Policy recommendations for environmental conservation in the Chindwin River Basin

The Chindwin River Basin in northwest Myanmar is a highly biodiverse region facing habitat loss and species decline due to economic development and climate change. The document argues that conservation success depends on community buy-in and recommends a community-based natural resource management approach. It evaluates three conservation models—National Parks, Ramsar Wetlands, and Biosphere Reserves—noting that Biosphere Reserves are the most inclusive. While Myanmar has legal frameworks like the Conservation of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Law of 2018, implementation is hindered by poor governance, lack of funding, and a failure to recognize customary land rights. The brief recommends enhancing coordination between government levels, prioritizing biodiversity for livelihood enhancement, and formally recognizing customary resource rights.

• The Chindwin River Basin is a critical biodiversity area in northwest Myanmar, containing fourteen of the country's key biodiversity areas (KBAs), which cover 51.1% of the basin's total area.
• Biodiversity in the Chindwin Basin is threatened by a combination of economic development, climate change, and systemic conservation failures, including institutional fragmentation and weak law enforcement.
• Myanmar utilizes three primary conservation models with varying levels of community inclusion: National Parks, which can restrict customary access; Ramsar Wetlands, which encourage community participation; and Biosphere Reserves, which are the most explicit in promoting both conservation and sustainable resource use.
• Despite the existence of the Conservation of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Law of 2018 and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2015-2020, there has been no national-level biodiversity strategy since 2020.
• The failure to recognize customary land rights and the exclusion of local communities from decision-making can lead to conflict, as evidenced by the Rawang ethnic group's expulsion of the Forest Department and Wildlife Conservation Society from Hakaborazi National Park.
• Implementation of community-based conservation in Myanmar is obstructed by poor governance, lack of funding, limited government capacity at regional levels, and occasional lack of interest from impoverished ethnic communities.

APA

Melati, K., Aung, M. T., Gomez, J., Nguyen, P., Htway, T., & Bhatpuria, D. (2021). Policy recommendations for environmental conservation in the Chindwin River Basin. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/211027a-mcmullen-aung-sus-livelihoods-chindwin-pb-2012b.pdf

Chicago

Melati, Kuntum, May Thazin Aung, Juanita Gomez, Phuong Nguyen, Than Htway, and Dhyey Bhatpuria. Policy recommendations for environmental conservation in the Chindwin River Basin. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/211027a-mcmullen-aung-sus-livelihoods-chindwin-pb-2012b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Melati |first1=Kuntum |last2=Aung |first2=May Thazin |last3=Gomez |first3=Juanita |last4=Nguyen |first4=Phuong |last5=Htway |first5=Than |last6=Bhatpuria |first6=Dhyey |title=Policy recommendations for environmental conservation in the Chindwin River Basin |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/211027a-mcmullen-aung-sus-livelihoods-chindwin-pb-2012b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{melati2021policy, author = {Melati, Kuntum and Aung, May Thazin and Gomez, Juanita and Nguyen, Phuong and Htway, Than and Bhatpuria, Dhyey}, title = {{Policy recommendations for environmental conservation in the Chindwin River Basin}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/211027a-mcmullen-aung-sus-livelihoods-chindwin-pb-2012b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }