South East Asia consists of Myanmar, then south and east through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. Key areas include the Annamitic Range in the east; the Sundaic forest that stretches from the Isthums of Kra in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, south to Sumatra and Borneo; and northern Myanmar, which lies at the eastern end of the Himalayan range. These areas are particularly biodiverse and lie within one or more of the acknowledged 'biodiversity hotspots'. The islands of the Indonesian archipelago also hold very distinctive faunas. These four areas alone hold relatively large numbers of megapodes, pheasants and partridges.

Altogether there are 72 species in South East Asia: 30 pheasants, 27 partridges and 15 megapodes. Many of these species are hard to detect and live in habitats that are often either densely forested or difficult to travel to and live in. Therefore, species in this region are amongst the most poorly known of Asia's Galliformes.

The Galliformes of South East Asia are threatened principally by habitat loss that is reaching extreme levels in some areas, such as the lowland forests of Sumatra. The resulting fragmentation of once extensive tracts of forest is leaving populations of many species isolated from each other in ever diminishing habitat. These problems are exacerbated by hunting in some areas, especially those where larger species have been reduced to extreme rarity or are locally extinct.

Examples of WPA's work in South East Asia include:

Assessing the status of Cambodia's Galliformes

The Palawan peacock-pheasant as an ambassador for Palawan's threatened forests

Helping with the return of the green peafowl to Peninsular Malaysia

Assessing the status and threats of green peafowl in Cambodia

Investigating the range, ecology and threats faced by the orange-necked hill-partridge in Cambodia