Biodiversity - Burma/Myanmar-related

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Websites/Multiple Documents

Description: Links to the Convention, Myanmar reports etc.
Source/publisher: Secretariat of the Convention on Biologicql Diversity
Date of entry/update: 2014-06-01
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: Google
Date of entry/update: 2014-06-01
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Individual Documents

Description: "Under the Myanmar Community Resilience Project (MCRP), the World Bank will support ICRC’s interventions in support of vulnerable, violence-affected communities in Myanmar. The objective of the MCRP is to support the resilience of communities through multisectoral assistance including livelihood support and small-scale infrastructure projects. As part of this collaboration, the ICRC has conducted an assessment of the potential environmental and social risks linked to the project and devised appropriate mitigation measures to manage these. This process has and will continue to involve consultations with a range of stakeholders. The guiding documents on these efforts are included in the attached Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) and Framework. This groundwork and the iterative and continuous follow up provided will ensure that adequate environmental and social standards are lived-up to..."
Source/publisher: International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2022-10-20
Date of entry/update: 2022-10-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 805.21 KB 517.65 KB 1.47 MB
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Description: "Four wild elephants made their way out of the mud pit in Myanmar where they had been trapped on Friday, urged on by the villagers who dug them an escape route. The villagers in the western Rakhine State usually avoid elephants when they come across them in the forest, but feared the animals would have died if they had stayed trapped in the hole. Video verified by Reuters showed the four animals struggling one by one to gain a foothold on the slope where the villagers spent some five hours digging rough steps for them. Eventually they all make it out - the last one appearing to turn briefly towards where villagers are cheering before heading off with its companions. "We rescued them because we know that elephants are at risk of vanishing worldwide and they are part of our state's heritage," Zaw Phyo Than, 40, told Reuters by phone. "The four animals were so cute and that's why everyone from around our village came to save their lives." It was unclear how they fell into the pit. Surveys have estimated that only a few hundred elephants remain in Rakhine State, down from thousands just decades ago..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
2021-06-05
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: " Scientists have found what is believed to be three new species of amphibians and five new species of plants in a China-Myanmar joint biodiversity survey. Fourteen researchers collected more than 3,300 specimens of plants and animals in the field survey in the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sagaing Region of northern Myanmar between November and December last year, the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said Wednesday. China and Myanmar have jointly conducted nine field biodiversity surveys in northern Myanmar since 2014..."
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2020-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Plans to protect vultures from the age old stigma they carry are being drawn up by a group of conservators. There are three species of vultures in Myanmar. Certain communities regard the birds as unlucky and link them to death, according to The Myanmar Times. The Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association said the endangered vultures need to be protected due to their important role in the ecosystem. The three species are the white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) and red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calyus). Daw Thiri Dawei Aung of the association said it was a pity vultures were judged by looks and that there were misplaced beliefs by the people. She said in certain neighbouring countries, vultures were apparently poisoned, based on findings of drugs in the carcass-es of livestock on which they feed. “We don’t know if this is happening in Myanmar, but we will be conducting a survey about it.” There were also instances of people destroying their nests, she said. Daw gave an assurance, however, that the association will push its conservation plans next year and work on identify-ing important sites for the project. So far, the group has chosen two sites in Shan and Kachin states that could serve as safe havens for vultures..."
Source/publisher: "New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
2019-11-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar is well-known for its cultural and historical heritage but is generally lesser-known for its rich natural wonders which showcase an impressive and unique biodiversity. Unfortunately, these natural heritage sites are increasingly coming under threat as a result of unchecked logging, illegal wildlife trade, as well as unsustainable agricultural and fishery practices, among others. Over the past several years, UNESCO has supported the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) in strengthening its capacity to protect and manage the country’s natural heritage sites. In 2014, Myanmar, for the very first time listed seven natural sites on the World Heritage tentative list. In late 2018, with UNESCO’s support, the Government reaffirmed its engagement to strengthen the level of protection of these “Seven Natural Wonders”, by developing a Roadmap for World Heritage Nomination of Natural Sites. As part of its endeavor to get the natural wonders of Myanmar better known and to raise awareness on the importance of protecting and conserving these sites for World Heritage status, UNESCO, with the financial support of the government of Norway produced a short video and booklet entitled ‘Discover Myanmar’s Seven Natural Wonders’..."
Source/publisher: UNESCO (Myanmar)
2019-02-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The Chindwin River, the largest tributary of the Ayeyarwady River, is vital to the lives of thousands of communities in Myanmar. Its basin ecosystem offers ecological services and biological diversity that provide the essential needs for six million peopl
Description: "The Chindwin basin’s rich natural resources face a range of threats due to unchecked development, which include mining and logging that are clearing forests, hydropower dams, expansion of crops and irrigated farmland as well as the impact of climate change. These threats directly affect the health, well-being and income of the basin’s communities, and its biodiversity. The changes in the basin –water pollution, river bank erosion, and sedimentation, which causes narrowing or shallowing of the riverbed – are key environmental concerns for local communities. While Myanmar’s forests have been rapidly disappearing, the Chindwin Basin is still one of the country’s most densely forested areas, with nearly half (47.7 percent) covered with a variety of forest types, including montane, deciduous, temperate, subtropical, dry, and rainforest.The basin hosts 14 of the country’s “key biodiversity areas,” which are considered crucial to maintaining global biodiversity. These key areas cover over 51pc of the basin, which is home to a number of rare and endemic species of flora and fauna. The endangered Burmese roofed turtle, for instance, is only found in the Ayeyarwady, Chindwin, Sittaung, and lower Thanlwin rivers..."
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Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2019-02-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Mandalay Region’s Sont Ye Lake in Kyaukse township and Paleik Lake in Tada-U will be designated as protected wetlands to conserve them and regulate development, a senior regional official said.
Description: "U Myo Thit, regional minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, said his office will soon meet with local groups, residents and non-governmental organisations to discuss the plan and to ensure technical support and effective management. “We need to hold a meeting to discuss the details,” he said. Wetland ecosystems provide a range of products and services for people through rivers, streams, freshwater lakes, marshes, seasonally flooded plains, and estuaries with extensive mangrove swamps. At least 10 wetland areas need conservation in central Myanmar, including Sont Ye Lake, Pyu Lake, Paleik Lake, Manaw Lake, and Taungthaman Lake, said U Thein Aung, chair of the Myanmar Bird and Nature Society. Filling in the lake for settlement and farming, excessive extraction of lotuses, littering, and lack of environmental conservation knowledge among residents are causing the severe degradation of Sont Ye Lake, according to Ma Thiri Dawei Aung of the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association..."
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Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2019-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Chinese companies are pushing to resume destructive dam projects, ignoring a key assessment
Description: "Much media attention in Myanmar is focussed on China’s apparent efforts to revive the stalled Myitsone dam, its role in advising the Myanmar government on developing a new hydropower strategy white paper, and the implications of these developments for the adoption of the World Bank-led strategic environmental assessment of Myanmar’s hydropower sector, which was released in late 2018. The debate appears to revolve around the assumption that the country must choose between a strategy for large hydropower development supported by western donors and the World Bank or one supported by China. While its contents are unknown, there is concern that the white paper may push forward highly environmentally and socially destructive projects such as the Myitsone dam and the series of mega dams proposed for the Salween River main stem (also known as Thanlwin), each involving Chinese companies and financiers. But is this assumption right? The long-awaited environmental assessment recommended not building dams on the main stem of five major river basins, including the Ayeyarwady and Salween. This would remove the controversial Myitsone and the Salween main stem dams from Myanmar’s energy development plans, which have been fiercely opposed by civil society groups. Government adoption of this recommendation would reflect sound science on the adverse ecological impacts of large hydropower dams on mainstream river systems and provide critical recognition of the multiple values – ecological, social, economic and cultural – delivered by these rivers..."
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Source/publisher: "thethirdpole.net"
2019-03-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: BRI corridors in Myanmar, Development opportunities for Myanmar, Substantial risks to natural capital
Topic: BRI corridors in Myanmar, Development opportunities for Myanmar, Substantial risks to natural capital
Description: "The report recommends: 1. The need to ensure that the BRI follows a sustainability criteria or standard based on ‘Guidance on the Building of the Green Belt and Road’ released from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, global sustainability standards or nationally developed standards for sustainable infrastructure development. 2. More assessments to better understand risks related to for example floods, erosion and biodiversity, and for this information to be incorporated into road plans and designs as well as high quality Environmental Impact Assessments and Environmental Management Plans (EIAs). 3. Avoid negative environmental and social impacts through assessing multiple costs of road location and planning. 4. The BRI design should enhance environmental, social and economic benefits, including buffer zones, re-vegetation of slopes and wildlife corridors. 5. Myanmar civil society should be included at all levels and stages of project planning to avoid negative social and environmental impacts and optimise benefit sharing of the BRI in Myanmar..."
