Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary
Designation
ASEAN Heritage Parks
Body
| Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary - People, nature and culture in a unique wetland |
| Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar, next to Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State. The Lake was established as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1985 and covers 64,200 hectares (642 square kilometers) in the Nyaung Shwe, Pinlaung and Peh Kon Townships of Southern Shan State. Situated 881 meters above sea level, the huge Lake is an important watershed and water resource for electricity and domestic use for people living within the four cities and innumerable small villages that straddle the Lake. The local communities living close to the Lake are the Intha, who are mostly Buddhists. They use small traditional boats for transportation, and for catching fish, the most popular occupation among the locals. The Sanctuary's vegetation comprises wetland sedge, reeds and evergreen flora. Oryza hydrophasia chirugus granulate, Dalbergia spinosa, Hypericum prunizolium, Coladium sp., Desmodium oblongum, Enhydra zluctuans, Panicum sarmentosum grow on the natural floating islets. In shallower waters or on the shores, the species found include Salix tetrasperma, Ficus sp. Crataexa nurvala, Mitragyna parvizolia, and Salmalia malabarica syn. Bombax malabaricum. |