Forest Resource Management of Myanmar Using GIS ... - APRSAF

Forest Resource Management
of Myanmar using GIS and Remote Sensing
U Myint Swe
Deputy Director
Planning and Statistics Division
Forest Department

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. FOREST RESOURCES
3. PROTECTED AREAS AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
4. APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING
5. SPACE-RELATED ACTIVITES
6. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
7. CONCLUSIONS
FIGURES
REFERENCES

1. INTRODUCTION
Location
Area
Latitudes
Longitudes
Total land area 676,577 km 2
Length (south to north)
Maximum width(west to east)
9° 30′ N and 28° 31′ N
92° 10′ E and 101° 10′ E
2,090 km
805 km
Climate
Temperature
Rainy season
Cold season
Hot season
Rainfall
Minimum rainfall
Maximum rainfall
25° C to 33° C
10° C to 25° C
32° C to 38° C
800 mm
5,000 mm

Figure 1.

2. FOREST RESOURCES
2.1 Forest Cover Status
Forest Cover Status in 2002
Figure 2.
Other
Lands
30.10%
Closed
Forests
37.38%
Forest
Fallows
1.77%
Shrubs
15.85%
Open
Forests
14.90%
Forest Cover Status in 2002
Closed Forest 37.38 %
Open Forests 14.90 %
Total Natural Forests 52.28 %
(Closed and Open Forests)
Shrubs 15.85 %
Forest Fallows 1.77 %
Other Lands 30.10 %
Forest Cover Appraisals
Year of Appraisal
% of Total Land
1925 65.8 %
1955 57.2 %
1975 52.7 %
1989 50.8 %
1997 52.3 %

2.2 Natural Forest Resources
• rich in forest resources
• about 7,000 plant species, of which 1,071 are endemic
• recorded vegetative species in Myanmar are:-
Big Tree 1,347
Small Tree 741
Bamboo 96
Shrub 1,696
Rattan 36
Orchid 841
• Out of 2,088 big and small trees, 85 species have been recognized
and accepted as multiple-used timber of good quality.

Major Forest Types
Hill and Temperate
Evergreen
25%
Tidal, Beach, Dune
and Swamp
4%
Tropical Evergreen
16%
Deciduous
Indaing Forest
5%
Dry
10%
Mixed Deciduous
38%

Major Forest Types in Myanmar
Figure 3.

Table 4. Forest Area by Type of Vegetation and Productivity
Closed broad-leaved Mangrove Bamboo
Conifers
Sr. Type of Productive Unproductive Total
No. Vegetation Forest (km 2 ) Forest (km 2 ) (km 2 )
1. Closed broad-leveled 206,550 119,080 325,630
2. Mangrove 3,820 4,030 7,850
3. Bamboo 9,630 - 9,630
4. Conifers 10,640 - 10,640
Total 230,640 123,110 353,750
Source: Planning and Statistics Division, FD.

Table 5. Volume by Type of Vegetation and Productivity
Closed broad-leaved Mangrove Conifers
Sr. Type of Productive Forest Unproductive Forest Total
No. Vegetation Total m 3 /ha Total m 3 /ha mil.m 3
(mil.m 3 ) (mil.m 3 )
1. Closed broad-leveled 1,859 90.0 357 30 2,216
2. Mangrove 12 30.6 4 10 16
3. Conifers 16 141.6 - - 16
Total 1,887 361 2,248
Source: Planning and Statistics Division, FD.

2.3 Permanent Forest Estate
A boundary pillar, demarcating a
reserved forest
Table 6 . Permanent Forest Estate
A double blaze for resource
security
Category Area(km 2 ) % of Total Land Area
Permanent Forest Estate 173,739 25.68
Reserved Forests 114,995 17.00
Protected Public Forests 26,799 3.96
Protected Areas System 31,945 4.72
Unclassified Forest Area 180,008 26.60
Total Forest Cover 353,747 52.28
Source: Planning and Statistics Division, FD.

