Myanmar: Investment Opportunities in Biodiversity Conservation

This report is a valuable resource for donors, researchers, NGOs and anyone interested in conservation and
environmental issues. It appears at a time when the international donor community, and in particular the
European Union, has recognised both the need and the opportunity to promote conservation in Myanmar. In
October 2004, the EU adopted a revised policy on assistance to Burma/Myanmar, broadening its scope
beyond 'humanitarian' aid to include projects and programmes in support of "environmental protection, and in
particular programmes addressing the problem of non-sustainable, excessive logging resulting in
deforestation....to be implemented through UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and through
decentralised cooperation with local civilian administrations". The opportunities for conservation investment
are almost unlimited. This report is valuable both for prioritising the needs, and for promoting coordination so
that best practice can be shared. In addition to identifying the opportunities, this report outlines the challenges
and threats such as population pressure, poverty, land use policies, undervaluation of the environment, and a
lack of knowledge and understanding of existing biodiversity. These are problems common to many countries
in the region, and there is the scope to learn from good and bad experiences elsewhere. Those working on
conservation in other countries may, by reading this report, be prompted to share successful strategies that
could be applied here.
Britain is currently funding several conservation projects in Myanmar. These include support to the Wildlife
Conservation Society's work with the Forest Department to promote conservation in and around the three
protected areas of the Northern Forest Complex: Hkakaborazi National Park; Hukaung Valley Wildlife
Sanctuary; and Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary. The goal is to conserve biological and cultural diversity in the
northern forests region of Myanmar, and in particular the Tiger population, working on a management plan
which reflects the needs of the local population.
The British Government's Darwin Initiative has supported the joint work of the Harrison Institute and Yangon
University's Zoology Department to study limestone-karst-dependent bats in Kayin and Mon States. This has
identified several new species and strengthened the research capacity of the department. Darwin funding has
also supported Birdlife International's work with Myanmar NGO, the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation
Association (BANCA), to carry out field research, which has identified significant new populations of the
endangered Gurney's Pitta in Tanintharyi, and BANCA's work with the Forest Department and the local
population to promote conservation at Natmataung (Mount Victoria) National Park. The British Embassy and
Council have also included environmental issues in their training programmes, including for local journalists, to
raise public awareness and support for conservation.
Some have questioned spending on conservation at a time when many in Myanmar face a humanitarian crisis.
But conservation, whether it is focussed on protecting species, or on biodiversity corridors and hotspots, has
a positive knock-on effect on human livelihoods. To take just one example, bats are pollinators for many forest
trees, including fruit trees such as durian, as well as for mangroves, which provide the essential breeding ground
for fish and shrimp species, as well as protecting the land from erosion. By cataloguing, albeit briefly, the wealth
of the biodiversity in Myanmar, this report presents an opportunity to increase interest, pride and understanding
of its value amongst the people of Myanmar, from the top levels of government to the local grassroots communities.
This can only help promote conservation.
Myanmar: Investment Opportunities in Biodiversity Conservation
Vicky Bowman
British Ambassador
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