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Source/publisher: "Mekong Eye" via Myanmar Times
2018-02-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "After eight years collecting dust on the planning shelves and also at the confluence of the Mali and N’mai Rivers in upper Burma, the Chinese are seeking to revive the Myitsone Dam, which has been stalled since 2011 after then-President Thein Sein, in an unprecedented about-turn, put it on hold amid massive protest. In late 2009, as Asia Sentinel reported, a team of 80 Burmese and Chinese scientists and environmentalists conducted a 945-page environmental impact study of the Myitsone Dam for China Power Investment itself and concluded that the dam should never be built. Although the Chinese government ignored the recommendations of its own scientists, the Burma Rivers Network, which opposes the dam, obtained a copy of the assessment and made it public. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Electric Power-1 said it had done its own environmental assessment and the dam would be built regardless. The Myitsone dam was opposed by a wide range of environmentalists, social activists, artists and others including Aung San Suu Kyi, who requested a review of the facility earlier this year. Thousands of people have been displaced from its catchment area, which is said to be as big as the island of Singapore. Beijing nonetheless sees Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis as a perfect opportunity to rekindle the dam, which would displace thousands of local people in Kachin State and flood a vast area of significant biodiversity and natural resources..."
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Source/publisher: "Asia Sentinel"
2019-08-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Each morning at the break of dawn, Zaw Win and his team herd their elephants across the sweeping forest floor down to the river bank. They scrub and clean the mighty mammals before harnessing them to begin their day's work. Zaw Win, a third-generation oozie [Burmese for elephant handler] keeps a close eye on his animals which are his livelihood. Decades of military dictatorship has meant many aspects of Myanmar are frozen in time. One of those traditions dates back thousands of years - the timber elephant. Myanmar has around 5,000 elephants living in captivity - more than any other Asian country. More than half of them belong to a single government logging agency, the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE). Elephants are chosen over machines because they do the least damage to the forest. These elephants have survived ancient wars, colonialism and World War II while hard woods extracted by elephants in Myanmar once fed the British naval fleet. Yet today, Myanmar's timber elephant is under threat. Once the richest reservoir for biodiversity in Asia, Myanmar's forest cover is steadily depleting and the government blames it on illegal loggers. Now, the forest policy is being overhauled. The Ministry for Environmental Conservation and Forestry has pledged to reduce its logging by more than 80,000 tonnes this fiscal year. Myanmar will ban raw teak and timber exports by April 1, 2014, allowing only export of high-end finished timber products. MTE says that the private elephant owners contracted by the government will be the first on the chopping block. Saw Moo, a second generation private elephant owner, sees a bleak future for his stable of 20 elephants. He fears the family business will end in his hands and he may have to sell his elephants, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. 101 East follows the oozies deep into Myanmar's forests, gaining unprecedented access to remote elephant logging camps and witnessing the extraordinary communication between elephants and men as they work. But will the elephants and their handlers, who have survived kingdoms and military dictatorships, survive democracy and the open market? Is there a place for them in a changing modern world? 101 East asks if this could be the end of Burma's mighty timber elephants..."
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Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera English"
2013-10-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "ကျွန်ုပ်တို့ရဲ့ သက်ရှိဇီဝမျိုးစိတ်တွေကို ဘယ်လိုကာကွယ်ထိန်းသိမ်းကြမလဲ" ဆိုသည့် ခေါင်းစဉ်ဖြင့် ၁၀.၅.၂၀၁၅ ရက်နေ့တွင် ဒီဗီဘီ ရုပ်သံသတင်းဌာန မှ ထုတ်လွှင့်ပြသသွားခဲ့သည့် ဒီဗီဘီ ဒီဘိတ် (ပထမပိုင်း)။..."
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Source/publisher: "DVB Debate"
2015-05-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "ကျွန်ုပ်တို့ရဲ့ သက်ရှိဇီဝမျိုးစိတ်တွေကို ဘယ်လိုကာကွယ်ထိန်းသိမ်းကြမလဲ" ဆိုသည့် ခေါင်းစဉ်ဖြင့် ၁၀.၅.၂၀၁၅ ရက်နေ့တွင် ဒီဗီဘီ ရုပ်သံသတင်းဌာန မှ ထုတ်လွှင့်ပြသသွားခဲ့သည့် ဒီဗီဘီ ဒီဘိတ် (ဒုတိယပိုင်း)။..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "DVB Debate"
2015-05-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "ကျွန်ုပ်တို့ရဲ့ သက်ရှိဇီဝမျိုးစိတ်တွေကို ဘယ်လိုကာကွယ်ထိန်းသိမ်းကြမလဲ" ဆိုသည့် ခေါင်းစဉ်ဖြင့် ၁၀.၅.၂၀၁၅ ရက်နေ့တွင် ဒီဗီဘီ ရုပ်သံသတင်းဌာန မှ ထုတ်လွှင့်ပြသသွားခဲ့သည့် ဒီဗီဘီ ဒီဘိတ် (တတိယပိုင်း)။..."
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Source/publisher: "DVB Debate"
2015-05-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Join our FISHBIO biologist on his journey with Fauna & Flora International to study the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar. Subscribe to our channel for more videos like this one, and visit http://fishbio.com/ for the latest news on fisheries research. Also connect with us on our social media sites to share any fish related questions and ideas, or to simply say hi!..."
Source/publisher: "FISHBIO"
2018-05-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "It's been almost one year since Thailand's government set out to regulate their investment projects in other countries to comply with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). The Cabinet Resolution was released on 16 May 2016 and pertains to extra-territorial obligations/business and human rights of Thai transboundary investments in Southeast Asia. Recently, the Thai National Human Rights Commission traveled to observe one of Thailand’s international investment projects in Myanmar's Tanintharyi Region, including a tin mine and a Special Economic Zone..."
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Source/publisher: "EarthRights International"
2017-05-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Indigenous people called for a large dam project to be halted on the Tanintharyi River, based on the findings of two reports released by local people on Friday.
Description: "The devastating impact that a proposed 1040-megawatt dam would have on the river and the communities along it were outlined in the report, “Blocking a Bloodline: Indigenous Communities along the Tanintharyi River Fear the Impact of Large-Scale Dams.” Naw Paw Say Wah, director of Candle Light, said they estimate that construction of the dam could displace up to 7000 people in 32 villages along the upstream reaches of the Tanintharyi River. “This dam will also have serious effects on the lives and livelihoods of over 23,000 people who live downstream of the proposed project,” she added. The dam proposal put forward by Thai-owned GMS Co., along with 17 other dam proposals on the river have been developed without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous communities, and threaten to destroy their primary source of water, food and transportation, according to the reports. The report, based on surveys of over 1200 people living along the Tanintharyi River, highlights the importance of the river to community livelihoods, access to water, transportation and cultural practices. It presents the impact that the dam proposals would have on the lives of indigenous people, forests and biodiversity, and the future of peace and stability in the region. “We local people must be included in all decision-making regarding our territories because we have the knowledge and ability to manage our own resources,” said U Ye Aung, a member of Rays of Kamoethway Indigenous People and Nature..."
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Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-08-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar’s Chindwin River Basin is home to a wide range of ecosystems from upland forests to riverine lowlands and seasonally flooded wetlands. These habitats are home to 370 bird species, 16 mammal species including tigers, 5 reptile species, 82 butterfly species, and 155 fish species of which 54 are endemic to the area. The six million people living in the basin depend on the basin’s natural resources for their livelihoods getting fuel, food, and medicinal plants as well as using the seasonally flooded wetlands for fishing and riverbank gardens for planting crops. “Saving Chindwin’s Biodiversity” gives the perspectives of the people living in the basin who talk about their lives and livelihoods, the threats to the natural resources such as from mining, and their ongoing efforts to urgently protect the basin’s natural resources before it’s too late. The film is an outcome of the Chindwin Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (CBES) study, a two-year assessment by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). CBES aims to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem service values by supporting local communities and state agencies in the Chindwin River Basin in Myanmar..."
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Source/publisher: Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
2019-06-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "YANGON — Plans to build dams on the Tanintharyi River would affect about 32,000 people in communities that have never been adequately consulted, according to a report by three Karen civil society groups that calls for a halt to the projects. The report says there are 18 memorandums of understanding to build dams on the river, but “local communities have received no information on their location, size or status”. It calls on the Tanintharyi regional government to provide full information to affected communities and civil society about the planned dams, which it says could also have a catastrophic impact on aquatic ecosystems and vast pristine forests, and pose a threat to the peace process. The report, Blocking a bloodline: Indigenous communities along the Tanintharyi River fear the impact of large scale dams, compiled by the Candle Light Youth Group, Southern Youth and Tarkapaw Youth Group, was released in Yangon on August 9 to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The waterway, one of southern Myanmar’s largest free-flowing rivers, forms at the confluence of the Ban and Kamoethway rivers in Tanintharyi’s Dawei District and flows along the Tanintharyi Valley before emptying into the Andaman Sea at Myeik. The river is the bloodline of 32,008 people from 6,118 households, who live in 76 villages along its banks and depend on it as a vital source of food, water and transportation, the report says..."
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Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2019-08-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: A major British government-backed initiative has helped over 70,000 people and protected hundreds of elephants in Myanmar, supporting local livelihoods, ecosystem function and the country’s rich biodiversity.
