Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve

Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Location	Burma
Nearest city	Tanai
Coordinates	26°26′18″N 96°33′32″E / 26.43833°N 96.55889°E / 26.43833; 96.55889Coordinates: 26°26′18″N 96°33′32″E / 26.43833°N 96.55889°E / 26.43833; 96.55889
Area	21,890 square kilometres (8,452 sq mi)
Established	1 May 2003
Governing body	Ministry of Forestry

Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve (Burmese: ဟူကောင်း ကျား ထိန်းသိမ်းရေး နယ်မြေ [hùkáʊɴ tɕá tʰéɪɴ θéɪɴ jé nɛ̀ mjè]) is a wildlife reserve located in Hukawng Valley, near Tanai in Myitkyina District of Kachin State, Burma (Myanmar). Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve covers 21890 km². The Burmese government has also designated 6500 km² of the valley as the protected forest reserve. It is the world's largest tiger reserve.^[1]

According to a report by the Wildlife Conservation Society released in October 2010, only 50 tigers remain in Hukawng valley. (Only some 3,500 tigers are left in the world, of which, just over 1,000 are females that can give birth.) The reserve also consists of 35 kinds of mammals such as Indochinese tiger, Indochinese leopard, Indian elephant, bear and species of monkeys, over 370 species of birds, 46 species of frogs, 37 species of fresh water fish, four species of turtle, species of butterflies and 13,500 plant species.^[1]

The Wildlife Conservation Society has been criticized for its role in the reserve, particularly in blaming indigenous peoples for environmental damage despite evidence that gold mining in the reserve is devastating the tigers' habitat.^[2] More than 200,000 acres of land in Hukawng Valley are being used for gold mining, causing environmental damage.^[3]

References