2.4 Bamboo and Rattan Resources
Bamboo Resources
17 genera & 96 recorded bamboo species
Pure Bamboo Stands in Rakhine State
•Kayin-wa(Melocanna bambusoides) 8, 000 km 2
• Estimated growing stock
Pure Bamboo Stands in Tanintharyi Division
• Area 1,873 km 2
• Estimated growing stock
21.34 million metric tons
( 830, 000 metric tons of pulp annually)
6.09 million metric tons
( 247, 904 metric tons of pulp annually)
Stocking of Bamboos growing mixed with tree species
• Estimated growing stock
1.66 metric tons/ha to 8.71 metric tons/ha
Rattan Resources
36 rattan species

2.5 Forest Plantations
Teak Plantation
Pyinkado Plantation
Eucalyptus Plantation
Fuelwood Plantation
(Commercial)
(Commercial)
(Industrial)
(Local Supply)
Table 7. Areas and Percentages of Forest Plantations by Type by end 2002
Sr.No. Plantation Type Area (ha) % of Total Area
1. Commercial 418,550 55
2. Village Supply 201,577 26
3. Industrial 59,614 8
4. Watershed 87,756 11
Total 767,497 100
Source: Planning and Statistics Division, FD.

Table 8. Forest Plantations by Tree Species by end 2002
Sr.
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Tree Species Area (ha) % of total
area
Teak (Tectona grandis)
Pyinkado (Xylia kerri)
Padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus)
Pine (Pinus species)
Eucalyptus
Others
319,953
56,883
16,148
19,122
76,189
279,202
42
8
2
2
10
36
Total 767,497 100
Source: Planning and Statistics Division, FD.

2.6 Special Teak Plantation Programme
• launched a Special Teak Plantation Programme in
1998 in addition to the existing normal teak
plantation programme.
• The rotation is fixed at 40-year. The rotation is
structure with a series of 8 consecutive phases.
• Each phase, with the duration of 5 years, consists of
20 plantation centres.
• Each centre will establish 405 ha of teak
plantation annually and a total of 2,025 ha
would be planted by the end of the first
phase. Consequently, a total of 40,500 ha
would be planted by the end of the first
phase at 20 plantation centres.
• Therefore, the Special Teak Plantation
Programme would have completed the
establishment of teak plantations over and
area of 324,000 ha by the end of the 40-year
rotation.
Young teak plantation under
special programme

2.7 Local Distribution and Export of Teak and Other Hardwoods
Local Distribution (m 3 ) Export (m 3 )
Year
Teak Hardwoods Teak Hardwoods
Log Swan Log Swan Log Swan Log Swan
1992-1993 1,896 34,822 18,973 140,445 277,034 45,857 224,495 333
1993-1994 2,339 44,593 17,742 172,888 342,373 36,201 234,903 1,470
1994-1995 1,652 19,321 19,739 204,143 203,734 32,929 136,321 1,029
1995-1996 5,435 17,349 102,829 244,846 175,356 28,331 136,721 769
1996-1997 6,017 14,626 43,526 271,637 213,625 28,504 195,656 991
1997-1998 4,303 12,145 42,312 279,405 219,754 22,734 263,759 2,382
1998-1999 14,328 9,443 338,657 196,372 272,679 29,558 404,794 518
1999-2000 3,678 10,173 150,505 235,174 378,932 15,895 601,052 691
2000-2001 3,045 8,580 101,997 240,373 383,435 24,137 543,112 -
2001-2002 3,008 9,732 72,617 274,667 175,688 22,173 566,450 -
Source : Planning and Statistics Division, FD.