Topic: A major British government-backed initiative has helped over 70,000 people and protected hundreds of elephants in Myanmar, supporting local livelihoods, ecosystem function and the country’s rich biodiversity.
Description: "As a result of increased deforestation, wild Asian elephant numbers in Myanmar have dwindled from 10,000 in the 1960s to under an estimate of 2000 by 2004. Myanmar still has the largest tract of intact elephant habitat in Asia and could support a larger number of wild elephants than the current estimated population. With Myanmar’s human population projected to increase, elephants in the nature are being pressured for loss of habitat. A programme from Elephant Family, an NGO protecting Asian elephants from extinction, and partners aim to work by educating school children and also having a scheme to inform local communities about land management. Elephants are known as “keystone species” for their crucial role in the ecosystem to maintain the biodiversity in which they live. The Asian elephant’s habitat ranges across 13 countries in Asia, but it is an endangered species with less than 40,000 remaining worldwide, which is less than one-tenth of the African elephant population. According to government statistics, during the eight-year period from 2010 to 2018, a total of 227 elephants died across the country, of which 124 were killed by poachers..."
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Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-08-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Government of Myanmar today announced its vision for the country’s environmental protection and climate action, launching two new policies that will guide Myanmar’s environmental management and climate change strategy. Myanmar is widely considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of climate change, and its renowned biodiversity and natural resources are under increasing pressure as the country develops. More intense and more frequent floods, cyclones and droughts have caused immense loss of life and damage to infrastructure and the economy. President U Win Myint announced the two new policies – the National Environmental Policy and the Myanmar Climate Change Policy – at an event marking World Environment Day in the capital. More than 400 attended the announcement, including senior government officials from Union ministries, states and regions and representatives from civil society, academic institutions, businesses and the international community, including the acting UN Resident Coordinator and EU Ambassador..."
Source/publisher: "UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)"
2019-06-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) watchdog unit visited Myanmar in June to investigate the Tanintharyi conservation project, which could threaten the land and forest rights of people in the area.
Description: "The Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU) met with 150 people from indigenous Karen villages to hear their concerns. The Conservation Alliance Tanawthari, a coalition of Karen community organisations for the protection of the rights of communities in Tanintharyi, filed a complaint with the SECU in August 2018 to investigate and suspend the US$21 million “Ridge to Reef project”. After finding the complaint unfounded, the unit conducted the first of two visits to local communities from July 18-20. UNDP Myanmar reported that the project will be suspended until the investigation is complete. “We understand there are about 224 villages in the project area, including 73 indigenous Karen villages. This project threatens the land and forest rights of thousands of indigenous people, and the rights of refugees to return to their land in the project area, and may undermine peace and stability in the region,” said Saw San Ngwe, director of Southern Youth, a member of the coalition. Villagers told the visiting delegation that the government cannot be trusted because its “protected areas” in the region have deprived forest-dependent people of their livelihoods and way of life. Moreover, they said, they were never consulted about the project. Instead of conserving the forest, the government has allowed rampant logging and granted large concessions to businesses, including palm oil plantation companies, they said..."
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Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" via United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
2019-08-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: In 2011, construction work on a massive dam project in Myanmar's restive Kachin state was halted after large protests. China is now lobbying hard for the work to resume, but as BBC News Burmese's Soe Soe Htoon found, local people are still not convinced t
Description: ""I always cry every time I talk about the dam," says Jar Lie. Eight years ago, she was forced to abandon her 40 acres of farmland and move to a resettlement village in Aung Myin Tha, around six miles (nine kilometres) away. Her land was to be flooded by the vast reservoir created by the $3.6bn (£2.8bn) Chinese-financed Myitsone dam, at the source of the Irrawaddy river. Her new village has a market, a hospital, sealed roads and a school, all provided by the company building the dam, Beijing's State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC). But Jar Lie says that without farming land, life here is very difficult. "We could eat what we grew before; there was no need to buy anything. Here without land we can't do anything; we don't know how to earn money. I am very sick here." The dam was due to be completed this year - but so far work has barely begun, and the project has exposed simmering tensions over the balance of power between China and the country it often refers to as its younger brother. The Myitsone was to be the largest of seven dams SPIC is promising to build in the region, to provide quickly-developing Myanmar with much-needed electricity. By some estimates, the project would by itself generate more energy than the entire country produces now. The full contract the former military government signed with SPIC has never been publicly released. But in a rare interview in May, with BBC News Burmese, the former deputy minister of Myanmar's state power company, U Maw Thar Htwe, confirmed the most provocative part of the deal - that 90% of the electricity the dam generated would go back over the border to China. According to U Maw Thar Htwe, the government will get a 10% stake in the dam but will only see a return on its investment two decades after it starts operations..."
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Source/publisher: BBC News
2019-07-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: biodiversity, capacity building, environmental economics, forest conservation, landscape restoration, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development
Topic: biodiversity, capacity building, environmental economics, forest conservation, landscape restoration, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development
Description: " WWF-Myanmar is now inviting applications for a Protected Areas and Law Enforcement Technical Advisor position based in Dawei, Myanmar. The Protected Areas and Law Enforcement Technical Advisor’s major function, among others includes: Provision of technical advice to relevant stakeholders; Provision and/or coordinate basic field ranger training for existing and new protected area rangers; Support the training and operational capacity of elephant anti-poaching units in the region; Play a supporting role in initiatives to design and implement a national programme for ranger professionalization..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) via The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2018-10-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: They say their crops and livestock have suffered.
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Source/publisher: Radio Free Asia
2015-07-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar’s natural assets – including its forests, soils and coastal waters and the biodiversity they embody – makes up its natural capital, providing critical benefits to the Myanmar people, helping to protect them against natural hazards and ensuring reliable sources of clean water for drinking and irrigation as well as opportunities for ecotourism. Myanmar’s natural capital is also the source of other tangible and intangible benefits that support human well-being and underpin economic development. To secure those benefits, we need to understand which areas and ecosystems best serve the people and infrastructure dependent upon them, as well as how these benefits can be protected or enhanced in the face of climate change. The assessment presented in this report shows where and how Myanmar’s natural capital contributes to clean and reliable drinking water sources, reduced risks from floods inland and storms along the coasts, and to maintaining the functioning of reservoirs and dams by preventing erosion. The results highlight areas that provide high levels of ecosystem services, where natural capital provides the greatest benefits to people and infrastructure. This initial assessment has focused on identifying important ecosystem service provisioning areas that benefit the greatest number of people at a national scale, emphasizing benefits to cities and other large population centres. Benefits to rural populations and to vulnerable subgroups are critical as well, and they should be considered in greater detail as a next step. In addition, many of these areas important for ecosystem services provision coincide with areas important for biodiversity conservation. The effective management of these areas of synergy can help guarantee benefits to Myanmar’s people, infrastructure and wildlife not just now, but for decades to come. Securing natural capital is especially important in the face of climate change. As rainfall becomes increasingly variable and extreme events like heavy storms and droughts more frequent and intense, the role of forests in protecting rivers and streams from sediment will become more central in maintaining the quality of drinking water and improving the functioning of reservoirs and dams. The value of other ecosystem services will also become more apparent. Importantly, although climate change might make these services more valuable, the locations of hotspots areas important for ecosystem service provision are not expected to change over the next several decades for the services assessed here, so that protecting these areas would provide long-term benefits. While conservation of existing natural capital alone cannot eliminate the impacts of climate change, protecting and enhancing natural capital benefits is a critical component of climate change adaptation. Incorporating natural capital information into planning and development processes can ensure that its benefits are put to work in the service of the people and for the prosperity of the economy. Natural capital assessments can support planning and development across and within key sectors, including energy, transport, agriculture, and health, while strengthening climate resilience and promoting adaptation planning. The natural capital assessment provided here can support development and management decisions that launch Myanmar on a more sustainable and inclusive path toward economic development..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2016-06-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Updating National Master Electrification Plan
Description: "Reliable and sustainable access to electricity in Myanmar is a challenge. Currently only 32% of Myanmar households have access to grid electricity. The rest of the population either has no access or must rely on unreliable or badly maintained diesel micro-grids and small solar systems. Most grid electricity is generated by hydropower and burning fossil fuels. Myanmar must meet its rapidly growing energy needs. The critical question is how. This comprehensive study proves that renewable energy for Myanmar is not only technically feasible but also economically feasible compared to the so-called “cheap” traditional technologies. The development of Myanmar’s power sector will require multi-billion dollar investment over the next three decades and our analysis shows that a diverse mix of renewable energy, in combination with energy efficiency measures, will be the best solution for the sustainable power development of Myanmar. Renewable energy goes far beyond the common perception of solar lanterns and solar home systems. Large scale progress can be very fast. Italy installed 9,000 MW of solar power in 2011, almost twice the installed capacity of Myanmar which is currently around 5,000 MW. In 2015, Japan also installed 9,000 MW of solar power within a year. The first step to renewable energy deployment is acceptance and it is usual for there to be concerns about new technologies. It has been recorded that grid operators are concerned about solar and wind power being fed into the grid, concerns also seen in Germany and Ireland but today both countries have a high share (31% and 25% respectively) of renewable energy in their generation mix. Recent practices of grid-interconnection in developing countries as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Indonesia are also strong, providing promising examples of technological, regulatory and financial management from which Myanmar can learn. Myanmar must shape its future sustainably. To do so the right decisions must be made now. The “traditional” approach will repeat the mistakes of its neighbors, while Myanmar has the opportunity to leapfrog to renewable energy technologies. Recent developments in the telecommunication sector have shown that both decision makers and the public are willing to make such a leap, why should this not also occur in the power sector? Developing a vision is not an end goal, but rather the first step of systematic solution planning. We are looking forward to supporting sustainable power sector development in Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2017-03-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
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Sub-title: WWF’s Green Economy Programme in Myanmar 2018-2021
Description: "The foundations for a green economy – that will support people, nature and economic development in Myanmar - have been laid. WWF has played an instrumental role in highlighting natural capital values through Myanmar’s first natural capital assessment, identifying green economy investments through the development of Myanmar’s Green Economy Policy Framework, and developing initial policies for sustainable economic development in Myanmar. WWF is now positioned to raise green economy to the next stage, at the policy level as well as in our priority landscapes. Our vision is to see the true values of Myanmar’s nature acknowledged and reflected in government policies, commercial investments, and smallholder development - resulting in sustainable development that ‘bends the curve’ for biodiversity, forests, rivers, and mangroves, and makes Myanmar a more climate resilient country. We want to see a future where Myanmar’s intact forests are conserved and degraded areas are restored, where wildlife increase in numbers, and where people’s livelihoods are better and their benefits from nature secured..."
