MainDBDraft: Resilient Mountain Solutions - Strengthening government-community connect to improve biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
Title:
Resilient Mountain Solutions - Strengthening government-community connect to improve biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
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Target group:
Academics and scientists; Communities; Policy makers; Practitioners; Private sector
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Date of submission:
11/01/2021
Further information:
https://www.icimod.org/initiative/rms/ https://www.mmiid.org/
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International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
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Geographic scope:
Local; National; Subregional
Adaptation element:
Adaptation planning and practices; Capacity building; Communication and outreach/awareness; Institutional arrangements; Monitoring and evaluation/M＆E
Adaptation sector/theme:
Biodiversity; Ecosystem-based adaptation; Ecosystems
Climate hazard:
Land and forest degradation; Loss of biodiversity; Wildfire
Implementing partners:
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID), ICIMOD, GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal/ info@icimod.org https://www.icimod.org/initiative/rms/ https://www.mmiid.org/ Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC), State and township Forest offices, PAO Self Administrative Zone Leading Body (Indigenous communities)
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Type of organization:
Civil society
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Country:
Myanimar (Shan State)
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Micro plans and 3D model helped communities to initiate, plan and manage their forest, water and other natural resources. Several trainings to communities on forest nursery establishment and bamboo propagation and micro catchment conservation were effective to aware ad equip communities on how they can grow their own seedlings for later transplantation to common and private forest areas. Afforestation, soil and water conservation measures applied in micro catchments helped reduce soil erosion and improve water quantity and quality of ponds. Agroforestry activities supported communities in conservation, plantation of fruit trees in their farm land that helped increase additional income in the long run. Demonstration and promotion of improved cook stoves and bio briquette helped to improve household energy use and to protect forest from the over extraction of fire wood. Based on the learnings from Himalica, RMS initiative carried out vulnerability assessment and situation analysis of three villages in the indigenous communities of PAO – Self Aldministered Zone and identified areas for the establishment of community forests. The key institutional challenge in PAO-SAZ is trust deficit between the community and the government. The initiative also focussed on better linkage between Shan forest department and PAO Leading Body, therefore, strenthening the government-community connect for promoting community forestry. Cross-learning visit of forest department of Myanmar, PAO Leading Body and community to Nepal helped undersand and promote the gender responsive community forestry in PAO region in Myanmar. The training programme on forest management enhanced the capacity of forest officials for better planning and management and provided a scientific basis for revising the activities in Forest management plan (2016-2025) as well as developed a forest fire risk assessment map for Shan State.
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NWPTypeOfKnowledge:
Technical document/report
Description:
Myanmar hosts diverse ecosystems and provides habitat to various flora and fauna. However, due to impacts of anthropogenic drivers and climate change these ecosystems are undergoing degradation and loss. Deforestation, forest degradation, soil erosion and forest fire are some of the key issues affecting the biodiversity, forest ecosystems and water availability in Myanmar. Frequent forest fires negatively impact the health of the catchment that provides ecosystem service to the community and also adds sedimentation in the local ponds decreasing the life of ponds as they are the main sources for water for domestic and animal use during dry season. Considering the large dependence of local communities on these forests actions were realised to build resilience of these forest ecosystems. ICIMOD initiated the Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas Project (Himalica) in 2013 and focussed on cost effective and sustainable catchment conservation measures involving multi stakeholder’s participation. Long term participatory land management strategies were initiated to restore degraded land and forest through community forest, afforestation and soil conservation measures in partnership with Forest Department and the indigenous communities of PAO. Building on Himalica’s effort ICIMOD initiated the Resilient Mountian Solutions (RMS) initiative in 2018 to strengthen the government community connect in Myanmar. Capacity of communities was built by organizing trainings and awareness programs such as a) community based watershed management training along with different methods of soil erosion control, b) bamboo propagation, c) bio briquette making, d) use of improved cook stove e) Forest nursery establishment. In addtion, participatory micro plans in each project village were prepared and a participatory 3D model -a land use planning tool - was built with the community. As interventions, over 36,000 seedlings of different native species were planted to protect the micro catchments of village common ponds. In addition, Eucalyptus, Avocado, Citrus, and Mango trees were planted in six project villages to develop agroforestry system in the farm land. As bamboo grows naturally in the villages, a bamboo nursery using improved propagation techniques was established. About 3500 bamboo sapling were planted in the catchments. ICIMOD in collaboration with Shan State Forest Department is preparing a Geospatial based ‘’forest fire management plan” for different townships in the State to enhance the preparedness in reducing the forest fire risk using recent technologies alongwith the remote sensing and GIS tools. Institutional capacity building on use of GIS and remote sensing tools and datasets for forest management has helped add new information on forest fire risk assessment and hence support decision makers in better mapping, monitoring and management of forest ecosystems.
Outcome:
Engaging various government departments, NGOS, private sectors and journalist from the initiation of the activities was effective to connect them with communities and to receive advisory services after the project tenure and to sustain the conservation approaches. Demonstrated forest and catchment conservation measures helped improving biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, and improved water quality and quantity. Project activities were evaluated by government departments by visiting the site in a regular basis, strengths and weakness of implementation approach and technical aspects were identified and corrected immediately after the field visit and evaluation.
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Case study
NWPStatus:
Processed
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Created at 11/01/2021 13:21 by
Last modified at 11/01/2021 13:25 by crmmocservices
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