2.8 Small Timbers and Non-wood Forest Products (NWFPs)
The annual
production of
NWFPs is
controlled by the
FD with the
objective of
achieving
sustained
production.
Small timbers
and NWFPs
for sale
Table 10: Production of Small Timbers and Some NWFPs over the Last 6
Years
Sr.
Particular
2002
Unit 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
No. to to to to to to
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
Small Timbers
1 Post No.(,000) 131 127 156 175 341 360
(Teak & Non-teak)
2 Pole
No.(,000)
287 349 472 510 501 1,133
(Teak & Non-teak)
3 Firewood Cu.ton (,000) 17,275 17,616 18,388 18,580 18,972 19,384
4 Charcoal Cu.ton (,000)
73 145 223 182 223 260
Non-wood Forest
Products
5 Bamboo No.(million) 952 971 1,011 1,018 1,057 1,094
6 Rattan No.(million) 40 35 53 44 38 48
7 Cutch Viss a (,000) 171 304 226 242 363 273
8 Bark Viss (,000) 1910 1,145 2,582 1,703 1,696 1,530
9 Thanakha
b Viss (,000) 209 221 263 259 246 281
10 Thatch No.(million) 767 790 834 856 880 894
11 Indwe c Viss (,000) 219 162 228 259 221 247
12 Bat guano Viss (,000) 172 200 187 265 247 314
Source: Planning and Statistics Division, FD.
a = 1 viss is equivalent to 1.63 kg. , b = Limonia accidissima, Linn
c = Resin of Pentacme siamensis

3. PROTECTED AREAS AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
3.1 Wildlife Resources
Mammal 300
Reptile 360
Bird 1,000
Butterfly 1,200

3.2 Protected Areas Management
So far, 27 wildlife sanctuaries
and six parks, constituting
about 4.2% (30,000km 2 ) of the
total land area of the country
have been formed and
managed. In the long run, PAS
will be increased up to 10% of
the total land area. The Nature
and Wildlife Conversation
Division of FD is promoting the
PAS throughout the country.
Figure 4.
National Parks 4
Wildlife Parks 2
Wildlife Sanctuaries 27
Protected Wildlife Species
Totally protected species 98
Protected species 61
Seasonally protected species 15

4. APPLICATIONS OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING
• The Forest Department is one of the foremost organizations which
used aerial photographs for assessing the vegetative cover of the
Ayeyawady Delta Mangroves back in the 1920s.
• In Myanmar, Satellite Remote Sensing was first introduced in 1980 by
FAO/UNEP Project.
• With the financial assistance of the National Forest Management and
Inventory Project (MYA/85/003), a PC based Arc/Info GIS was
installed at the Forest Department in July 1993.

• PCI EASI/ PACE, a digital image processing system, was installed at the
Forest Department in early 1996 with the financial assistance of the
Watershed Management for Three Critical Areas Project (MYA/93/005).
• The global positioning systems (GISs) are mainly used for locating of ground
control points in the process of ground truthing in digital image processing.
The Magellan GPSs were used to record the locations of permanent sample
plots established in Sagaing Division in 1998-99.
Magellan GPS

4.1 Forestry Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing
Forestry applications of GIS and Remote Sensing are as follows:
(a) Forest Management
Statistics of forest cover, forest types, deforestation rate etc.
are essential data for forest management. These data are now
being secured applying on GIS and Remote Sensing.
(b) Watershed Management
Watersheds of all important dams and reservoirs are now in
Arc/Info format using the latest satellite data. Critical
watersheds are being mapped in 3D GIS. Data are distributed
to the field staff with required administrative layers.

(c) Desertification Combat
Although the Central Dryzone of Myanmar is a semi-arid region, the
situation is approaching to the desertification level. The Remote Sensing
and GIS Section of the Forest Department has done 1:50,000 scale
maps of current landuse, slope information, erosion susceptibility and
regeneration planning data for 10.52 million hectares of the area.
(d) Biodiversity Management
For the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division of the Forest
Department, the locations of the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks
are now available in Arc/Info format at 1:1,000,000 scale. The
vegetation layer for habitat mapping is supplied from current landuse
data.
(e) Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation
The Forest Department has assisted with its RS and GIS facilities to
carry out environmental impact assessment (EIA) operations in the
critical areas such as the TOTAL Gas Pipeline Project, Yeywa
Hydropower Project, Mekong River Basin etc.