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2017-11-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 2.91 MB
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Description: "Sustainable rubber is the future and Myanmar has the chance to be a leading player - a win-win-win for the environment, communities and the economy.” Myanmar is one of the most biodiverse countries in Southeast Asia. Its pristine forests, free flowing rivers, beautiful lakes and other natural assets support the livelihoods of millions of people. However, these natural assets are in grave danger. Threats including infrastructure development, illegal logging and rapid rubber expansion are destroying forest habitat that is essential for wildlife, communities and the Myanmar economy. It need not be this way. The global rubber market is shifting towards sustainability with the two biggest mobility companies, Michelin and General Motors, already committed to sourcing and using sustainable rubber. Others will follow. Myanmar has a great opportunity to transform its rubber sector by producing sustainable rubber following a zero deforestation approach. This will protect forests, improve the livelihoods of communities, and contribute to the targets of the National Export Strategy for rubber. This comprehensive analysis will help stakeholders understand the existing dynamics of rubber production and trade and why it is critically important to transform the industry to benefit both communities and environment. The tremendous effort by CIRAD and Yezin University in undertaking this study is truly commendable. The insights and data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI), and the Myanmar Rubber Planters and Producers Association (MRPPA) have been invaluable in driving important conclusions. This is the moment for Myanmar to become a leader in sustainable rubber production, a decision that will be applauded by generations to come..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2017-08-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Over the last four years, WWF-Myanmar and its partners have been working together to better understand the biodiversity and ecological processes of the Dawna Tenasserim landscape. To date, WWF has worked with the Karen Forest Department (under Karen National Union - KNU) to carry out camera trap surveys of the area. WWF has also worked with Columbia University in the United States to understand past climate trends as well as future climate projections that could impact the landscape. Furthermore, WWF collaborated with the Natural Capital Project to map ecosystem services and how changes in land use will impact on the provisioning of these services 4 as well as with the Smithsonian Institution, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Flora and Fauna International (FFI) to summarize results of biodiversity surveys and communicate the biodiversity richness of this landscape. Finally, WWF worked with the University of Hong Kong to identify ideas and technical solutions for how infrastructure can be developed more sustainably in this particular landscape. Now, more than ever, we are equipped with not only the information about the area’s biodiversity value but also the threats posed to people and nature by built infrastructure, such as the Dawei-Htee Khee road. This report is the fourth in a series of reports (see below) that have been published between 2015- 2018. The first report published in 2015, highlighted the need to consider information about ecosystem services, land use change, and wildlife in the planning of the road and the broader land use planning of the area (A Better road to Dawei— Protecting wildlife, sustaining nature, benefiting people). A design manual, published in 2016 as the second report, showcased design options for accommodating wildlife crossings and bio-engineering techniques for slope stabilization as well as alignment options to minimize deforestation and maximize social and environmental benefits (Design manual—Building a more sustainable road to Dawei). Based on a request from the road developer in 2016 regarding the identification of wildlife movement patterns in the landscape, WWF worked with conservation organizations active in the area and regional mammal experts to identify critical crossing areas for mammals based on modelling (Wildlife crossing—Locating species’ movement corridors in Tanintharyi, published in 2016) 5 . This fourth report specifically brings together several years of work that has looked in depth at what is at stake in this important ecological corridor system—a system that keeps key forested areas in Thailand and Myanmar connected and which the Dawei-Htee Khee road cuts across. This report outlines the history of the road and the newly approved 2018 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Dawei-Htee Khee two lane road project 6 . It furthermore highlights the current and projected impacts from deforestation within specific areas in the landscape that are deemed important habitat for many wildlife species. Moreover, this report presents case studies from other countries where successful land use planning and mitigation measures occurred in and around similar landscapes where road construction has taken place. Finally, by drawing on these examples and the evidence collected in the Dawna Tenasserim landscape, this report provides a set of recommendations for key stakeholders listing how they can implement better land use planning within this important landscape to avoid further destruction and deterioration of these “wild highways”. It should be noted that while there are many social and environmental issues associated with the Dawei-Htee Khee road project, this report only focuses on forest and wildlife related issues and the broader fragmentation impacts this road will have on the landscape. WWF recognizes that many social issues related to the road construction, including poor consultations, inadequate or lack of compensation, road safety issues and loss of livelihoods are yet to be resolved and should be further studied and addressed. That is, however, beyond the scope of this technical report assessing impacts on forest and wildlife from the Dawei-Htee Khee road..."
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2019-07-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 1.89 MB
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Description: "2017 has been a year of considerable progress in the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape (DTL). This report highlights WWF’s successes on the Myanmar side of the landscape, and demonstrates how donor support is helping us to setup and develop projects that are and will continue to contribute to the overall goals for this vast and ecologically rich landscape. Across the board, WWF is working to show the significance of the DTL and to protect it. Biodiversity surveys have shown that key species including tiger and Asian elephant roam the DTL’s critical corridors, demonstrating to partners this landscape’s biodiversity values. Four Wildlife Protection Units (WPUs) have been established to enhance the protection of these animals and the areas in which they live. Together with partner organisations, a project collaboration has been established, leading to the development of a land use and management plan for the Tanintharyi Landscape Corridor which will secure its vital long-term protection. As funding for the landscape programme has also increased, WWF has now secured crucial support for the protection and effective management of the proposed Tanintharyi National Park. WWF’s signing of an MoU with the Karen National Union exemplifies the strong partnerships that are being developed in the DTL, and our growing credibility has enabled us to secure funding to begin rubber-focussed conservation work. The DTL is an inherently transboundary landscape, straddling the Myanmar-Thailand border. Critical corridors enable the free movement of key populations of terrestrial species. For example, where Thailand has lost its forested corridor connecting Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex (KKFC) to the Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM), connectivity between these two significant forested areas is preserved by the Tanintharyi Landscape Corridor on Myanmar’s side of the DTL. Species moving between the two forest complexes have no choice but to move back and forth over the border. This is a critical moment for progress in this spectacular landscape. Though we are at an early stage of engagement, funding has enabled us to embrace this key time frame, initiating and scaling up engagement whilst allowing us the flexibility to move on opportunities and deliver concrete support to local partners..."
