Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary

Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Burmese: လောကနန္ဒာ တောရိုင်းတိရစ္ဆာန်ဘေးမဲ့တော
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary Location in Myanmar
Location	Mandalay Region, Myanmar  Myanmar
Nearest city	Bagan Burmese: ပုဂံမြို့သစ်
Coordinates	21°07′00″N 94°51′00″E
Area	0.47 km^2 (0.18 sq mi)
Established	1995
Visitors	55959 (in 2014)
Governing body	Myanmar Forest Department

Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Myanmar's Mandalay Region, covering an area of 0.47 km^2 (0.18 sq mi) and ranging in elevation from 45 to 70 m (148 to 230 ft). It borders the Irrawaddy river close to Bagan and was established in 1995.[1]

History

Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1995 for the conservation of dry forest. It is managed by a warden, rangers and foresters, who patrol the area and implement measures to protect the forest against floods and fire.[1] In 2014, about 56,000 people visited the sanctuary.[2]

Biodiversity

Flora

In 2015, 80 tree species, 160 species of medicinal plants, four bamboo species and 32 species of flowering plants were identified in Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary.[2] The forest type is dry deciduous forest.[1] The tree species include Teak (Tectona grandis), Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Xylia dolabriformis, and Shorea siamensis.[3]

Fauna

Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary harbours sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), Indian hog deer (Hyelaphus porcinus), Eld's deer (Panolia eldii) and Burmese star tortoise (Geochelone platynota).[1]

Threats

Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary's habitat is threatened by illicit logging, hunting and fishing of wildlife, fires during the dry season, extraction of water, fuel wood, grass and non-timber forest products.[2]

References

1. Beffasti, L.; Gallanti, V., eds. (2011). "Lawkananda". Myanmar Protected Areas: Context, Current Status and Challenges (PDF). Milano, Yangon: Istituto Oikos, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association. pp. 52–53.
2. Thein Soe (2017). Evaluation on economic benefits of protected areas in Myanmar. A case study of Lawkananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Master of Development Studies). Yangon, Myanmar: Yangon University of Economics.
3. Kyi Kyi Sway (7 April 2017). "Forest reserves to be recognised as wildlife sanctuaries". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 2 December 2019.