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Analysis of Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Shan State and Strategic Options to Address Those

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Analysis of Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Shan State and Strategic Options to Address Those Analysis of drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Shan State and strategic options to address those Author: Aung Aung Myint, National Consultant on analysis of drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Shan State, ICIMOD-GIZ REDD+ project. [email protected]: +95 9420705116. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Acknowledgement 2 Abbreviation and Acronyms 3 List of Figures 5 List of Tables 8 1. Introduction 9 1.1. Description of the assignment 12 1.2. Study area: brief description 12 1.3. Scope of the study 14 1.4. Objectives of the assignment 15 1.5. Expected outputs 15 2 Methodology 16 2.1. Data collection and analysis 16 2.1.1. Secondary data collection 16 2.1.2. Primary data collection 16 2.1.3. Spatial data analysis 17 2.1.4. Socio-economic data collection and analysis 19 2.2. Forest resources and their contributions in Myanmar and Shan State 27 2.3. Forest resources assessment 27 2.3.1. Major Forest Types 27 2.3.2. Forest cover change 29 2.3.3. National LULC categories and definitions 30 2.3.4. The NDVI composite maps for 2005 and 2015 43 2.3.5. Estimated magnitude of carbon emission due to deforestation and forest degradation (2005 to 2015) 47 2.3.6. Global Forest Watch were used to compare with international data 50 A. Identification of Deforestation and Forest Degradation 52 (i) Direct Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation 53 (ii) Indirect Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation 54 B. Determining co-relations between (i) Direst Drivers and (ii) Indirect Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation 55 (i) Direct Drivers and deforestation 56 (a) Agriculture expansion and agribusiness plantation 56 (b) Shifting Cultivation 61 (c) Infrastructure development 65 (d) Mining 67 (ii) Indirect Drivers and Deforestation 70 (a) Population Growth (Natural and Migrant) 70 (b) Economic Growth (International and national) 70 (c) Weak in Law Enforcement 72 (d) Poverty and Subsistence 73 (e) Conflicting Policy 75 (f) Language Barriers 77 (g) Land Tenure Uncertainties 77 (h) Inadequate Natural Resources Planning and Monitoring 79 (iii) Direct Drivers and Forest Degradation 81 (a) Overexploitation of Timber 81 (b) Fuelwood consumption 91 (c) Forest Fire 96 (iv) Indirect Drivers and Forest Degradation 102 C. Assessment of Strategic options for deforestation and forest degradation 102 (i) Priority orders of the strategic options 102 (ii) SWOT analysis of the most prioritized strategic options 105 (iii) Organizations should be involved in implementing above strategic options 107 (iv) Priority orders of suitable districts where REDD+ mechanism should be pursued in future 108 3. Results and Conclusion 108 3.1. Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation 108 3.2. Co-relation between Drivers (direct and indirect) and Deforestation and Forest Degradation 127 3.3. Strategic options for addressing deforestation and forest degradation 129 3.4. Conclusion 131 4. Bibliography 135 Executive summery This assignment is to contribute to Myanmar’s REDD+ readiness programme. It is especially to identify, analyze and document the driver of deforestation and forest degradation of the whole Shan State. Moreover, it is also need to determine co-relation between them and also to make the assessment of strategic options for addressing deforestation and forest degradation. During the study, stakeholder consultation, interview participatory approach and general observation were emphasized. Two sources (primary and secondary) of data collection were used. To know the history of forest cover change, spatial analysis using three sets (2005, 2010 and 2015) of satellite remote sensing data had been performed. As a counter checking, NDVI analysis and Hansen and Global Forest Watch data were also used. SWOT analysis of the priority options identified the various drivers related to deforestation and forest degradation was also applied with the consent of the stakeholder consultation meeting. Socio- economic survey was conducted only in 9 villages of serious hotspot areas depending on available time budget and security condition. According to the spatial analysis of 2005, 2010 and 2015 Landsat imageries, Forest Cover of Shan State decreased from 52.38% in 2005 to 41.45% in 2010, but a little bit increased from 41.45% in 2010 up to 48.14% in 2015, indicating an increase of 6.69% during the 5 years period (2010 to 2015). The main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Shan State can be divided into two types, namely direct and indirect drivers. Direct drivers are Agricultural expansion, Shifting