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2018-08-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 2.55 MB
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Description: "This has been a year of results. From zero elephant rangers we now have 220 on the ground in our Central Elephant Landscape and have gone from one elephant poached per week, to one a month and now one every six months. We have achieved one of the toughest wildlife laws in Asia with a mandatory minimum three years imprisonment for poaching or trade of completely protected species and seen it implemented in the courts. Through the Voices for Momos campaign we have secured a ban on illegal wildlife sales in Yangon region. It has also been a year of challenges. The Dawei Road project has re-awoken and is pushing ahead with potential devastating impacts to a critical tiger corridor. Conversations around dams are becoming louder and more frequent and everyone is aware of the challenges Myanmar is facing in its transition to democracy. To meet these challenges we are expanding our presence with offices now in Naypyidaw, Hpa-An, Dawei and Yangon, and work focused across three landscapes –Dawna Tenasserim, Central Elephant and Ayeyarwady. Our work in natural resource protection and management is investment in the peace, stability, and prosperity of an entire nation. This is evidenced in our Dawna Tenasserim projects where we are working alongside returning Karen refugees supporting livelihoods through a sustainable, inclusive, landscape approach. Now more than ever we need to ensure Myanmar’s natural heritage remains and underpins sustainable, inclusive development for the good of all its people..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
2018-11-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 2.61 MB
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Description: "Biodiversity and linked natural resources and ecosystem services in Myanmar provide the foundation for human development and well-being. Ecosystem health equates to human health and productive economic sectors and livelihoods. Maintenance and enhancement of ecosystem health is a prerequisite for sustainable, resilience and acceptable hydropower development. This chapter provides a national overview of the status and trends in biodiversity, identifying some of the main themes and issues, and the drivers of change which are shaping ecosystem health and their capacity to maintain ecosystem services. A summary of baseline biodiversity in the eight main river basins1 in Myanmar is presented. Important spatial layers used to define and describe high priority biodiversity areas are ecoregions, Keys Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), Protected Areas (PAs) and biodiversity corridors. The chapter assesses the status of ecoregions that fall within each basin and the distribution of KBAs and PAs. Ecoregions, KBAs and PAs for each basin are analysed and mapped to describe the distribution of biodiversity areas by basin and for 58 sub-basins. Also, maps and plots are presented to visualize key trends in forest degradation over the past 15 years as a foundation indicator for trends in biodiversity health overall - ie in species, habitats and genetic resources. For each basin, a line plot of cumulative forest loss was derived using data from Hansen et al., (2013)2 , where forest loss was determined for open forest (greater than 10% and less than or equal to 40% canopy cover), medium-closed canopy cover (more than 40% and less than or equal to 80% canopy cover), and intact forest (greater than 80% canopy cover). Maps and tables are supplemented with descriptions of the biodiversity status of each basin, along with drivers of change. Each basin biodiversity profile highlights key PAs that fall within basin boundaries, as a way drilling down so that overall trends are illustrated through location specific case examples. While this chapter is intended as a baseline of terrestrial biodiversity for later assessment of planned hydropower projects, it provides a baseline to inform biodiversity conservation and development planning across all sectors. Hydropower development could play a very important role in supporting the Government of Myanmar implement the Aichi targets on biodiversity conservation. The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity Conservation, held in October 2010, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, adopted a revised and updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, for the 2011-2020 period. As Myanmar is a party to the Convention, this Plan provides an overarching framework on biodiversity management as a foundation for sustainable development and livelihoods and for community and ecosystem wellbeing. At this outset of this baseline assessment chapter on biodiversity it is important to keep a number of the Aichi Biodiversity targets in mind as a framework for analysis and assessment throughout the SEA. Relevant targets include: • Target 5: By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced. • Target 6: By 2020 all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested sustainably, legally and applying ecosystem based approaches, so that overfishing is avoided, recovery plans and measures are in place for all depleted species, fisheries have no significant adverse impacts on threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries on stocks, species and ecosystems are within safe ecological limits..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Bank
2019-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 4.03 MB
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Description: "Frank Momberg, FFI’s Myanmar Country Programme Director lived in Indonesia for almost 20 years and moved to Myanmar about four years ago. He has been with FFI for almost 14 years, living and working in most of the Asia-Pacific programme countries.Frank details how FFI’s programme is developing a conservation infrastructure at both grass roots, regional and national levels in Myanmar, with the aim of establishing a protected area network that spans mountain forests, wetlands, coastal mangrove forests and coral reefs..."
Source/publisher: Fauna & Flora International Events
2015-06-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "TODAY MYANMAR - Biodiversity Conservation in Ayeyarwaddy River Valley..."
Creator/author: Nanda Han, Swam Lin Maung, May Nwe Aeint, Zaw Min Aung
Source/publisher: mitv
2018-03-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: "... Without local support, the long-term existence of PAs is not assured (Wells and McShane 2004). Local people are unlikely to support PAs if they have negative perceptions and attitudes toward them (Alkan et al. 2009). An attitude is a cognitive evaluation of a particular entity with favor or disfavor, and it reflects the beliefs that people hold about the attitude object or entity (Eagly and Chaiken 1998). Beliefs are the associations that people establish between the attitude object and various attributes (Allendorf 2007). Attitudes toward PAs, conservation, or wildlife may be influenced by PA staff or management interventions, local economic needs and history, or other indirectly related socioeconomic factors such as government policy. The cognitions or thoughts that are associated with attitudes are typically termed beliefs by attitude theorists (Eagly and Chaiken 1998). Perception refers to people?s beliefs that derive from their experiences and interaction with a program or activity. Xu et al. (2006) argue that local people?s perceptions are related to costs and benefits produced by PAs, their dependence on PA resources, and their knowledge about PAs. The influences of socioeconomic characteristics on local people?s perceptions and attitudes toward an adjacent PA are often site-specific and inconsistent (Allendorf et al. 2006; Baral and Heinen 2007; Mehta and Heinen 2001; Rao et al. 2003; Shibia 2010; Shrestha and Alavalapati 2006; Xu et al. 2006). Some studies report that education is a strong predictor of attitude (Allendorf et al. 2006; Mehta and Heinen 2001; Shibia 2010; Shrestha and Alavalapati 2006; Xu et al. 2006), while others have found no correlation between educational status and people?s perceptions and attitudes (Baral and Heinen 2007; Mehta and Heinen 2001). Mehta and Heinen (2001), Allendorf et al. (2006), and Xu et al. (2006) reported that women were less likely to hold positive attitudes, whereas Baral and Heinen (2007) and Shibia (2010) found no correlation between gender and attitude. Allendorf et al. (2006) and Shrestha and Alavalapati (2006) found that individuals from larger families have negative attitudes to PAs, whereas Xu et al. (2006) reported that individuals from larger families hold positive attitudes toward PAs. Jim and Xu (2002) and Alkan et al. (2009) argue that local people?s perceptions and attitudes are shaped by their knowledge about the neighboring PA. This knowledge might include objectives, activities, size, regulations, or location of the boundary of PAs (Jim and Xu 2002; Rao et al. 2003; Xu et al. 2006). The knowledge is gained empirically through one?s perceptions, and it is the recognition of something sensed or felt (Ziadat 2010). It is important to investigate whether more knowledge of PAs would be associated with positive perceptions and attitudes toward them. We examined the effects of both knowledge and socioeconomic factors on the perceptions and attitudes of local people toward Popa Mountain Park, in central Myanmar, and its management through a questionnaire survey. Myanmar is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world, and its PAs play a crucial role in conserving the country?s rich biodiversity (Myers et al. 2000). During the last 10 years the number of protected areas in Myanmar has increased from 20 to 42, covering 7.3% of total land area of the country (Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division 2008). The Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD) of the Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry, is mainly responsible for PA management in Myanmar. Generally, PAs in Myanmar can be categorized into national park, marine park, wildlife sanctuary, nature reserve, and zoo park. Although Myanmar?s PAs do not fully conform to PA categories of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are most similar to IUCN category IV (Aung 2007). Myanmar?s PA management rules and regulations prohibit local people from using resources within PAs. Conflicts arise as local people often have no other source of resource than the PA. Rao, Rabinowitz, and Khaing (2002) reported that nontimber forest products were extracted from 85% and fuelwood was collected from more than 50% of PAs in Myanmar. The mean annual population growth rate is 2.1% (Central Statistics Organisation 2006) and is highest in rural areas where most Myanmar PAs are located. Population increase is linked to an increase in the number of people seeking land for grazing, collecting fuelwood, and extracting timber and other forest products. The rapid growth of PAs and the huge pressures placed on them by the increasing human population are a great challenge for sustainable PA management. Popa Mountain Park (PMP) possesses a diverse forest ecosystem in central Myanmar where most forests have already disappeared. PMP was selected for the present study for two reasons: (1) a historic relationship between PMP and local communities and (2) high people?s pressure on the park resulting from the high population density together with resource scarcity in the surrounding area. The Forest Department has had great success in the reforestation of Popa Mountain, which is a high priority for forest conservation. It is important to understand local people?s perceptions and attitudes toward PMP for its sustainability. The objectives of the present study were (1) to examine the responses of local people toward the park and its management and (2) to study how local people?s perceptions and attitudes toward the PA and its management relate to their socioeconomic status and knowledge about the park..."
