| Institution: | 1. Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore;2. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K.;3. International Commission of Jurists, Pann Hlaing Ward, Myanmar;4. MatthewBaird.com.au, Chiang Mai, Thailand;5. Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), Ahlone, Yangon, Myanmar;6. IUCN Indo‐Burma Group, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Viet Nam;7. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA 22630, U.S.A.;8. Myanmar Environmental Governance Program, U.S.‐Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT 05068, U.S.A.;9. John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.;10. Wildlife Conservation Society, Kamaryut Township, Yangon, Myanmar;11. IUCN Myanmar, Kamaryut, Yangon, Myanmar;12. East‐West Centre, Honolulu, HI 96848‐1601, U.S.A.;13. FLEGT Secretariat, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar;14. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203‐1606, U.S.A.;15. Daemeter Consulting, Bogor, Jawa Barat, Indonesia;16. Wildlife Conservation Society, Center for Global Conservation, Bronx, NY 10460, U.S.A.;17. Forest Research Institute, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar;18. Asia Research and Engagement, International Plaza, Singapore;19. Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Acton ACT 0200, Australia;20. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar;21. Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar;22. USAID's Myanmar Land Tenure Project, Yangon, Myanmar;23. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, U.K.;24. Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg University, 79085 Freiburg, Germany;25. School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, U.K.;26. WWF Thailand, Samsen Nai Phayathai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;27. Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C. 20036, U.S.A.;28. RECOFTC, Bangkok, Thailand;29. Pyoe Pin, Yangon, Myanmar;30. Land Core Group, Yangon, Myanmar;31. Environmental Resources Management, Singapore;32. Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720‐2308, U.S.A.;33. Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
| Abstract: | Political and economic transitions have had substantial impacts on forest conservation. Where transitions are underway or anticipated, historical precedent and methods for systematically assessing future trends should be used to anticipate likely threats to forest conservation and design appropriate and prescient policy measures to counteract them. Myanmar is transitioning from an authoritarian, centralized state with a highly regulated economy to a more decentralized and economically liberal democracy and is working to end a long‐running civil war. With these transitions in mind, we used a horizon‐scanning approach to assess the 40 emerging issues most affecting Myanmar's forests, including internal conflict, land‐tenure insecurity, large‐scale agricultural development, demise of state timber enterprises, shortfalls in government revenue and capacity, and opening of new deforestation frontiers with new roads, mines, and hydroelectric dams. Averting these threats will require, for example, overhauling governance models, building capacity, improving infrastructure‐ and energy‐project planning, and reforming land‐tenure and environmental‐protection laws. Although challenges to conservation in Myanmar are daunting, the political transition offers an opportunity for conservationists and researchers to help shape a future that enhances Myanmar's social, economic, and environmental potential while learning and applying lessons from other countries. Our approach and results are relevant to other countries undergoing similar transitions. |
