CASE STUDY ON LINKAGES AND UNCCD IMPLEMENTATION IN THE UNION OF MYANMAR

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CASE STUDY ONLINKAGES AND UNCCD IMPLEMENTATION
IN THE UNION OF MYANMAR
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Myanmar Agenda 21
In its pursuit for sustainable development,
Myanmar ratified CBD and UNFCCC in 1994, acceded
to CITES and became party to UNCCD in 1997.
Myanmar Agenda 21, approved in 1997 calls for the
integrated management of natural resources , and
provides a blueprint for achieving sustainable
development, including prevention of land
degradation and desertification, aims to

• Conduct an assessment of land degradation and
  desertification, and study its causes and
  consequences, and to take effective measures on
  the restoration of the degraded lands.
• Identify the salinity, alkalinity and acidity
  problems and to eliminate these problems
  effectively.
  
• Generate information on the proper methods of
  soil conservation and dissemination of the
  related technologies to farmers.
  

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UNCCD Developments

• National Commission for Environmental Affairs
  (NCEA) comprising of all Ministries is the
  National Coordinating Body (NCB)
  
• Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of
  Agriculture and Irrigation are at the forefront
  of combating desertification and land
  degradation
• Other line ministries include Ministry of
  Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Health,
  Ministry of Education and Ministry of
  Information. UN agencies and NGOs (both local
  and international) which also support the
  implementation of UNCCD
• Myanmar is in the process of developing National
  Action Program (NAP)
  

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Consultative Process with stakeholders in support
of National Action Programme

• National level coordination committee, national
  level working committee, state, division,
  district, township and local level working
  committees will formulate and implement NAP
• NAP will integrate the present 30-year
  comprehensive plan for the Dry Zone, which is an
  integral part of the Third short-tem Five Year
  National Plan.
• NCEA has established a committee which prepared
  the first and second national reports on
  combating desertification with personnel from
  different departments and institutions through a
  consultative process involving stakeholders from
  all levels.

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National Workshop onPreparation of UNCCD
National Action Programme

• The national workshop was held in Yangon, Myanmar
  in December 2001, jointly organized and sponsored
  by the Secretariat of the United Nations
  Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD),
  Government of Japan and the Ministry of Forestry
• 47 representatives from the District Peace and
  Development Councils of Mandalay, Sagaing and
  Magway Divisions of the Dry Zone, regional forest
  enterprises, National Commission for
  Environmental Affairs (NCEA), related
  departments, local NGOs and stakeholders
  discussed on the framework which covered,

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• Physical priority areas and sectoral priority
  areas to be implemented to achieve the objectives
  of NAP for combating desertification
  
• Recommendations for policy and institutional
  arrangements in the NAP for combating
  desertification and
  
• Draft project proposals on key intervention areas
  and themes .

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Dry Zone of Myanmar

• Total area and rainfall 54,390 sq. km of
  drought-prone kand ( 10 of total land area),
  500mm-1000 mm
  
• Population 16 million ( one third of the total
  population consisting of 57 townships from 13
  districts. An estimated 8,000 villages face water
  shortage

• The Dry Zone Greening Department has the
  following objectives
  
• (1) To make the arid region lush, green and
  beautiful
  
• (2) To maintain ecology of the system
• (3) To fulfill basic forest produce requirements
  of the rural people
  
• (4) To carry out socio-economic development of
  the rural people
  
• (5) To make the regional people aware of the
  value and essence of forest and trees
  
• (6) To enhance public knowledge about
  conservation and promotion of natural
  environment and secure its participation
  
• (7) To maintain climatic balance that will help
  cultivation works
  
• (8) To prevent desertification.

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Implementing Agencies

• Dry Zone Greening Department and Forest
  Department
  

• (DZGD and FD, in cooperation with Myanma
  Agriculture Services, Irrigation Department and
  Water Resources Utilization Department, all under
  the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation act as
  the implementing agencies.)

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Monitoring and Evaluation

• NCEA is responsible for environmental (land,
  water, biodiversity, climate, etc.) observation
  and monitoring.
  
• FD and DZGD have their own mechanisms for
  monitoring and evaluation.
  
• An example of Criteria set for plantations by
  Forest Department and DZGD are
  
• Firewood plantations must have a role to provide
  some extent of the wood-fuel needs.
  
• Only local variety seedlings are to be preferred
  in forest plantations
  
• Only plantations with over 70 survival rate are
  to be considered as successful
  
• Efficiency, effectiveness and relevance are to be
  carefully taken into consideration in evaluating
  the success of the plantation.
  
• Environmental monitoring of the Dry Zone
  particularly, land use changes, erosion mapping
  and regeneration plan mapping are being made.
  
• Socio-economic surveys

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Measures taken in the Forestry Sector

• According to the FAO report ( State of the
  Worlds Forests, 2001, FAO ), about 52.3 of the
  country is covered with forests, which are
  managed under the Myanmar Selection System
• Dry Zone Greening Department is responsible for
  restoration and rehabilitation of the denuded and
  degraded areas in the dry zone of Central
  Myanmar
• FD is assumed to take overall measures for
  environmental conservation at the national level
  
• Myanmar Forest Policys (1995) objective is to
  increase the area of Reserved Forest (RF)
  Protected Public Forest (PPF) up to 30, and the
  area under Protected Areas System (PAS) up to 5
  of the countrys total land area. The targets are
  scheduled to be achieved by the year 2010.
• Two National Forestry Master Plans (one for FD
  and the other for DZGD) incorporates Myanmar's
  cultural, social, economic, ecological, and
  political climates.

