On 26 February, delegates from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar (MONREC), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) gathered in Rome for a 5-day long national forest inventory (NFI) session hosted by FAO REDD+/NFM team. The session provided a platform to share knowledge and experiences in developing a robust national forest inventories focusing on the specific characteristics of Myanmar’s forests.

Myanmar has the second-largest forest cover of land area in Southeast Asia. Recognising the forests’ ability to contribute to climate change mitigation and poverty reduction, the Government of Myanmar is moving forward in its efforts to protect its forests and to contribute to the Sustainable Development Agenda. In May 2017, the Government of Finland supported Myanmar with a 8-million Euro grant on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) to strengthen Myanmar’s capacity in national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) development, with technical support from FAO.

The recent workshop focused specifically on knowledge exchange on developing a robust national forest inventory (NFI). NFI is crucial for Myanmar as it allows recording and assessing the extent and nature of the country’s forests in a timely, accurate and reproducible manner that will eventually enhance the sustainable development of its forest resource. This information will play an important role in informing domestic forest policy, supporting forest research and fulfilling national and international reporting commitments.

After the workshop, FAO talked to Mr U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin, Deputy Director General (Policy and Planning) at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar (MONREC), and Mr Vesa Kaarakka, Senior Forestry Advisor at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, about REDD+ activities in Myanmar and their role in transforming the way Myanmar manages and sees its forests.

What is the current state of Myanmar’s forests? Why are they important for the country and its people?

Mr U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin: According to 2015 Forest Resource Assessment (FRA), total forest cover of Myanmar is 43 %. Seventy-five per cent of the country’s population are rural people and dependent on forest resources for their basic needs such as food, fodder, fuel and shelter etc. On the other hand, climate change is high on Myanmar’s agenda. In 2016 Myanmar submitted its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in where forestry is presented as a key sector able to contribute to climate action.

How can REDD+ help Myanmar fight deforestation and forest degradation?

Mr Vesa Kaarakka: As a developing country, Myanmar greatly depends on its forest resources for the economic development of the nation and also for the livelihood of the rural people. Timber harvesting and production of non-timber products are common in Myanmar. Nowadays, the total forest area gradually decreases due to various deforestation drivers and the quality of forest is also decreasing due to forest degradation. Myanmar forests are needed to support the country’s clean development mechanism (CDM) as well as reduction emission from forest degradation and deforestation (REDD+) in the future. REDD+ is becoming an important mechanism to mitigate climate change. Myanmar has a great potential for future carbon market through reforestation activities and conservation of existing forests and plantations as carbon sinks. Therefore, REDD+ activities play very important role in reducing forest degradation and deforestation as well as mitigation of climate change

What kind of co-benefits can REDD+ bring to the people of Myanmar?

Mr Vesa Kaarakka: If all levels of the society are consulted in a fair and transparent manner, and will be able to access the benefit sharing mechanisms of the REDD+ process, this can have positive impacts beyond reducing carbon loss through deforestation and forest degradation and other climate-related impacts. REDD+ may not completely alleviate poverty on its own, but it could allow local communities to diversify their income and livelihood strategies. Social safeguards are needed that prevent and mitigate any negative impacts on communities’ livelihoods.

At what stage are you with your REDD+ efforts?

Mr U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin: Myanmar became a partner of the UN-REDD Programme in December 2011. During 2012 and 2013, a REDD+ Readiness Roadmap was developed through a national multi-stakeholder consultation process. The process of implementing the Roadmap is currently underway, in order to establish the national REDD+ design elements according to the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ (COP 19). A stakeholder engagement process has been established and a safeguards roadmap has been developed with the objectives of clarifying safeguards in the national context and setting the ground for a future Safeguard Information System (SIS). REDD+ strategy development began in 2016 with a comprehensive driver analysis and following the series of discussions a first draft of a REDD+ strategy document was developed at the end of 2017. Action plans for a National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) and FREL/FRL were developed during 2015 and their implementation is ongoing. Myanmar submitted its initial FREL to UNFCCC in January 2018.

The Government of Finland plays an important role in boosting REDD+ activities in Myanmar. Why is it important to the Government of Finland to support Myanmar’s REDD+ efforts?

Mr. Vesa Kaarakka: Myanmar is one of Finland’s main partner country in its development co-operation. One of the aimed achievements of the Country Program of Finland is that Myanmar's forest resources are governed in a more sustainable, equitable and transparent manner based on up-to-date forest resource information. Finland will thus support sustainable, equitable and transparent governance of forest resources as a critical source of wellbeing and livelihoods in Myanmar by strengthening sustainable forest management through improved access to adequate and accurate forest resource information as a basis for planning and decision-making.

Finland has expertise and long tradition in sustainable forest management, and as part of that, in planning and implementing forest inventories and forest information systems. Previously programmes supported by Finland include Ecuador, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia.

Capacity development and knowledge exchanges are crucial when it comes to REDD+. Tell us more about the NFI workshop you participated in at FAO Headquarters. Was it useful for your team?

Mr U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin: Experts from FAO and LUKE and representatives from MONREC had a very fruitful discussion about the implementation of the upcoming National Forest Monitoring and Information System (NFMIS) project. Myanmar team learnt a lot about NFI experiences in other countries that also included socio-economic data collection. We are very pleased to start the current NFMIS project which will lead to the strengthening of national capacities to improve forest data collection and information management using RS and GIS technology and field inventory. We expect to get a good plan for future NFI.

What has been Myanmar’s experience with NFI so far?

Mr U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin: Regarding forest surveys practiced in Myanmar, the linear valuation survey was initiated in 1856 to enumerate teak trees down to 1’ 6” girth at breast height (GBH). This survey was the first and the foremost one in Myanmar.

The Forest Department of Myanmar carried out the National Survey and Inventory Project (BUR/79/001) with the financial assistance of the UNDP/FAO from 1981-82 to 1985-86. Then the National Forest Management and Inventory Project (MYA/85/003) was implemented from 1986-87 to 1991-92 with the financial assistance of UNDP/FAO. After that from 1992-93 and onwards the Forest Department carried out the national forest inventory with its own resources.

Forest Department has been carrying out forest inventory annually in order to establish the forest database such as stand tables, stock stables, species composition and status of natural regeneration in the country’s forests.

What will be your next steps?

Mr U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin: Representative data of forest resources are essential both for socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. In order to manage the forests systematically, scientifically and effectively, the representative data of forests will be collected by conducting forest inventory with suitable sampling design. After collecting the forest inventory data, our team will proceed to generate useful information for forest management and planning.

Myanmar focuses on the production, protection, sustainability of forest resources as well as the and socio-economic development of the nation and inclusive community participation. Our aim is to have 30% of land as Permanent Forest Estate (PFE) and 10% as Protected Areas by the year 2030. The forest resource databases are very crucial in forest management planning. Current NFMIS project is very important for us in order to get accurate data/information for planning.

Useful links:

• FAO REDD+
• Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)
• FAO Myanmar
• Myanmar REDD
• Global Forest Resources Assessments
• Government of Finland Forestry and Agriculture

For more information, please contact:

Marco Piazza, Forestry Officer, NFI

REDD+/NFM Cluster, Forestry Department, FAO

[email protected]

Marieke Sandker, Forestry Officer, FREL

REDD+/NFM Cluster, Forestry Department, FAO

[email protected]

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