Creator/author: Naing Zaw Htun, Nobuya Mizoue, Shigejiro Yoshida
Source/publisher: Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF)
2015-10-13
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 351.69 KB
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Description: "... From grassroots conservation projects to international committees on the environment, women are often underrepresented in the conservation process (Deda and Rubian 2004; Sodhi et al. 2010). Women?s participation is often limited to awareness-raising activities and labor contribution projects (Arya 2007). In their review of implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Deda and Rubian (2004) conclude that greater efforts must be made to address the gender disparity in biodiversity conservation policy and actions. Positive relationships between local residents and protected areas are critical to the long-term successful conservation of protected areas. Ensuring that women?s perspectives are included in our understanding of those relationships is not only an important component of a fair and inclusive conservation process, but also has positive practical implications for conservation of protected areas. On one hand, this is because protected areas can disproportionately impact women. For example, women have been shown to bear a greater share of the psychological and physical costs of wildlife conflicts in India (Ogra 2008). If these differences are not recognized, women may receive fewer direct benefits from conservation and be left bearing more costs (Hunter et al. 1990). On the other hand, women can make significant contributions to conservation. Westermann et al. (2005) found in natural resource management groups in 20 countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia, that collaboration, solidarity, and conflict resolution were greater in groups where women were present. In Nepal and India, Agarwal (2009) found that greater women?s participation in forestry groups was correlated with better forest condition, in terms of both conservation and regeneration, and increased forest patrolling and rule compliance. Unfortunately, our understanding of gender in the context of people?s attitudes toward protected areas (PAs) is limited. Many studies limit their sample to household heads, who are most often men (e.g., Tessema et al. 2010; Vodouheˆ et al. 2010), or do not break down results by gender (e.g., Silori 2007; Rinzin et al. 2009). Studies that include gender as one of many socioeconomic characteristics that may influence people?s relationships with PAs, along with others such as education and wealth, have had mixed results. Some studies find that men have more positive attitudes toward specific protected areas (Mehta and Heinen 2001; Xu et al. 2006; King and Peralvo 2010), some find women more positive (Arjunan et al. 2006), and some find no difference (Bauer 2003; Carrus et al. 2005; Wang et al. 2006; Baral and Heinen 2007; Ferreira and Freire 2009). As described earlier, studies examine the role of gender in conservation without attention to attitudes toward protected areas or they explore the determinants of attitudes toward protected areas without a focus on gender. To our knowledge, however, there are no studies that focus on the effect of gender on attitudes toward protected areas. Thus, this article contributes to the literature by directly examining gender differences in local residents? perceptions of protected areas in Myanmar. We explore whether men and women differ in their attitudes toward the protected areas and perceptions of protected area benefits and problems. Then we explore whether gendered differences in perceptions and socioeconomic characteristics account for any difference in women?s and men?s attitude toward the protected areas..."
Creator/author: Teri D. Allendorf, Keera Allendorf
Source/publisher: University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois
2015-10-13
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 599.02 KB
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Description: "... Protected areas (PAs) are important tools for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. PAs safeguard ecosystems and their services, such as water provision, food production, carbon sequestration and climate regulation, thus improving people?s livelihoods. They preserve the integrity of spiritual and cultural values placed by indigenous people on wild areas and offer opportunities of inspiration, study and recreation. Due to a long period of isolation, Myanmar has conserved an extraordinary natural and cultural heritage that is in part represented in its protected area system. The expansion of agriculture and industry, pollution, population growth, along with uncontrolled use and extraction of resources, are causing severe environmental and ecosystem degradation. Loss of biodiversity is the most pressing environmental problem because species extinction is irreversible. Realising the urgency of Myanmar environmental challenges, several stakeholders, at national, international and regional level, have committed to support conservation and management of PAs. However, baseline information on natural resources, threats, management, staff, infrastructure, land use, tourism and research in Myanmar PAs was hardly ever updated and not systematically organised, thus limiting the subsequent planning and management of resources. Therefore, the aim of this publication is twofold: to raise awareness on the condition of the conservation of PAs and to mobilise national and international support for cost-effective initiatives, innovative approaches and targeted research in priority sites. The document provides background information on Myanmar natural features, environmental, government and non-government frameworks (Chapter 1). The core section makes available the information retrieved in the period 2009-2010 on the status of Myanmar PAs (Chapter 2) and the results of the research conducted in Lampi Island Marine National Park (Chapter 3) and Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range Wildlife Reserve (Chapter 4). Data collection, analysis and organisation were part of the larger Myanmar Environmental Project (MEP) managed by Istituto Oikos in partnership with BANCA. Conclusion and recommendations for the management of Myanmar PAs (Chapter 5) were jointly formulated by stakeholders during the MEP closing workshop held on March 17th 2011 in Yangon. The information presented in this publication is also organised in a database available to stakeholders that will be updated with new data provided by PA managers, academic institutions, environmental organisations and community-based groups working in Myanmar PAs to fill the existing gaps..."
Creator/author: Lara Beffasti, Valeria Galanti, Tint Tun
Source/publisher: Istituto Oikos, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)
2011-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 6.1 MB
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Description: ဤနိုးဆော်မှုများသည် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ ရေရှည်တည်တံ့ခိုင်မြဲသော ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေး ကဏ္ဍများတွင်ပါဝင်မည့် အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ တသီးပုဂ္ဂလများအတွက် အချက်အလက်ရင်းမြစ်များပင် ဖြစ်သည်။ ဤအချက်အလက် ရင်းမြစ်များသည် ရေရှည်တည်တံ့ခိုင်မြဲသောဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေးအယူအဆ၊ မြန်မာ အစိုးရ၏ တာဝန်ဝတ္တရားများနှင့် ဆောင်ရွက်ရန်ရှိသည့်အချက်အလက်များကိုဖော်ပြသည်။ ရေရှည်တည်တံ့ခိုင်မြဲသောဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေးသည် နိုင်ငံ၏သဘာဝသယံဇာတအရင်းအမြစ်နှင့် ပတ်ဝန်းကျင်ကို ထိခိုက်ပျက်စီးစေမှု မရှိဘဲ လူသားတို့၏လိုအပ်ချက်၊ အထူးသဖြင့် အမှန်တကယ်အကာအကွယ့်မဲ့ဒုက္ခရောက်လျက်ရှိသော လူမှုအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၏ လိုအပ်ချက်ကို တိုက်ရိုက်အကျိုးသက်ရောက်စေမည့် ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေး ဖြစ်သည်။ ရေရှည်တည်တံ့ခိုင်မြဲသော ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေးသည် သဘာဝကမ္ဘာမြေကြီး နှင့် လူနေထိုင်မှုဘဝတို့ကို ကဏ္ဍပေါင်းစုံဖြင့် ဆက်စပ်လျက်ရှိသည်။ ကဏ္ဍပေါင်းစုံဟုဆိုရာတွင် ဇီဝမျိုးကွဲများ (သဘာဝပတ်ဝန်းကျင်အတွင်း ကွဲပြားမှုအမျိုးမျိုး)၊ မြေယာ (သတ္တုတွင်းတူးဖော်ခြင်း အပါအဝင်)၊ သစ်တောများ၊ စိုက်ပျိုးရေး၊ ရေ၊ စွမ်းအင်နှင့် စီးပွားရေးတို့ဖြစ်သည်။...
Source/publisher: Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG)
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf
Size: 5.57 MB
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Description: "... This is a resource for organisations and individuals advocating about sustainable development issues in Burma. This resource provides information about the concept of sustainable development and about the government of Burma?s commitments and responsibilities when it comes to sustainable development. Sustainable development is development that does not damage the environment or the country?s natural resources, and that meets people?s needs, including the needs of the most vulnerable communities. Sustainable development relates to many aspects of the natural world and of people?s lives. These aspects include: biodiversity (variety in the natural environment), land (including mining), forests, agriculture, water, energy, and the economy..."
Source/publisher: Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG)
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.71 MB
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Description: Ndai gaw uhpung uhpawng ni hte tinghkrai hku nna myen mung Kata n amazing bawng ring lam a matu sut nhprang laika rai nga ai. Ndai sut nhprang laika gaw, matut manoi kyem mazing bawng ring masa a shiga hte dai mazing bawng ring lam galaw sa wa yang myen mungdan a ap nawng ai hte lit la ai shiga hpe jaw nga ai. Madi shadaw kyem mazing bawng ring masa gaw makau grup yin hpe n jahten shaza ai (sh) mungdan a shingra nhprang sut rai hpe n jahten ai bawngring lam rai nna grau jahten shaza hkrum ai shinggyim uhpawng ni mada? shawa masha ni hta ra ai lam ni hpe jahkum shatsup ya nga ai. Kawn” mazing bawng ring lam gaw shingra mungkan hte shinggyim masha ni a asak hkrung lam hta na nsam maka law law hte matut mahkai nga ai. Ndai nsam maka kumla ni hta lawm ai gaw sakhkrung hpan hkum (grup yin nga ai arai amyu baw hkum sumhpa), lamu ga (ja maw, sut nhprang maw ni lawm ai), nam maling hkai sun, hka tsam n-gun hte sut masa ni rai nga ma ai.
Source/publisher: Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG)
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Kachin
Format : pdf
Size: 869.11 KB
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Description: "... This is a resource for organisations and individuals advocating about sustainable development issues in Burma. This resource provides information about the concept of sustainable development and about the government of Burma?s commitments and responsibilities when it comes to sustainable development. Sustainable development is development that does not damage the environment or the country?s natural resources, and that meets people?s needs, including the needs of the most vulnerable communities. Sustainable development relates to many aspects of the natural world and of people?s lives. These aspects include: biodiversity (variety in the natural environment), land (including mining), forests, agriculture, water, energy, and the economy..."
Source/publisher: Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG)
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Shan
Format : pdf
Size: 1.28 MB
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Description: "... Officials of Myanmar recognize that with a certain development in the country, deforestation, water pollution and other adverse environmental conditions may have occurred, though off the record, from various economic and industrial sectors. Like elsewhere in the world, the demands of a growing population and a market-oriented economy have altered consumption patterns and infringed on natural resources. In the effort to keep a balance between development and environment, Myanmar has made efforts and will have to sustain them to protect the environment. Whatever the awareness and commitment, the efforts may not be perfect in achieving this comprehensive task; there is strength and so are the weaknesses. This paper is to track down the success in this aspect and identify the challenges that may be awaiting..."