Cultivation, Overexploitation of timber, Fuelwood consumption (including charcoal), Infrastructure development, Mining, Forest fire. Indirect drivers include population growth, Economic growth (International and national), weak in law enforcement, Poverty and subsistence, Conflicting policy, Language barriers, Land tenure uncertainties, and Inadequate Natural Resources planning and monitoring. In terms of carbon emission from deforestation and forest degradation, 6.86 million tons per year of carbon emitted between 2005 to 2015 period in Shan State. The Government of Myanmar is trying to formulate a new land law is being developed in order to harmonize existing laws related to land. Under this law, a National Land Use Council will be set up. To overcome deforestation and forest degradation, MONREC has developed a ten-year Restoration and Rehabilitation Programme (2017-2027) in cooperation with related stakeholders, building on past experiences and lessons learned. Cover Photo: On the way from MongPyin to KyaingTong, eastern Shan State. Most of the Photos used in the report were taken by the consultant on the field survey of Illicit Crop Monitoring in Myanmar-Opium Survey (ICMP) project (TD/MYA/G43 & TD/MYA/G44) under UNODC in 2014 and 2015. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report would not have been possible without the support of ICIMOD-GIZ REDD+ project. This report was made much easier and more thorough with support and encouragement of the Director of Forest Research Institute and the Director General of Forest Department of Myanmar. Moreover, I am grateful for the support from Project Director of ICIMOD-GIZ REDD+ project and his project teams of Forest Research Institute, Forest Department of Myanmar. In this respect a very special thanks is due to Dr. Nyunt Khaing and U Thein Saung, Staff Officers of Forest Department, Myanmar, for their assistance and care during the field trips in hotspot areas and during inception, validation and relevant stakeholder consultation workshops in Taunggyi and Yezin. I am also grateful for valuable advices and comments from Mr. Muhammad Sohail and his technical colleagues of ICIMOD Head Office, Kathmandu, Nepal. In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to the Director General of Forest Department and the Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) for allowing me to pursue the study of Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Shan State. Last, but definitely not the least, I would like to thank GIS section and Planning and Statistics Division of Forest Department for their valuable information of Forest Department. 2 Abbreviations and Acronyms AAC Annual Allowable Cut AD Alternative Development APFNet Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation ASMC ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre CCDAC Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control CFI Community Forestry Instruction CNN China National Narcotics Control Commission CSO Civil Society Organization DALMS Department of Agriculture Land Management and Statistics DGSE Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration DI Departmental Instruction DOA Department of Agriculture EAO Ethnic Armed Groups/Organization ECD Environmental Conservation Department (MONREC) EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EU FLEGT the European Union Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation FRA Forest Resource Assessment GAD General Administrative Department GIS Geographic Information System GIZ German Society for International Cooperation GMS Greater Mekong Sub-region HDI Human Development Index ICIMOD the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development INDCs Intended Nationally Determined Contributions INGO International Non-Government Organization IRS Indian Remote Sensing ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature LISS Linear Integrated Self-Scanning LULC Land Use Land Cover MAB-ICC the Man and the Biosphere Programme International Co-ordinating Council MODIS the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer MOM Ministry of Mines 3 MONREC Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation MSS Myanmar Selection System MTE Myanmar Timber Enterprise NCA National Ceasefire Agreement NDVI the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index NGO Non-Government Organization PFE Permanent Forest Estate PPF Protected Public Forest RECOFTC Regional Community Forestry Training TCP Technical Cooperation Project TNC The Nature Conservancy UNDP The United Nations Development Programme UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFCCC The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNODC United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime VPAs Voluntary Partnership Agreements WEF World Economic Forum 4 List of Figures Figure 1: Three-Phrase Approach to REDD+ under UNFCCC Framework 12 Figure
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