Chin Hills pine savanna

Description

Pine savannas are grassy ecosystems with open to closed evergreen needleleaf tree canopies. They occur in four to five regions across Myanmar, with each currently recogised as a separate ecosystem type, subject to further research on geographical barriers to dispersal of biota. Chin Hills pine savanna occurs patchily at higher altitudes along the western border of Myanmar. The ecosystem is dominated by Pinus kesiya (Khasia Pine), with a canopy height up to around 30 metres, and a grass-dominated understorey (Davis, 1960). It is thought to occur in seasonally dry habitats on well-drained soil between about 800 m and 1,500 m (Davis, 1960, Farjon, 2013).

Assessment summary

Remote sensing models suggest this ecosystem is relatively broadly distributed across the Chin Hills. No historical information on the distribution of this ecosystem was found, and an assessment of primary forest within the extant distribution suggests degradation has not occurred to an extent sufficient to meet category thresholds for Criterion D. Climate change is not expected to significantly affect the primary species of Pinus, but we do recommend further work to assess climate change impacts for this ecosystem. Least Concern.