Creator/author: Myo Nyunt
Source/publisher: Yangon Technical University
2008-06-17
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 159.99 KB
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Description: "... The survey on the Hoolock Gibbon and biodiversity was conducted by the Karen Environmental Social Action Network (KESAN), with technical support from the People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF). Funding was provided to the PRCF by the Gibbon Conservation Alliance. The survey is a contribution to the project Myanmar Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Status Review project, which is jointly implemented by the PRCF, Fauna & Flora International (FFI), and the Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA). Methods and approach are generally speaking those being adopted for the Status Review, to allow comparison between all survey sites throughout Myanmar..."
Creator/author: Saw Blaw Htoo, Mark E Grindley
Source/publisher: Karen Environmental Social Action Network (KESAN)
2010-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.77 MB
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Description: "... Myanmar is a predominantly agricultural country in Mekong River Basin, also known as Burma, the second largest country in mainland South-East Asia, known as the ??Asia?s Barn?? in the past years, once the world?s largest exporter of rice. Myanmar is a resource-rich country that has abundant arable land, timber, mineral resources, natural gas and oil, which made it one of the best developing countries in South-East Asia until the early 1960s. Myanmar?s total area is 676 578 km2. Forest area is 317 730 km2, 48.32% of land area; other wooded land accounts for 30.59% of land area; other land accounts for 21.09% of land area, and inland water area is 19 030 km2 (FAO, 2010). Extensive changes in altitude and latitude produced a seemingly unparalleled abundance of habitats and species. Myanmar occupied completely or partially nine of the Global 200 Eco-regions (Olson and Dinerstein, 2002). Indo-Burma includes most of Myanmar is described as one of the eight hottest biodiversity hotspots (Myers et al., 2000). There is no doubt that Myanmar has an unmatched level of biological diversity. Myanmar has 7000 plant species, has 1027 known bird species, 4 of which are endemic, and 19 others are restricted range birds. Myanmar is also home to 300 known species of mammals, 425 reptile and amphibian species, and 350 freshwater fish, especially the endangered species such as the one-horned rhinoceros, the Irrawaddy Dolphin and the Gurney?s Pitta (BEWG, 2011)..."
Creator/author: Changjian Wang, Fei Wang, Qiang Wang, Degang Yang, Lianrong Li, Xinlin Zhang
Source/publisher: Chinese Academy of Sciences
2012-11-09
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 233.71 KB
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Description: "... Pyoe Pin is a programme aimed at strengthening civil society in Myanmar. The programme is supported by DFID, the British Department for International Cooperation and implemented through the British council in partnership with local NGOs. Community Forestry (CF) is a key element of the programme, as it is seen as pathway to increasing the participation of civil society in influencing policy and practice with regards to communities. access and sustainable use of forestry land. CF can also improve forestry conservation and enhance the livelihoods of communities. CF has been a national development tool since 1995, when the Ministry of Forestry issued instructions for the issuing of Community Forest certificates. In Kachin state in northern Myanmar bordering China, Pyoe Pin has been working with two local NGOs (ECODEV and Shalom Foundation), who are in turn engaging with forest villages, to increase their awareness of appropriate forest usage and management, through assisting these communities to apply for community forest certificates. These certificates provide community rights to forest products and tenure for 30 years. Working through 120 villages, 54 Forest User Groups (FUGs) consisting of about 40,000 people have been created, who are replanting degraded forest areas, and also balancing their livelihood needs with greater understanding of sustainability. So far, 31,445 acres have been prepared for CF, but aside from 3000 of these acres, the rest has not yet been granted the lease, largely a result of lack of institutional support for this process as government prioritizes commercial allocations of land over community allocations for CF. As yet, CF has not shown significant direct economic impacts, but it is hoped that income from forest products, produced by and for the communities engaged, will have an impact on the incomes of the communities and households involved. One of the challenges has been how to increase the commercial viability and impact of CF by bringing greater alignment between commercial and community priorities. Some parts of the CF Instruction have hindered the maximization of economic benefits that can be gained by CF as they limit community rights to harvesting and selling at minimal levels. In addition, both private sector and Government have not considered CF as a potential partner for sourcing raw materials. But the environment is ripe for undertaking analysis and piloting of alternative models. There is a new Minister of Forestry, formerly head of Myanmar Timber Enterprise, who has experience in extensive forest-based commercial ventures. In addition, a recent national CF workshop was the first of the kind to bring experts from around the region to discuss findings from a national-level appraisal of CF in Myanmar since inception 15 years ago. In this context, Pyoe Pin envisages to develop a pilot project that will seek to demonstrate: 1. the value of CF as a real national development tool for the poorest communities, and to increase institutional support for its realization. 2. CF can be a commercially viable business partner for private sector 3. that it is important that communities who apply for CF status should be supported with the expedient granting of leases 4. that CF Instructions need to be revised to allow communities to commercialize their CF Towards these objectives, Pyoe Pin started to identify CF products that could have the greatest market potential and feasibility of being taken up by community forestry, which can then supply the products to larger domestic and possibly even international markets. An initial brainstorming session with foresters from NGOs and research institutes and businessmen from the Timber Market Association in December 2010 identified a preliminary shortlist of forest products. This selection was mainly based on secondary sources of information on market potential to help narrow down a more appropriate list for additional value-chain analysis..."
Creator/author: Foppes, J., Moe Aung, Paing Soe
Source/publisher: Pyoe Pin
2011-09-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.26 MB
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Description: "... Inle Lake situated in Southern Shan State is well known by local populace and foreign visitors for the natural beauty of the lake waters, surrounding mountain ranges, tomato floating gardens and leg rowers of boats. The lake plays a vital role for the ecosystem and economy of Shan State, providing many important goods and services for the communities. It is an ASEAN heritage site and also on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is the main water source for Lawpita hydroelectricity power plant, a major tourist attraction site and a habitant for rich biodiversity and traditional culture. The lake is now facing devastating effects of unsustainable practices in forestry, agriculture and fishing activities. The situation is accelerated by impact of climate change. Water surface area and sanitation is decreasing, fish and plant species are disappearing at a fast rate while water hyacinth species are increasing, blocking water ways and dominating other useful water cress that farmers use for building floating gardens. Therefore with the collaboration of Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF), UNDP and UNESCO, a fund has been provided from Norwegian Government to implement conservation and rehabilitation activities in the area. UNDP acting as the funding agency is working together with implementing partners to restore the area with the assistance of local communities. Due to the need of the communities, organic farming and market linkages activity has been implemented by Doe Taung Thu, a local non-government organization. For Organic farming, farmers have been trained in compost making, vermiculture, production of agriculture organic inputs such as natural pesticides, plant juice, fruit juice containing indigenous micro-organisms. With these products farmers are utilizing natural resources in the area. In addition an attempt is made to utilize water hyacinth for agricultural use. Objectives  To collect water hyacinth from water ways and shred into small pieces for compost making  To decrease water hyacinth in the lake and clear water ways for easy access to villages  To use shredded water hyacinth for mulching crops in a form of composting  To conserve moisture in soil by mulching, protect soil erosion and slow down rain run off so that moisture can penetrate deep down to the roots  To prevent rain splashing onto leaves and minimize leaf diseases  To suppress weeds and minimize weeding  To use chopped water hyacinth to feed earth worms  To increase chicken and duck feed for communities..."
Creator/author: Heather Morris, U Myint Zaw
Source/publisher: Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF)
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 404.88 KB
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Description: "... The first commercial small-scale oil palm plantations were introduced to Myanmar in 1926 covering 120 ha. In the 1980?s the European Economic Community and Swiss government implemented a palm oil project to stimulate growth in the sector. As of 2014 401,813 ha have been allocated and 134,539 ha planted. The government target is to plant 282,470 ha by 2030. The land is allocated to 44 companies, comprising 43 local companies and one Foreign Direct Investment. Three foreign companies have joint-ventures with local companies. Although much land is now planted, there appears to be significant scope to improve yields with better technical capacity and planting material. Down-stream, there are five mills owned by three companies with crude palm oil (CPO) processing capacity varying from 1.5 to 60 tonnes of fresh fruit bunch per hour (Zaw Win, 2014). Expansion of mills currently faces financing constraints. The main driver for expansion is to meet domestic demand for edible oil; there are 60 million people in Myanmar consuming 400-500,000 metric tonnes of edible oil (palm oil, sesame and ground nut). Myanmar is importing palm oil; in 2012 this was 330,000 metric tonnes with a value of $376 million from Indonesia and Malaysia. Self sufficiency in edible palm oil is a national target, but local production is currently dwarfed by these imports. Oil palm plantations in Myanmar are principally found within a narrow belt of coastal lowlands in Myeik and Kawthaung Districts (Figure 1). Donald et al. 2014 report that potential productivity in this area is low by international standards (Figure 2) due to climatic conditions. As a contribution to assessing the long term commercial viability of Myanmar?s oil palm industry, as well as its social and environmental impacts, we surveyed the agroecological conditions where it presently occurs and where it could be further developed. The Agritech Portal of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University states that, ?Oil palm requires evenly distributed annual rainfall [of at least] 2000 mm without a defined dry season. In areas with a dry spell, deep soil with high water holding capacity and a shallow water table augmented with copious irrigation will satisfy the water requirement of the oil palm. ?Temperature can be a limiting factor for oil palm production. Best oil palm yields are obtained in places where a maximum average temperature of 29o-33oC and minimum average temperature of 22o-24oC are available. Higher diurnal temperature variation causes floral abortion in regions with a dry season.” Within Myanmar, annual rainfall, the presence of a distinct dry season (Figure 3) and elevation (an indicator of local variation in diurnal temperature range) already limit the area suitable for plantations. Sandy loam soils restrict the potential for irrigation and make the requirements for fertilizer high. Across the entire country, the duration and reliability of the wet season has decreased as climate variability has increased, and this trend is likely to continue..."
