Myanmar Protected Areas: Context, Current Status ... - Istituto Oikos

4.3 Conclusions and recommendations
The study has achieved the objectives agreed among stakeholders.
In-depth Study of Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range Wildlife Reserve
A land cover map representing the different vegetation types covering the Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range
Wildlife Reserve and the surrounding areas is now available. Local stakeholders have the possibility
to use the maps and data produced during the present activity to conduct future activities and raise
awareness on the problems threatening ecosystem and biodiversity in relation to the generation of a
protected area.
Overall, it seems that from the 1974 this remote protected area has not undergone major changes
in terms of vegetation reduction and cannot be considered as a hot spot of degradation. Generally,
human activities are reduced inside the Wildlife Sanctuary compared with the surrounding areas and
the vegetation status seems to be better, even if it is subject to fragmentation mainly due to shifting
cultivation. Moreover, due to the high impact of the human activities all around the border, also the
protected area may be at risk for future encroachment due to agricultural expansion or commercial
plantation.
In this context it should be useful to quantify the human-pressure and potential future market which
may determine uncontrolled change in the protected area.
As well as the danger of encroachment, also the degradation of the remaining patches of forest owing
to over-exploitation of timber, fires started by people and soil erosion seem to be a major concern. Many
small landslides have been also detected on satellite images and during field survey, but they have not
been quantified. Creation of a buffer zone, accessibility tracks, elephant inventory, spring and water
points, should be evaluated in the future in order to generate a strategic and sustainable plan for the
development of the PA.
An interesting scientific point would be to evaluate the ecological/biological effect of the expansion
of Melocanna bambusoides, and to understand how much human activity is enhancing this process.
Also the impacts of this process on the wildlife could not been assessed in the present study, but they
are nevertheless of critical importance and should be investigated in the future. For example, the
population of wild elephants widely feeds on bamboos. At the same time, a population of Hoolock
Gibbons (Bunopithecus hoolock) seems to be present in the southern fringes of the Rakhine Yoma, and
for this monkey large patches of bamboo brakes are a barrier (Pers. comm., Gibbon Project from BANCA).
Overall a reduction of greenness was found using the satellite images and, although some trends can be
outlined, evergreen forests appear subject to degradation while bamboo formations increase in vigour.
Conclusion
144 145
L. Beffasti
5