeks to identify and monitor bird species around the world and to protect not only the places where they live and breed but the equally important flyways they use to migrate from one region to another.
Elephant Nature Park concerns itself with ethical wildlife tourism, focusing on hands - off, non riding wildlife appreciation. As well as rescuing elephants which have been used in logging, begging or more exploitative forms of tourism, it also provides a sanctuary for other species and plays a key role in habitat restoration and awareness raising. What a far cry from the poor beasts I photographed in 2008.
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| Awaiting Paying Guests 2008 |
Southern China: Funding Conservation from the Ground Up
- 🐢 Freshwater Turtle Protection – Targeting habitat loss and illegal trade
- 🏞️ Daweishan Community Forestry – Locally managed forest regeneration
- 🪨 Limestone Biodiversity Networks – Securing endemic species habitat·
- 🐦 Birdwatching & Medicinal Plant Conservation – Citizen science meets sustainability
- 🌿 Biodiversity Mainstreaming – Integrating nature into development policy
- 🧭 Pangolin Protection - As of March 2025 China has also dropped traditional medicines containing Pangolin from its Pharmacopoeia in order to protect this seriously endangered animal. This will take effect from October this year. The wild population of Chinese Pangolins has declined by 80% since 2014 and has been listed as Critically Endangered on the ICUNs Red List since then. Although poaching continues to be a major risk, the majority of traditional medicine practitioners believe that there are alternative ingredients for almost all recipes which have previously used pangolin scales and parts. Pangolins do not breed successfully in captivity.
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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA |
Transboundary Conservation Planning
- A spatial conservation plan for Yunnan’s borderlands with Myanmar,
Laos and Vietnam identified priority corridors where natural-forest
connectivity has declined by 5.2 % (1995–2018).
- This plan uses species-distribution data (197,845 records for
21,004 plant & vertebrate species) and land-use change analysis to
pinpoint remnant forest patches crucial for dispersal.
- Many priority areas straddle international boundaries, laying the groundwork for new transboundary protected areas and harmonised management across countries.
NGO & Research Partnerships in China
- Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden in Hong Kong coordinates calls for proposals and oversees both “large” and “small” CEPF grants in Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong and Hainan.
- Grantee projects include community-based limestone-karst conservation networks, freshwater-turtle protection, bird-watching society development and eco-tourism models (e.g., “The Squirrel School” in Hainan).
- Academic institutions (e.g., Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden) and NGOs (TRAFFIC, Fauna & Flora International, Hong Kong Bird Watching Society) build local capacity for habitat mapping, law-enforcement training and biodiversity information-sharing platforms.
As you can see this hitherto neglected region is not without friends. It is particularly refreshing to see organisations which we do not usually hear much about in the Anglo - centred Press playing key roles in its rehabilitation including former colonial powers such as France and Japan and the sovereign wealth funds of Petrostates, as well as philanthropic foundations and private donors. We hope this is not just green washing in the case of large corporations and would of course prefer fossil fuel donors not to do more damage in the first place, but at least they are making some contribution towards remediation for past sins.
Individuals can help by not purchasing timber or forest products from uncertified or unsustainable sources and by supporting the Non Government Organisations which are helping to protect this important bioregion. We all stand to benefit by protecting the world's rainforests. Below are a few organisations which are not so well known, though this list is by no means exhaustive.
BIRDLIFE International : Very active in mapping and protecting and restoring habitat and flyways across many countries
FLORA & FAUNA International: Works across a range of habitats including the Indo Burma region to protect biodiversity. Includes Pangolin protection by equipping rangers and setting up camera traps to stop poachers and protect rare species such as Myannmar's critically endangered freshwater turtle.
TRAFFIC: Read what is being done to protect Tigers from poaching, Habitat destruction in Asia due to illegal logging and the risks posed by the emerging trade in wild plants and songbirds.
evertreen - Connects businesses which wish to offset their carbon footprint with on the ground community tree -planting partners
Thanks to Microsoft Co pilot for help with maps, tables and information.
Next: Sundaland
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