4.2 Other Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing
Other applications of GIS and Remote Sensing are as follows: -
(a) Disaster Management
Flood control, flood monitoring, storm-warning etc. are
important matters for developing countries. Myanmar has a good stormwarning
system because of radar stations and Meteo Satellite data. But
in time of crisis like severe floods, optical satellite data are almost
useless. Radarsat is very good, but it takes data only when ordered. In
a time of flood crisis or any other natural disaster developing countries
need their hard currencies for immediate supply of food, medicines etc.
A fund should be raised to supply SAR data in time of crisis. The data
should be free to the developing countries without waiting for the
orders so that immediate actions can be taken depending upon
information obtained from the satellite data.
(b) Anti-narcotic Activities
Myanmar has started a programme for monitoring and
assessing of anti-narcotic activities with its own resources. It is hoped
that the organizations like GAC, NASDA etc. may be able to support it in
this critical issue.

4.3 Involvement of Private Sector in the Applications of GIS
and Remote Sensing
Many countries and governments are encouraging private sector
involvement in the applications of space technology. The private sector,
which is market-oriented, has resources and motivation. When the Forest
Department started using GIS and Remote Sensing, there were no
private companies investing in these modern advanced technologies.
Currently, there are four private companies investing in Remote Sensing
and GIS technologies. They are as follows: -
(1) Geocomp Myanmar Company Ltd.
Geocomp Myanmar Company Ltd. is the first private company in
Myanmar, which actually invested in Remote Sensing and GIS. This
company is also a distributor of ER Mapper Software.

(2) Myanmar Intergraph Company Ltd.
Myanmar Intergraph Company Ltd. is the second company in
Myanmar, which followed with its own Geomedia Pro and
associated modules such as ENVI.
(3) Myanma Computer Company Ltd.
The third company that entered into the GIS world is Myanma
Computer Company Ltd. It started by constructing a LIS
database of Yangon City cadastral maps. Now, it is the vendor
of ESRI products (Arc/Info, Arc View) and Erdas Imaging in
Myanmar.
(4) Suntac International Company Ltd.
The fourth one is Suntac International Company Ltd., which
introduces TNTmips Software and is also successfully using
LH digital photogrammetry workstations.
It is hoped that with the cooperation and coordination of
governmental organizations and private companies the momentum of
GIS and Remote Sensing applications will be much faster than it was
in the past.

5. SPACE-RELATED ACTIVITIES
Space and space-related activities are an indispensable part of
humanity’s culture and they have to be necessarily a part of education
of all children to build a sustainable world. Both the current and future
space-related activities of the Myanmar Forest Department are
mentioned below.
5.1 Current Space-related Activities
The current space-related activities are as follows: -
(1) The first responsibility in priority is the watershed mapping
and planning which include dry zone area. This work is
overlapping with desertification combat. GIS database of all
important watershed areas of Myanmar is being built.
(2) The mapping and survey needs of the Forest Department and
Dry Zone Greening Department are being fulfilled.

(3) GIS database for Protected Areas Systems in Myanmar is
being built together with Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS). This database will be used to support habitat
mappings, fauna surveys (e.g. tiger survey, biodiversity
monitoring etc.).
(4) GIS database of 11 townships in the Shan State has been
built to link with ground field survey data of UNDCP (United
Nations Drug Control Programme) and CCDAC (Central
Committee for Drug Abuse Control). The section is the
Remote Sensing and GIS arm of the anti-narcotic
campaign in Myanmar on request of the Ministry of Home
Affairs.
(5) Supervisory and consultant works are being provided to
postgraduate, Master and Ph.D. students of various
institutions who are using remote sensing and GIS in their
projects. The projects range from urban planning to
watershed modeling.
(6) Information, education and communication services are being
provided by the IEC unit attached to the Remote
Sensing and GIS Section.

5.2 Future Space-related Activities
The future space-related activities will be as follows: -
(1) Establishment of a Forest Management Information
System linking Forest Inventory and RS data for Forest
Management Planning
(2) National Land Capability and Land Suitability Mappings to
formulate National Land Use Policy

6. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Regarding international cooperation, Myanmar has good cooperation
with both international organizations and countries including UNDP/FAO,
JICA, JAFTA, ESCAP, NASDA, ICIMOD, Japan, Thailand, and India.
Cooperation of some international organizations is briefly mentioned
below.
UNDP/FAO
International organizations, mainly UNDP/FAO, supported the
capacity building of GIS and Remote Sensing infrastructure of the
Forest Department by providing technical assistance as well as logistics.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• In Myanmar, a three-year Information System Development Project (ISDP),
funded by JICA was started in the fiscal year 1995-96 for the management of
tropical forests in Myanmar.
• During the project period, the Japan Forest Technical Association (JAFTA)
acquired the most recent Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite data and conducted
digital image processing in Japan.
• After the termination of the three-year project, the project was extended for
another one year and 5 more Landsat scenes were digitally classified.
• During the four-year project period, altogether 23 Landsat scenes had been
finished in digital image processing.
• On the whole the project provided the Forest Department with computer
hardware and software, satellite digital data, false color composites, forest
type maps and forest registers.

NASDA and ESCAP
National Space Development
Agency of Japan (NASDA) and
Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP ) also
gave financial assistance and satellite
digital data to the Myanmar Forest
Department for a research project on
"Monitoring the Landuse Changes in
Thaton District of Mon State between
1993 and 1997". This study adopted
the integrated applications of Remote
Sensing and GIS and applied it to a
landuse change monitoring situation
in Thaton District of Mon State. The
Map showing All Landuse Changes of
Thaton District between 1993 and
1997 is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5.

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
• ICIMOD has been engaged in GIS capacity building of national
institutions of the regional member countries in the Hindus Kush-
Himalayan region and has been promoting the use of GIS and
related technologies during the early phase of Mountain
Environment and Natural Resources' Information Systems
(MENRIS).
• Some professionals from Myanmar had already been trained in GIS
technology through ICIMOD training courses. The Ministry of
Forestry and other ministries had sent the staff abroad to pursue
basic and advanced trainings on Remote Sensing and GIS.
• Now, Myanmar has many technicians trained in these technologies
in various ministries. However, to keep abreast with the quick pace
of these technologies, further refresher courses, advanced trainings
and adequate facilities are needed to maintain the current
efficiency.

Forestry Agency of Japan
• The Forest Dynamism Study Project for
the Eastern Part of Asia (FDSP) has been
formulated by the Forestry Agency,
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries in Japan as a part of its
international cooperation since 2001. This
project aims at provision of satellite data
to assess forest conditions in the eastern
part of Asia. The Japan Forest Technology
Association (JAFTA) under the auspices of
the Forestry Agency is responsible for the
implementation of FDSP. The Regions
Covered by FDSP is shown in Figure 6.
• The main objectives of the Project are
(a) to study the situation of forest
degradation in the eastern part of Asia
and (b) to forecast future forest
degradation in the eastern part of Asia.
• The Myanmar Forest Department is a
counterpart agency of the JAFTA study
team. The term of the project is 5 years
from 2001(April 2001) to 2005(March
2006). The Regions Covered by FDSP is
shown in Figure 6. Myanmar belongs to
zone A and B.
Figure 6.

Other International Organizations
Other international organizations, such as Remote Sensing
Technology Centre of Japan (RESTEC), GIS Application Centre (GAC),
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), and Asian Institute of
Technology (AIT), had also made significant contributions to the
development of Remote Sensing and GIS applications in Myanmar.

7. CONCLUSIONS
1. Successful implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM)
requires the availability of appropriate techniques and adequate finance.
2. Since the biodiversity is the national heritage of the country, it should be
safeguarded for the benefit of both present and future generations.
3. For effective management and planning of forest resources, precise,
frequent and timely data and information are required. In this context,
remotely sensed data should be used as inputs to a GIS for analysis and
decision supporting.
4. Since socio-economic environment has changed due to rapid development
of information and communication technology (ICT), it is essential to keep
up with the advancing world without sticking to old methods.
5. Involvement of private sectors is very important for applications of GIS
and Remote Sensing. To promote GIS/RS applications, concerted
efforts between governmental organizations and private companies
should be strengthened.
6. Capacity building for space technology and geo-informatics should be
widely supported by the high potential countries.
7. Technical assistance and financial support will be needed to carry out
natural and environmental disaster mitigation/satellite communication
pilot projects in Myanmar.

Let’s make our world more sustainable through
better management of natural resources.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.