Accessible Alternatives Ethnic Communities’ Contribution to Social Development and Environmental Conservation in Burma Burma Environmental Working Group September 2009 CONTENTS Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... iii About BEWG ................................................................................................. iii Executive Summary ...................................................................................... v Notes on Place Names and Currency .......................................................... vii Burma Map & Case Study Areas ................................................................. viii Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Arakan State Cut into the Ground: The Destruction of Mangroves and its Impacts on Local Coastal Communities (Network for Environmental and Economic Development - Burma) ................................................................. 2 Traditional Oil Drillers Threatened by China’s Oil Exploration (Arakan Oil Watch) ........................................................................................ 14 Kachin State Kachin Herbal Medicine Initiative: Creating Opportunities for Conservation and Income Generation (Pan Kachin Development Society) ........................ 33 The Role of Kachin People in the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve (Kachin Development Networking Group) ................................................... 44 Karen State Environmental Protection, Indigenous Knowledge and Livelihood in Karen State: A Focus on Community Conserved Areas (Karen Environmental and Social Action Network) ...................................... 55 Threats to Food Security and Local Coping Strategies in Northern Karen State (Karen Environmental and Social Action Network) .................. 72 Gold Mining in Shwegyin Township, Pegu Division (EarthRights International) ............................................................................ 94 Shan State Drowned Out: The Tasang Dam and its Impacts on Local Shan Communities and the Environment (Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization) ................................................................................................. 109 Building up of the Narco-State and Reef Blasting: Failed State-Sponsored Development Projects and their Impacts on the Lahu People (Lahu National Development Organization) ............................ 128 ii Burma Environmental Working Group Acknowledgments The Burma Environmental Working Group would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their support for the production of this report. The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and the Open Society Institute provided fi nancial support. Many communities and individuals who we cannot name gave vital information and welcome advice regarding the substance and contents of this report. Many thanks are also due to Christina Browning, Jeremy Mak, Kevin Woods, Marty Bergoffen, Saw Paul Sein Twa, Steve Thompson, Saw Tamula and Yuki Akimoto who assisted in editing the report. Finally, coordinators of the Another Development for Burma project, Saw David Taw, Saw Frankie Abreu, Khin Ohmar, and Matilda, offered constant encouragement. About the Burma Environmental Working Group Members of the Burma Environmental Working Group fi rst came together in 2005 through a seminar organized by the Another Development for Burma project (ADfB). The ADfB project provides a platform for political, community and issue-based groups within the Burma democracy movement to consider long-term challenges and development alterna- tives for the future of Burma. It is run by a core group of devoted individuals from a wide range of organizations within the Burma democracy movement. This report represents the fi rst major joint project of BEWG members. Vision The Burma Environmental Working Group envisions a Burma in which a democratic govern- ment and a strong civil society work together effectively to safeguard ecological and cultural diversity and ensure that the country’s development policies provide equitable benefi ts to all. Mission The Burma Environment Working Group is a coalition of environmental organizations and activists with the common goals of protecting Burma’s landscape and natural resources from further degradation; safeguarding traditional livelihoods and indigenous resource manage- ment methods; promoting local conservation projects; educating the public of the negative consequences of large-scale development and natural resource extraction projects; and advocating sensible, sustainable, and humane development policies and strong, enforceable environmental laws for Burma’s post-transition period. Burma Environmental Working Group iii Specifi cally, the Burma Environmental Working Group serves and provides a forum to exchange and disseminate information and jointly monitor the environmental situation in Burma and compliance with environmental norms and standards such as the implementation of environmental, social, and health impact assessments related to mega-projects. Members collaborate on research, reporting, and advocacy campaigns, and formulate recommendations for policymakers and international NGOs working in Burma for potential environmental laws. Further, the Burma Environmental Working Group networks with other non-governmental organizations to monitor the activities of international fi nancial institutions in Burma. In ad- dition, the Burma Environmental Working Group serves as a network for capacity-building initiatives and human resources advancement. Contact Information E-mail: [email protected] The following organizations are members of the Burma Environmental Working Group in alphabetical order. EarthRights International Kachin Development Networking Group Karen Environmental and Social Action Network Lahu National Development Organization Network for Environmental and Economic Development Pan Kachin Development Society Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization *Arakan Oil Watch is not a member of the Burma Environmental Working Group, but contributed to this report by providing a case study. ISBN: 978-974-235-362-9 Published by: BEWG © BEWG 2009, 1,000 copies Designed & Printed by: Wanida Press, Chiang Mai, Thailand. iv Burma Environmental Working Group EXECUTIVE SUMMARY “Accessible Alternatives: Ethnic Communities’ Contribution to Social Development and Environmental Conservation in Burma” consists of case studies by the members of Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG) and Arakan Oil Watch. The case studies describe a variety of issues related to natural resource management in different parts of Burma, but they all describe a pattern: Communities have had their own systems of natural resource management that supported their lives and that also ensured that the resources were not depleted. But inevitably, militarization and development projects in the area have destroyed the environment and made it impossible for the local people to continue their traditional ways of life. In some cases, support from BEWG member organizations has helped revive the natural environment and the ways of life it supports, but in other cases, communities and people continue to struggle from the impacts of military activities and development projects. All of the case studies close with suggestions about community-based natural resource manage- ment and policy recommendations for sustainable development. In “Cut into the Ground: The Destruction of Mangroves and its Impacts on Local Coastal Communities,” the Network for Environmental and Economic Development - Burma (NEED) reports that in Arakan State, the destruction of mangrove forests to make way for large-scale shrimp farms and brick production is causing negative impacts on local ecosystems and traditional livelihoods. Oppression by authorities further exacerbates the situation for the communities that depend on mangrove resources for their living. The case study, which is based on fi eld visits and interviews in 20 Arakan communities, argues that more effort should be put into protecting and restoring mangrove forests in Arakan State. “Traditional Oil Drillers Threatened by China’s Oil Exploration” by Arakan Oil Watch docu- ments the ecological and social impacts that Chinese oil exploration have on the livelihoods of communities Ramree Island in Arakan State, and gives a sense of what can be expected as exploration of natural gas and infrastructure construction continue there. The case study is based on a report by Arakan Oil Watch, Blocking Freedom: A Case Study of China’s Oil and Gas Investment in Burma (October 2008). In “Kachin Herbal Medicine Initiative: Creating Opportunities for Conservation and Income Generation,” Pan Kachin Development Society (PKDS) describes an initiative in Kachin State to gather medicinal herbs and produce medicine, set up a clinic, demarcate an herbal medicine forest, and document local knowledge of herbal medicine. PKDS fi nds that com- munity participation in and ownership over project activities has resulted in sustainable extraction of forest resources, increased awareness among the community about the benefi ts of conservation, cultural revival, income generation and poverty alleviation. The Hugwawng Valley Tiger Reserve in Kachin State is the world’s largest tiger conserva- tion area. The traditional livelihoods of local people have helped sustain the nature in the valley. As Kachin Development Networking Group reports in “The