Conserving biodiversity in Myanmar’s Upper Chindwin Basin

The project aims to protect and restore Key Biodiversity Areas in the Upper Chindwin Basin, Myanmar, through the development of Community Action Plans (CAP) and integrated land and water management. It addresses threats such as commercial mining, logging, and overfishing that have led to the decline of endangered aquatic species and wetland habitats. The initiative focuses on creating environmentally-sensitive livelihoods, establishing conservation zones, and providing policy recommendations to upscale these community-led conservation efforts nationally.

• The Upper Chindwin Basin, specifically Hkamti Township, contains critical biodiversity habitats including 38 threatened freshwater species, such as the Critically Endangered Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata) and the Endangered Red Jasper Barb (Puntius manipurensis).
• Local populations in Hkamti Township rely heavily on nature-based activities, with fish providing 60% of protein intake and 80% of main household incomes derived from these activities.
• Wetland habitats and ecosystem services in the Chindwin Basin are threatened by commercial mining, logging, overfishing, and unsustainable farming, resulting in a rapid decline in fish catch and the shrinking of endangered aquatic species populations.
• The project's plan of action includes using the Ramsar Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES) for baseline assessments, co-developing Community Action Plans (CAP) based on the Sustainable Livelihood Approach to Poverty Reduction, and establishing wetland conservation zones using traditional knowledge and biodiversity data.
• The project intends to influence national policy in Myanmar and the ASEAN region by publishing policy recommendations for upscaling CAPs and demonstrating the effectiveness of integrated community-based conservation schemes.

APA

Daniel, R., Chuthong, J., Aung, M. T., Htway, T., & Bhatpuria, D. (2021). Conserving biodiversity in Myanmar’s Upper Chindwin Basin. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/sei-fact-sheet-conserving-biodiversity-in-myanmars-upper-chindwin-basin.pdf

Chicago

Daniel, Rajesh, Janejira Chuthong, May Thazin Aung, Than Htway, and Dhyey Bhatpuria. Conserving biodiversity in Myanmar’s Upper Chindwin Basin. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/sei-fact-sheet-conserving-biodiversity-in-myanmars-upper-chindwin-basin.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Daniel |first1=Rajesh |last2=Chuthong |first2=Janejira |last3=Aung |first3=May Thazin |last4=Htway |first4=Than |last5=Bhatpuria |first5=Dhyey |title=Conserving biodiversity in Myanmar’s Upper Chindwin Basin |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/sei-fact-sheet-conserving-biodiversity-in-myanmars-upper-chindwin-basin.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{daniel2021conserving, author = {Daniel, Rajesh and Chuthong, Janejira and Aung, May Thazin and Htway, Than and Bhatpuria, Dhyey}, title = {{Conserving biodiversity in Myanmar’s Upper Chindwin Basin}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/sei-fact-sheet-conserving-biodiversity-in-myanmars-upper-chindwin-basin.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }