Current view: Text account
Site description (2004 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA comprises Mae Yom National Park, which is contiguous with Doi Phu Nang proposed national park (IBA TH015) to the north. The site includes a substantial portion of the Mae Yom river valley. The dominant vegetation type at the site is mixed deciduous forest, while hill evergreen forest is found in the foothills, and deciduous dipterocarp forest occurs in the low-lying plains. One of the most notable features of the site is a 4,800 ha tract of natural Teak Tectona grandis forest; by far the largest (and also considered the richest) natural Teak forest remaining in Thailand. At least part of the site was formerly under a logging concession.
Mae Yom National Park is an important site for the conservation of the globally threatened Green Peafowl Pavo muticus. This species was formerly widespread along the Mae Yom river but disappeared due to hunting, logging and encroachment. Its rediscovery at the site, in March 1996, led to a wide-ranging survey for the species and other pheasants in northern Thailand, which located a population of over 200 individuals, shared between Mae Yom National Park and two other IBAs: Wiang Lor Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent area to the east (TH014) and Doi Phu Nang (TH015). In addition, there is a record of the globally threatened Silver Oriole Oriolus mellianus from the site, and the globally near-threatened White-rumped Falcon Polihierax insignis also occurs.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals
Gaur Bos frontalis (VU)
Asian Gold(EN) Cat Catopuma temminckii (VU)
Dhole Cuon alpinus (VU)
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca leonina (VU)
Asian Black Bear Ursus thibetanus (VU)
Reptiles
Big-headed Turtle Platysternon megacephalum (EN)
Plants
Afzelia xylocarpa (EN) Anisoptera costata (EN)
The IBA comprises Mae Yom National Park, which is contiguous with Doi Phu Nang proposed national park (IBA TH015) to the north. The site includes a substantial portion of the Mae Yom river valley. The dominant vegetation type at the site is mixed deciduous forest, while hill evergreen forest is found in the foothills, and deciduous dipterocarp forest occurs in the low-lying plains. One of the most notable features of the site is a 4,800 ha tract of natural Teak Tectona grandis forest; by far the largest (and also considered the richest) natural Teak forest remaining in Thailand. At least part of the site was formerly under a logging concession.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site is bisected by a highway, which has several human settlements along it. Communities living in these settlements have encroached on Green Peafowl breeding habitat near the Mae Yom river, converting forest into agricultural land. Other major threats to biodiversity at the site include hunting and forest fire. Despite the designation of the site as a national park, timber extraction still takes place illegally within its boundaries. In addition, the key conservation features of the site are threatened by a proposed hydro-electric dam development, which would inundate valley bottoms that support Teak forest and are important for Green Peafowl.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mae Yom (Thailand). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mae-yom-iba-thailand on 22/11/2024.
