Plant Conservation and Forest Resource Management in Myanmar

Kate Armstrong and collaborators

The goal of this project is to begin implementation of a major botanical inventory, capacity-building, and conservation initiative in Myanmar. The project’s primary strategies are to: (1) document Myanmar’s flora by conducting botanical inventories, identifying and mapping specimens, and producing species checklists for the targeted areas; (2) establish a database for information on the flora and on forest resources; (3) strengthen the country’s botanical research capacity by training and mentoring Myanmar foresters and botanists; and (4) work with local communities to document economically useful plants, collect baseline data on the density and yield of these resources, and develop participatory management plans for the sustainable use and conservation of local forests.

The principal outcome of this project will be the establishment of a multi-year plant conservation and capacity-building initiative, which will be based on preliminary data gathered on forest topology and composition in two protected areas, supply and demand of forest resources in selected communities, training workshops for Myanmar foresters and botanists, and consensus from meetings about effective next steps for plant conservation in Myanmar. The project seeks to address three major needs: (1) creating accurate baseline botanical data to enable informed conservation and management decisions, (2) developing the capacity of Myanmar botanists to document Myanmar’s flora long-term, and (3) engaging local communities in the conservation and sustainable use of their forest resources.

Related project: Floristic inventory of a neglected biodiversity hotspot: Myanmar’s Northern Forest Complex