ミャンマーバゴー山地M村域における野生動物の減少

Myanmar is located at the transition zone between the Continental Southeast Asian and Sino-Japanese regions. This plant geographical transition produces unique and diverse species assemblages. However, in recent years, the biodiversity in the region has been rapidly decreasing as a result of deforestation and forest degradation, while, reports on the fauna and flora in Myanmar are still lacking. This study aims to examine the change in animal population sizes around a rural village in the Bago Mountains, central Myanmar. We collected data on the change in animal population sizes over the last 10 years (2006-2016) by an interview survey for two hunters. In addition, we set camera traps in forests around the village. Hunters hunted 23 animal species and camera traps took pictures of five species. Populations of large animals tended to decrease more rapidly than those of small animals. Only the population size of Rattus tanezumi, the smallest animal of the 23 species, increased during the 10-year period. Human activity, in the form of deforestation and forest degradation, may be one of the primary causes of the loss of biodiversity and animals in the Bago Mountains.