what is happening to our forests in myanmar?

o No prior consultationo No compensation and/or unfair compensationo No consento No environmental responsibility

o Natural resource extractiono Mega-projectso Mono-crop plantations

Transition in Myanmar (Decade of peace)

Public Campaigns

Public Campaign (International River Day)

Multi-Stakeholder meeting

Engagement with Government/KNU authorities

Contributing community-managed conservation approach to the Community Forest meeting organized by MONREC

16 May, 2016, Dawei

Arranging meeting with KNU vice chairperson for villagers to disclose the problems they are facing

28 April 2016, Dawei

Local Knowledge-Based Research

• To enhance local knowledge and wisdom• To conserve and control local resources by local people • To promote collaboration among communities

Local Knowledge-based Research

The local knowledge based research is a way of informing community members that they have rights to manage their local resources by themselves in sustainable way

Community Initiated Fish Conservation Zone

In order to maintain and recover the remaining aquatic species and river ecosystem, villagers proposed the establishment of a Fish Conservation Zone on the Kamoethway River.

Forest Protection

Working on a fire breakPosting signs raising awareness about forest fires

Monitoring river and forest ecosystems

Kamoethway indigenous people documented the condition of the river and its ecosystem, including: • measuring the depth and width of the river; and • an initial test of the water for contamination of heavy metals

discharged by the mining company.

While conducting the scientific monitoring, indigenous knowledge was used for ecosystem analysis.

A Socio-Economic Assessment Training workshop was held from 28-29 August 2014. The objective of the workshop was to empower local people to understand their community, recognize the scope of their resources, and to discuss ways to effectively balance utilization and conservation.

Villagers develop socio-economic assessment questionnaires

Participants conduct a socio-economic assessment (12-13 September 2014)

Village-level capacity building

Working Groups

Local people join working groups based on their expertise:

• Herbal medicine • Forest trees • Edible wild

vegetables • Wildlife• Handicraft • Rotational Farming

Demarcation of conservation areaso 12 villages are surrounded by these conservation areas.o In order to manage the forest properly, nine categories of

conservation areas were demarcated:

1. Wildlife sanctuary2. Watershed forest3. Agroforestry land4. Utilization forest5. Umbilical cord forest6. Culture forest7. Herbal forest8. Fish sanctuaries9. Cemetery land

Community Initiated Aquatic ecosystem Conservation Zone (People’s Park)

In order to maintain and recover the remaining aquatic species and swamp ecosystem, villagers proposed the establishment of a community protected area at the Kalapa Swamp

Environment Education

“Bringing Youth into the Movement” program took place in April 2016

Youth Camp

Engagement with Private sector

Challenges Several villagers who claiming their own

land were charged with trespassing private land

Special intelligence always follow CSOs activities

Activist young woman was brutally murdered (19/11/2016)

Community Driven Natural Resources Management(People Centered Approach)

Sustainable forest conservation can be achieved only when native people have the right to participate in the forest management process. This includes the right to control and manage natural resources in their territories based on their culture and traditional practices.