FAO assists Myanmar to tackle Fire and Transboundary Haze issues
Wildfire refers to unwanted fires that have gone out of control, consuming vegetation in rural landscapes. Wildfires are a serious problem in Myanmar with local and wide reaching regional impacts. According to FAO analysis on NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, Myanmar has the highest burn rate in Southeast Asia and ranks 11th globally in terms of forest fires. Between 2003 and 2012, more than 17million hectares burned in Myanmar (including 5 million hectares of forests).
In addition to wildfires, urban and rural man-made fires including traditional slash-and-burn cultivation system (Taungya) and burning of agricultural land with debris after harvesting, are also critical causes of air pollution, biodiversity losses and environmental deterioration. In Myanmar’s hilly regions the majority of people practice shifting cultivation with Taungya system that includes burning of trees and natural vegetation. In the other hand, burning of the fields after harvesting is a common practice of farmers in the lowlands.
To address these issues, FAO has responded the Government’s request to tackle and analyze the impact of various types of fire by supporting through the “Integrated National Strategic Action Plan on Fire Management” Project (TCP/MYA/3608) under the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme. Launching of this project was organized in Nay Pyi Taw in May 2019.
The Union Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) delivered the opening speech at the inception workshop which also benefited from the active participation of senior officials from MoNREC, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Ministry of Transport and Communication (Department of Meteorology and Hydrology). During the workshop, the roles of fire management in different sectors were presented and the Action Plan for Transboundary Haze Pollution – a major issue in ASEAN region – as well as the establishment of multi-stakeholder platform for the development and implementation of the National Fire Management Strategy and Action Plan were discussed.
Through this project, FAO will support the Government to analyze the relevant policy, legal and institutional framework, as well as existing fire management practices. Moreover, it will help develop and implement a multi-stakeholder platform and provide the core concept of the Integrated National Strategy and Action Plan on Fire Management.