Myanmar is home to a great variety of different habitats and ecosystems supporting a rich biodiversity, especially forests. While forests currently officially account for 48% of Myanmar’s land area (ECCDI, 2011), the country continues to experience one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, losing an estimated 7.45 million hectares (19%) of forest between 1990 and 2010 (FAO, 2010); ranking 6th among 11 SE Asian countries. This decline has taken place at a time when 70% of the rural population depended heavily upon forests and Non-Timber Forest Products for their daily subsistence needs. It is estimated that 30 million people are dependent to some degree on forests for their livelihoods and meeting their basic needs.
The parallel session will allow participants to review the current situation of forest management and how forest can contribute to poverty reduction in a fair-benefit manner.
Specific objectives:
- Explore key opportunities and challenges to optimize use of forests for poverty reduction
- Assess different approaches in promoting equity in sustainable forest management
- Draft recommendations on way forward in supporting people equity in sustainable forest management
Session approach
The session will be facilitated by a team of facilitators with extensive experience in participatory forest management from the region. Participants will have opportunity to discuss and exchange among themselves and resource persons who have direct experience in community forestry from both the region and in Myanmar.
Part 1: Opportunity and challenges for equity in sustainable forest management in Myanmar
Participants will discuss and exchange experience on the following key questions:
- Why do we need people equity in sustainable forest management?
- What are the main challenges in promoting equity in sustainable forest management?
- What are the main opportunities in promoting local equity in sustainable forest management?
Part 2: Different approaches used in promoting equity in sustainable forest management
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss and share community forestry practices with key players and representatives from community, community forestry user groups, grassroots level government officers, policy makers, and civil society. At the end of the session, participants will draft recommendations on way forward in supporting people equity in sustainable forest management.
Expected outputs
At the end of the session, participants will have..
- Better understanding of challenges and opportunities in promoting people equity in sustainable forest management
- Broader view of different approaches used in promoting equity in sustainable forest management exist in Myanmar and ASEAN region
- Draft recommendations on way forward in supporting equity in sustainable forest management
| Attachment | Size |
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 1_session flyer_314.pdf | 811.52 KB |