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• Development of Myanmar's Criteria and Indicators
  for Sustainable Forest Management (CI for SFM)
  at both national and Forest Management Unit (FMU)
  levels was completed in October 1999. In
  addition, CI for the sustainable development of
  dry forests is also under review.
• The new Forest Act was enacted in 1992, replacing
  the Forest Law of 1902.
  
• The "Protection of Wildlife and Wild Plants and
  Conservation of Natural Areas Law was promulgated
  in 1994, replacing the old Burma Wildlife
  Protection Act, 1936.
• Community Forestry Instructions (CFI) were issued
  by FD in 1995.
  
• Under the ADB/ALGAS Project, Myanmar conducted
  its first inventory of greenhouse gases emission.
  The key findings of the emissions inventory for
  1990 "base year" are
• The agricultural sector is the dominant source
  sector. Methane emission from fermentation and
  rice cultivation account for about 94 percent of
  the national CO2 equivalent emissions.
• The energy sector contribution to the national
  GHG emissions are marginal.
  
• The forestry sector is a net carbon sink.
• The ratio of CO2 sink and source is found to be
  positive according to the findings of the ALGAS
  Project.
  

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Measures taken in the social sectors and by the
media

• The minimum components of Public Health Care
  (PHC) under practice in Myanmar include "health
  education, adequate supply of food and nutrition,
  sufficient safe water and sanitation, maternal
  and child health care, prevention and control of
  locally endemic diseases, immunization against
  the main infectious diseases, treatment of common
  diseases and injuries, and the provision of
  essential drugs".
• Extension services are made through media, such
  as leaflets, cartoons, slogans, articles in
  newspapers and periodicals, radio and television
  programmes.
• Promoting environmentally sustainable food
  security and micro-income opportunities in the
  Dry Zone

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Measures taken by the NGOs and the Private Sector

• Forest Resource Environmental Development and
  Conservation Association (FREDA), Japan Oversea
  Forestry Consultants Association (JOFCA) and
  (JIFPRO) are cooperating with DZGD and FD in
  restoring degraded forest lands.
• Renewable Energy Association Myanmar (REAM
  affiliated to FREDA) is working on renewable
  energy related services for rural development and
  environmental conservation in the areas of
  fuelwood substitution and biogas utilization.
• Friends of Rainforest in Myanmar (FORM)
  establishing neem plantation.
  
• ECODEV Group (local firm)
• UNDP/FAO/MYA/99/006 Project (Kyaukpadaung, Chaung
  U and Magwe townships) under HDI programme.
  

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Popa an oasis in the Dry Zone

• A success story
  in synergy
  
• Mount Popa, an extinct volcano is situated about
  400 miles north of Yangon in the Central Dry Zone
  of Myanmar
  
• Total area Approx 23,214 ha.
• Elevation 300 1518 metres
• Popa area was instituted as a Reserved Forest
  (12,854 ha) in 1902
  
• Due to unsystematic extraction of timber and fire
  wood and clear-cutting for agriculture, forests
  had been destroyed
  
• To ameliorate this situation, reforestation works
  started in 1953-54
  
• Area surrounding Popa was declared as Protected
  Forest (10,360 ha) to serve as a buffer zone in
  1954-55
  
• In 1980s, Nature Conservation and National Parks
  Project was accomplished with the UNDP
  assistance
  

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• Following rehabilitation works have been carried
  out -
  
• - Nature conservation activities
• - Establishment of forest plantations
• - Implementation of community forest
  (introduction of community-based forestry under
  the agricultural crop substitution program)
  
• Today,
• The area is an oasis in the Dry Zone with
  distinct changes achieved in climate,
  biodiversity and reversal of land degradation
  
• Climate-
• Average rainfall 45 inches (1142 mm)
• Temperature average max.42 C ( 108 F)
• average min. 12 C (55 F)
• Flora-
• Tree species 300
• Medicinal plants 150

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• Fauna-Common wild animals like jungle cat,
  jackal, wild dog, wild boar, muntjac (barking
  deer), dusky leaf monkey, rhesus monkey, eld
  deer, squirrel, hare and about 130 species of
  avifauna and more than 100 different species of
  butterflies of which 4 species are identified as
  rare
• Natural Springs- 111
• Quality of life Sustainable use of natural
  resources has also contributed to a wide range of
  income-generating activities for the local people
  and also towards reduction of poverty.

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Landuse Map of Myanmar(1989 Satellite Data)
Dryzone area
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Land Use Map of Dry Zone Area
(1997 Satellite Data)
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Establishment of forest plantations
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Protection and rehabilitation of remaining
natural forests
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Initiating development and utilization of wood
fuel substitutes
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Development of water resources
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Expected Land Use Condition After Implementing
the 30 Years Plan
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Comparison of Land Use Conditions Before and
After of Thirty Years Plan
Agriculture
Others
Waterbodies
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