Dawna Range

The Dawna Range provides a habitat for the tiger, the wild Asian elephant and Fea's muntjac. Endangered species in the area are the plain-pouched hornbill and Gurney's pitta. There are other rare species some of which have only recently been discovered. This narrow steep-sided range is geologically and ecologically homogeneous with the neighboring head of the Tenasserim Hills and the Karen Hills further north, so that frequently it is considered as a whole under the name "Dawna Tenasserim" or as "Kayah–Karen/Tenasserim". The Dawna Range is covered with tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. The Kayah–Karen montane rain forests that cover the mountains are part of the Kayah–Karen/Tenasserim moist forests ecoregion which is included in the Global 200 list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature as priorities for conservation. Protected areas Protected areas of the Dawna range are part of the Western Forest Complex. Burma • Mulayit Wildlife Sanctuary Thailand • Salawin National Park • Mae Moei National Park • Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary • Khao Laem National Park • Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary • Khun Phawo National Park • Namtok Pha Charoen National Park • Taksin Maharat National Park • Lan Sang National Park • Khlong Wang Chao National Park • Khlong Lan National Park • Mae Wong National Park • Phu Toei National Park ==History==

In 1944 and 1945, at the time of the Japanese invasion of Burma during World War II, the eastern Dawna mountains provided a base from which the Karen troops led by Bo Mya fought against the Imperial Japanese Army on the side of the British. Owing to the unrest in Burma and the human rights abuses by the Tatmadaw, some refugee camps have been established for the cross-border refugees in the Thai side of the range. The largest is the Mae La refugee camp, established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang district, Tak province and currently houses over 40,000 refugees Land mines have been laid in the border area and this affects wildlife as well. ==See also==