Study Area and Regional Context

STUDY AREA Mainland (peninsular) Southeast Asia 93 to 109 E, and from 10 to 25 N 5 Countries: Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Fragmented mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain dominated by steep slopes and highlands Monsoon wet season May to October with heavy rainfall and flooding; Dry season between November and March Tropical evergreen and deciduous forests	Mainland Southeast Asia: Land Cover 2004
LAND COVER CHANGE PROCESSES Much of the area is forested, but much of original forests have been largely lost to other land uses during the past century Upland/lowland dichotomy determines type of agriculture practiced Lowlands: majority of the population, continuous settlement and cultivation, plantation agriculture Uplands: relatively sparse and often ethnic minority population, shifting cultivation practiced High rates of deforestation as a result of agriculture: sawah (wet rice cultivation) - associated with lowlanders who migrate to forested areas shifting (or swidden) cultivation- occurring in uplands associated with extensive production and seasonal biomass burning cash crops- coffee, rubber, cashews commercial logging converting forests to grasslands LAND-USE LINKAGES TO BIOMASS BURNING Shifting cultivation (highly studied in region) - prevalent in Burma, Laos, and Cambodia Cash crop production (less understood) - prevalent in Vietnam and Thailand Logging (little studied)
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