Current view: Text account
Site description (2004 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA comprises Doi Pha Change Wildlife Sanctuary, which is contiguous with Doi Phu Nang (IBA TH015) to the south-west. The site is located along the watershed between the catchments of the Mae Nam Nan river to the east and the Mae Nam Yom river to the west. Most of the site lies between 500 and 1,000 m asl, with only a limited area above 1,400 m. Hill evergreen forest is the dominant vegetation type above 1,000 m asl, while mixed deciduous forest is the dominant forest type at lower elevations; successional grassland occurs in the north of the site, as a result of clearance of forest for shifting cultivation.
Like several other IBAs in northern Thailand, Doi Pha Chang Wildlife Sanctuary is an important site for the conservation of the globally threatened Green Peafowl Pavo muticus. The species is known to occur at three localities within the site. Moreover, two globally near-threatened species, Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli and Siamese Fireback Lophura diardi, have been recorded at the site, around Huai Peong sub-station.
site qualifies under criterion A3 because it supports 12 species restricted to the Indochinese Tropical Moist Forest (Biome 09).
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals
Tiger Panthera tigris (EN)
The IBA comprises Doi Pha Change Wildlife Sanctuary, which is contiguous with Doi Phu Nang (IBA TH015) to the south-west. The site is located along the watershed between the catchments of the Mae Nam Nan river to the east and the Mae Nam Yom river to the west. Most of the site lies between 500 and 1,000 m asl, with only a limited area above 1,400 m. Hill evergreen forest is the dominant vegetation type above 1,000 m asl, while mixed deciduous forest is the dominant forest type at lower elevations; successional grassland occurs in the north of the site, as a result of clearance of forest for shifting cultivation.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threats to biodiversity at the site are hunting, clearance of forest for shifting cultivation, and associated forest fires during the dry season.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Doi Pha Chang (Thailand). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/doi-pha-chang-iba-thailand on 22/11/2024.