Creator/author: Stuart M. Sheppard, Earl C. Saxon
Source/publisher: Forest Inform/Fauna & Flora International (FFI)
2014-06-17
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.08 MB
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Description: "... Mangrove forests are one of the most valuable, thriving, and diverse ecosystems on the planet, but they are becoming increasingly exploited and mismanaged (Lee 1999; Giri et al. 2008). In Myanmar, many of these mangrove stands flourished for centuries, virtually untouched until extensive deforestation began in the late 1970?s. At the time there was no legislation to promote sustainable forest management, and as a result the forests were depleted at alarming rates. During the 1990?s, multiple environmental acts were passed to help regulate tree harvesting processes, including the 1992 Forest Law and the 1995 Forest Policy, but they were only mildly successful and difficult to enforce (Oo 2002). The 2000?s brought a new chapter as Myanmar?s expanding economy and lifted political embargos created an explosion of infrastructure and agriculture, once again encroaching on the mangrove?s habitat. Even with the increasing development and encroachment on mangroves, Myanmar?s long state of isolation has made it one of the most species rich countries in all of South-east Asia, and is considered to be one of the last strongholds for large mammals such as tigers and elephants (Leimgruber etal. 2005). In a country with such rich biodiversity and a large dependence on natural resources for income, fuel, and food, preserving Myanmar?s mangroves and raising awareness about sustainability has become a national priority. This study mapped the spatial extent of three main mangrove regions along the coast of Myanmar during 2000 and 2013, including the Ayeyarwardy Delta, Rakhine and Tanintharyi regions (Oo 2002). The three regions are spread along the coast and vary in population density, which provides a valuable comparison among the regions as to how human and economic pressures can affect mangroves. The Ayeyarwady Delta is centrally located and has the highest population density, followed by Rakhine to the north, and the most remote region being the Tanintharyi to the south. A land change model was then used to produce change maps between 2000 and 2013 and project mangrove coverage to the year 2030 to help resource managers and policy makers craft future decisions. Once the mangroves were classified and projected, SRTM data were used to derive tree canopy heights and biomass estimations using allometric equations. Mangroves in Myanmar house thriving biodiversity and provide citizens with essential natural products such as food, firewood, and construction materials (Oo 2002). This ecological forecasting project helped the Myanmar government visualize and quantify their current largest mangrove areas, as well as shed light on the success of previous preservation efforts that may influence future conservation strategies. This project ultimately allowed important decision makers to assess the negative impacts that have occurred due to the deforestation and degradation of mangrove ecosystems. To successfully implement this study and its findings, Dr. Peter Leimgruber and Ellen Aiken at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute were irreplaceable as they officially handed off the project and its decision making tools to the Myanmar Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Forestry. The project will serve as a valuable reference for efficiently allocating resources and man power, while adapting new management strategies to the changing mangrove landscape..."
Creator/author: Samuel J. Weber, Louis Keddell, Mohammed Kemal
Source/publisher: NASA
2014-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.64 MB
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Description: "... Extremely rapid growth in Chinese imports of ?redwood?, ?rosewoods? or ?Hongmu? timbers from Myanmar in the past two years is directly driving increased illegal and unsustainable logging, posing a real threat to governance, the rule of law and the viability Myanmar?s dwindling forests. EIA research shows that, based on current trends, the two most targeted Hongmu species in Myanmar - tamalan and padauk - could be logged to commercial extinction in as little as three years. With financial rewards for illegal loggers and timber smugglers dwarfing traditional incomes, and evidence of corruption facilitating illegal business, Myanmar?s domestic controls will be unable to effectively stem illegal trade. Myanmar urgently needs to engender legal reciprocity from strategic timber trade partners, particularly China, to ensure Myanmar?s forestry and trade laws are respected along its land border. In the absence of laws prohibiting illegal timber in China, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) presents the most immediate and effective mechanism to secure China?s respect for Myanmar?s forestry and trade laws. The Myanmar Government should seek CITES Appendix III protection for its at-risk Hongmu species ? Dalbergia oliveri / bariensis (tamalan) and Pterocarpus macrocarpus (padauk) - at the soonest opportunity to ensure trade is in line with sustainable exploitation of existing standing stocks. The CITES community should assist Myanmar in both instituting and enforcing CITES listings for these key species, and in seeking regional Appendix II listings by the 17th CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP17) in 2016. Enhancing the capacity of Myanmar?s existing CITES Management and Scientific Authorities will be an important element of this work...."
Source/publisher: EIA
2014-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.35 MB
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Description: "Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to Myanmar, as well as objectives and methodology of the NBSAP. In Chapter 2, a detailed description about the diversity in ecosystems, habitats and species in Myanmar is presented, including the indication on species? status as being endemic, threatened or invasive. Chapter 3 discusses the background of national policies, institutions and legal frameworks applicable to biodiversity conservation in Myanmar. Chapter 4 analyses and highlights conservation priorities, major threats to the conservation of biodiversity as well as the important matter of sustainable and equitable use of biological resources in Myanmar. Chapter 5 presents the comprehensive national strategy and action plans for implementing biodiversity conservation in Myanmar within a 5-year framework that includes strengthening and expanding on priority sites for conservation, mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation in other sectors and policies, implementing of priority species conservation, supporting for more active participation of NGOs and other institutions in society towards biodiversity conservation, implementing actions towards biosafety and invasive species issues, strengthening legislative process for environmental conservation and enhancing awareness on biodiversity conservation. In this chapter, sustainable management of natural resources and development of ecotourism are also mentioned. Chapter 6 presents the required institutional mechanism for improving biodiversity conservation, the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation, as well as sustainability, of the NBSAP. It is trusted that the NBSAP provides a comprehensive framework for planning biodiversity conservation, management and utilization in a sustainable manner, as well as to ensure the long term survival of Myanmar?s rich biodiversity..."
Source/publisher: Republic of the Union of Myanmar
2011-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2014-06-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.84 MB
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Description: "...This report is composed of three main parts, providing the latest information on the country?s implementation on biodiversity conservation since the Fourth National Report in 2009. Part I provides the latest information on the Status, Trends and Threats to the different types of Biodiversity in Myanmar. Part II presents the current degreeof implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and the achievements of mainstreaming biodiversity into relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral strategies, plans and programmes. Finally, Part III examines the linkages and contribution of Myanmar?s NBSAP implementation towards the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the 2015 Targets of the Millennium Development Goals..."
Source/publisher: Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Republic of the Union of Myanmar
2014-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2014-06-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.71 MB
Local URL:
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Description: "Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to Myanmar, as well as objectives and methodology of the NBSAP. In Chapter 2, a detailed description about the diversity in ecosystems, habitats and species in Myanmar is presented, including the indication on species? status as being endemic, threatened or invasive. Chapter 3 discusses the background of national policies, institutions and legal frameworks applicable to biodiversity conservation in Myanmar. Chapter 4 analyses and highlights conservation priorities, major threats to the conservation of biodiversity as well as the important matter of sustainable and equitable use of biological resources in Myanmar. Chapter 5 presents the comprehensive national strategy and action plans for implementing biodiversity conservation in Myanmar within a 5-year framework that includes strengthening and expanding on priority sites for conservation, mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation in other sectors and policies, implementing of priority species conservation, supporting for more active participation of NGOs and other institutions in society towards biodiversity conservation, implementing actions towards biosafety and invasive species issues, strengthening legislative process for environmental conservation and enhancing awareness on biodiversity conservation. In this chapter, sustainable management of natural resources and development of ecotourism are also mentioned. Chapter 6 presents the required institutional mechanism for improving biodiversity conservation, the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation, as well as sustainability, of the NBSAP. It is trusted that the NBSAP provides a comprehensive framework for planning biodiversity conservation, management and utilization in a sustainable manner, as well as to ensure the long term survival of Myanmar?s rich biodiversity..."
Source/publisher: Republic of the Union of Myanmar
2011-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2014-06-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
Format : pdf
Size: 3.07 MB
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