Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary - Flora and Habitat Types

Flora and Habitat Types

Phytogeographically the sanctuary lies at the interface between the terminal southern ridges of the eastern Himalayas and the equatorial forests of the great Sunda Shelf. As most of the sanctuary is botanically unexplored, scientific knowledge about its rich flora is sparse.

Montane Evergreen forests cover about 15% of the sanctuary and occur along the mountain ridges above 1,000 metres where moisture levels are high.

Seasonal or Dry Evergreen forests are found on about 31% of the area, predominantly on land lying between 800 and 1,000 metres elevation. Gallery Evergreen forests occur along permanent watercourses, where humidity is high and the soil perpetually moist. They are often categorized under Dry Evergreen forests, but are particularly important to the sanctuary's fauna.

Mixed Deciduous forest is the most common forest type in Thung Yai covering about 45%, predominantly in areas below 800 metres elevation.

Dry Dipterocarp forest is a formation unique to Mainland Southeast Asia and is found on about 1% of the area.

Savanna forest and Grassland covers about 4%, predominantly in the thung yai or "big field" covering about 140 km² at the centre of the sanctuary.

The remaining 4% of the area are categorized as secondary forests, fallow areas and swidden fields in the nomination for the World Heritage Site, but comprise also various Bamboo forests which are not distinguished in this classification.