MYANMAR

New Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar

Project Cost: $198,342

Funding Raised: $198,342

$0.68 per acre (1 acre = 43,560 sq ft)

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Formerly known as Burma, Myanmar conjures up images of archetypical Asian jungle: lush rainforest dripping with moisture, great muddy rivers snaking across broad valleys peppered with conical pagodas, forests alive with the trumpeting of elephants, and the crooning songs of gibbons.

As a country, Myanmar has a greater diversity of ecosystems than any other nation in mainland Southeast Asia, with some of the most intact natural habitats and communities of species remaining in the entire region – including many endemic and globally threatened species.

In North-central Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, the fantasy image comes to life as mountainous peaks slope down to fertile lowlands hosting fantastic wealth of flora and fauna. Iconic species such as Clouded Leopards, Golden Cat, Banteng, Sunda and Chinese Pangolin are all found in forests here, as well as a small population of Endangered Asian Elephants.

Additionally, these forests are very important for the long-term conservation of Vulnerable Eastern Hoolock Gibbons – a rare Asian primate with distinct facial markings and loud haunting calls. With a total population estimated at only 10,000-50,000, this area is a stronghold for the species across its global range.

To protect Central Myanmar’s wildlife, Rainforest Trust has teamed up with local partner Friends of Wildlife (FOW) to help establish the Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS). The 291,680-acre reserve will provide critical protection for Eastern Hoolock Gibbon and other rare species, while providing an outstanding opportunity for expansion of Myanmar’s network of protected areas.

Fast Facts

Location
Myanmar

Size
291,680 acres

Key Species
Asian Elephant (EN), Sunda Pangolin (CR), Chinese Pangolin (CR), Eastern Hoolock Gibbon (VU), Green Peafowl (EN)

Habitat
Evergreen, mixed deciduous forests

Threats
Deforestation, agricultural encroachment, poaching

Action
Establishing the Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary

Local Partner
Friends of Wildlife (FOW)

Cost Per Acre
$0.68

Biodiversity

The proposed Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS) hosts a particularly rich and intact assortment of Asian wildlife. Biodiversity surveys have recorded Clouded Leopard, Fishing Cat, Chinese Serow and the Critically Endangered Chinese and Sunda Pangolins.

A significant portion of the global population of Eastern Hoolock Gibbon – a rare Asian primate with distinct facial markings and loud haunting calls – is found in the sanctuary area, representing at least 10% and probably over 25% of the global population. The reserve also serves as an important corridor and refuge for an estimated 60 Endangered Asian Elephants, which are becoming increasingly rare across their range. In addition, the area has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA). Over 86 bird species have been identified in the proposed sanctuary including the strikingly beautiful and Endangered Green Peafowl. Over 74 species of butterfly and a diverse suite of flora have also been documented.

Challenges

Forests in Central Myanmar are becoming increasingly strained by demand for illegal timber and food crops, while poaching for the illegal wildlife trade decimates rare species that are outside protected areas.

Threats to the proposed wildlife sanctuary come mainly from extraction of timber and the encroachment of roads that degrade and fragment habitat. In addition to these threats, a lack of effective management and institutional support of protected areas in Myanmar hampers protection efforts.

Communities

There are 24 villages in and around the proposed Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary, including two inside the sanctuary. Communities here live at a subsistence level relying on farming, small scale trade and hunting for their livelihoods.

However, FOW is working to empower villagers with alternatives to extractive industries through promotion of customary land rights and conservation education. Already, FOW have carried out gibbon census surveys together with local villagers and rangers from the Nature- Wildlife Conservation Division in charge of all protected areas. Collaborative projects such as these create a culture of inclusiveness and shared responsibility essential for community-based conservation efforts to succeed.

Solutions

Rainforest Trust is partnering with Friends of Wildlife (FOW) to help protect 291,680 acres in North-Central Myanmar as the Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary. The new protected area will safeguard a major portion of the Vulnerable Eastern Hoolock Gibbon’s global population, while providing refuge for a wide variety of rare Asian wildlife.

FOW has been conserving Eastern Hoolock Gibbons in the area since 2014. Building on their efforts, supervisory teams will be implemented to bolster wildlife protection, community outreach and monitoring of wildlife in the . The results of these activities will generate skills and information that will be used in preparing a new and comprehensive management plan for MWS. This management plan will be implemented by FOW and will aim to provide a much higher level of protection for wildlife than currently exists in Central Myanmar. Once established, the sanctuary will be one of the largest protected areas in Myanmar, serving as a refuge for a wide variety of rare wildlife while representing one of the few protected areas in the country capable of supporting viable populations of migratory or wide-ranging species such as elephants.