Western Shan semi-evergreen forest

Description

Western Shan semi-evergreen forest has a closed canopy reaching about 20-25 m in height, with both evergreen and deciduous tree species, though the former are dominant, including dipterocarps and Myrtaceae. It occurs on loamy soils, and may extend well down the escarpment in sheltered gullies. Now heavily degraded with large bamboo thickets and regrowth throughout as a response to extensive cultivation, few intact patches remain. This ecosystem is distinguished from Western Shan Plateau evergreen forest by the present of deciduous canopy species. At lower elevations where dry periods of the year become extended up to 7 or 8 months, this ecosystem transitions into Shan foothills Than-Dahat grassy forest.

Assessment summary

This ecosystem has been widely logged for hardwood and is heavily degraded throughout its range. However, we found no historical map data suitable for assessing Criterion A. Primary forest time-series data suggest this ecosystem has been sufficiently degraded since 1750 to meet the category thresholds for Vulnerable (D3). Further work to refine distribution maps and better understand recent extent changes (Criterion A) are suggested to fill crucial knowledge gaps for this ecosystem. Vulnerable.