
Executive Summary Myanmar is one of the Southeast Asian countries where the richness of biodiversity resources is very high and the conservation actions are also needed to take urgently. In addition, Myanmar is included in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, having the high richness of biodiversity as well as the species survival under various threats to be addressed. The biodiversity richness of Myanmar is very high because of its broad latitudinal range (tropical to subtropical), topographic (mostly mountainous) and climatic (monsoon) factors. In this regard, it is obvious that Myanmar is very rich in species diversity, having more than 16,000 plant species, 365 mammal species, 1,131 bird species, 293 reptile species, and 139amphibian species known from Myanmar. With ca. 28,000 species, family Orchidaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants globally. The same is also true in Myanmar because family Orchidaceae is one of the largest families in Myanmar plant biodiversity. Due to the recent progress in orchid studies in Myanmar, there are discoveries of many new species to science as well as new records, leading to the increased number of species amounting up to 1,084 species in total. In addition, it is estimated that ca. 150-300 species of Orchidaceae still remain unidentified and are expected to be discovered in further orchid studies in Myanmar. The present identification guide book consists of seven chapters as follows; Chapter 1: Introduction which provides overview information on the biodiversity richness of Myanmar where the conservation actions are needed to take urgently; and the contributions of forest biodiversity and its management practices currently being implemented in Myanmar. Chapter 2: Myanmar Orchid Biodiversity Richness which highlights the richness of Myanmar Orchid Biodiversity and its research gap; and discusses the role of forest in orchid conservation and the ecological linkage between orchid and its habitats in forest ecosystems. Chapter 3: Orchid Conservation in Myanmar which discusses the biodiversity conservation in Myanmar and the global landscape of orchid conservation actions, including protection by CITES rules and regulations, integration of public awareness programs into biodiversity conservation plans and so on; and challenges such as habitat loss, wild-harvested orchid trade, climate change and so on. In addition, it provides information on the conservation actions for orchid biodiversity in Myanmar. Chapter 4: Uses of Orchids in Myanmar which shows the uses of orchids on global scale as well as national scale, along with the wild-harvested orchid trade dynamics to be identified. Chapter 5: Identification Keys to Orchid Genera in Myanmar which provides the identification keys to subfamilies and their respective genera of Myanmar orchid flora. It is noted that all five subfamilies of Orchidaceae are represented in Myanmar. The orchid genera are organized and arranged according to their systematic positions of the updated classification of Orchidaceae. In addition, the global distribution range and species composition of orchid genera are provided along with their number of species known from Myanmar. Chapter 6: Orchid Genera of Myanmar which provides the descriptions of genera of Myanmar orchid flora, along with the table showing the number of species per genus in Myanmar, and the map showing the distribution of orchid species in Region and State of Myanmar. Chapter 7: Way Forward which highlights the key questions concerning effective conservation actions and discusses the challenges and possible solutions for sustainability of biodiversity resources. It is expected that the identification guide book will be useful for orchid taxonomy and conservation in the framework of biodiversity conservation planning and implementation in Myanmar. It is very happy to mention that the present study was supported by 2023 ITTO Fellowship Award (Reference No. 019/23A).
Myanmar orchid identification guide, Biodiversity conservation, Southeast Asia
Myanmar orchid identification guide, Biodiversity conservation, Southeast Asia
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