In a fragile and conflict-affected context, groundbreaking progress has been made to engage communities in environmental conservation in Myanmar’s Shan State. A local community-led organisation, Kyun Ta Htaung Myae Foundation (KTHM), conducted a series of consultations with locals to understand the tradeoffs between conservation and community needs. The findings will be used to develop a conservation plan for the Thousand Islands Conservation Area (TICA), a region rich in terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity within the Salween River basin. The project is supported by IUCN through the Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) Salween programme.
The proposed conservation area, where the Salween River converges with its largest tributary, the Nam Pang River, is inhabited by a number of Myanmar’s Indigenous communities. Given the diversity of these communities, KTHM conducted consultations with over 10 villages throughout 2024, inviting traditional leaders, women and young people to share their cultural and spiritual values.
In one of the villages, the locals shared their seasonal calendars to ensure conservation strategies align with the local agricultural practices. Through community listening sessions with over 130 participants, the importance of gender equity and Indigenous Rights in natural resource management emerged as key themes to consider in the conservation plan.
At the heart of the project is the need to understand the ecological diversity within the Salween River basin. Biodiversity assessments – which help determine the density of species within a specific area – were conducted in 11 villages to create an Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Report. This document blends ecological data with local knowledge to map major floodplains and fish spawning areas, vital data needed to inform future conservation plans. This was complimented by the use of GPS tools and community-led research to mark the proposed boundaries of the protected area.
The project also prioritised capacity building for 27 participants on biodiversity assessment, GPS mapping, and ecological monitoring. These sessions equipped communities with the knowledge and skills to participate in environmental decision-making processes.
Given the sensitive context of the site, the project continues to remain flexible and maintain close contact with stakeholders to adjust to changes as needed. Moving forward, IUCN will work in the Thousand Island area to expand partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, while continuing the build skills within KTHM, and other relevant stakeholders, to strengthen the conservation of this critically important area.
