Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary Conservation Programme Assessment of Fisheries Management Needs and Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities in the Villages Surrounding Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary By Donald J Macintosh (FFI Consultant) September 2016 MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY CONSERVATION PROGRAMME ASSESSMENT OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT NEEDS AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES IN THE VILLAGES SURROUNDING MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY DONALD J. MACINTOSH SEPTEMBER 2016 TCP Report No. XX Name of the project (if necessary) With funding from: The Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary Conservation Programme is an program initiative of Fauna and Flora International (FFI) Myanmar Programme, implemented in collaboration with the Myanmar Forest Department and a number of local, national and international collaborators and stakeholders. FFI Myanmar operates the programme under a MoU with the Forest Department specifically for marine and terrestrial conservation activities in Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary region. Funding This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). Page 2 of 39 MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY CONSERVATION PROGRAMME Macintosh, D. J. (2016). Assessment of Fisheries Management Suggested Needs and Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities in the Villages citation Surrounding Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary. Author Donald Macintosh has held the positions of Professor in details Environment and Development at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, and Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University, Scotland. Since 2011, he has been Senior Adviser to Mangroves for the Future (MFF), a regional initiative involving Myanmar and nine other Asian member countries. Copyright Reproduction of this report in full or in part is granted for the purposes of education, research or awareness, with the sole provision that the authors and authoring organisations be properly credited. Cover Front: Fisheries activities at the villages around Meinmahla Kyun images Back: Non-fisheries based village livelihood activities Credit: Dr Donald J Macintosh/FFI (2016). Disclaimer The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Fauna and Flora International and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or other donors. Page 3 of 39 MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY CONSERVATION PROGRAMME ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS.............................................................................................. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................. 7 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Background to the Assignment .............................................................................................. 8 1.2 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 8 2. CURRENT LIVELIHOOD PRACTICES RELATED TO FISHERIES ......................................... 9 2.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Description of the Fisheries ................................................................................................. 12 2.3 Improving the Sustainability of Fisheries-based Livelihoods ................................................ 14 2.4 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 15 3. POTENTIAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AROUND MEINMAHLA ............... 16 3.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Status of the Fisheries around Meinmahla Kyun .................................................................. 16 3.3 Fisheries Regulatory Management ...................................................................................... 17 3.4 Fisheries Co-management .................................................................................................. 18 3.5 The Need for Co-management ............................................................................................ 19 3.6 Fish Marketing Chain ........................................................................................................... 21 4. ZONING MKWS IN RELATION TO FISHERIES MANAGEMENT .......................................... 23 5. LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT AND DIVERSIFICATION ...................................................... 27 5.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 27 5.2 Fishery-based Livelihood Interventions ................................................................................ 28 5.2.1 Fishery product processing and marketing .................................................................... 28 5.2.2 Aquaculture ................................................................................................................... 28 5.2.3 Freshwater Fish Culture ................................................................................................ 30 5.2.4 Brackishwater Aquaculture ............................................................................................ 30 5.3 Agriculture-based Livelihood Interventions .......................................................................... 31 5.3.1 Improvements in paddy cultivation ................................................................................ 31 5.3.2 Livestock rearing (chickens, ducks, pigs) ...................................................................... 32 5.3.3 Horticulture and home gardens ..................................................................................... 33 5.4 Alternative Livelihood Interventions ..................................................................................... 34 5.4.1 Migrant Labour .............................................................................................................. 34 5.4.2 Shop-keeping and services ........................................................................................... 34 5.4.3 Tourism ......................................................................................................................... 34 Page 4 of 39 MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY CONSERVATION PROGRAMME 5.5 One Village-One Product (OVOP) ....................................................................................... 34 6. OVERALL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................... 35 7. REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 37 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CBO Community Based Organization cm Centimetre DoF Department of Fisheries EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations FFI Fauna and Flora International g Gramme m Metre kg Kilogramme km Kilometre LIFT Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund MKWS Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary mm Millimetre MHDO Myanmar Heart Development Organisation NAG Network Action Group NGO Non-Governmental Organization OTOP One Tambon One Product OVOP One Village One Product SEAFDEC Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center VDF Village Development Fund VFMC Village Fisheries Management Committee VFS Village Fisheries Society Vizz A Burmese unit of weight (I vizz = 1.62 kg) Page 5 of 39 MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY CONSERVATION PROGRAMME ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The assistance of the Forest Department, Ministry of Resources and Environmental Conservation, and Fauna and Flora International (FFI), in approving and organizing my visit to Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary is gratefully acknowledged. The exceptional help and companionship of the team who accompanied me on the field trip to Meinmahla Kyun, and the hospitality and kindness of all the village leaders and villagers we met, contributed much to the success of the visit during six days of travel and interviews. Special thanks go to Dr. Tint Swe (Mawlamyine University) and Mr Zau Lunn (FFI) who provided invaluable fisheries and local knowledge, respectively, and also interpreted for me during the many interviews conducted in the 15 villages visited. A wealth of knowledge and experience was shared freely by several government departments and NGOs, and by experts and advisors of international development programs, all of whom went out of their way to be helpful. Finally, meeting farmers, fishers and odd-jobbers, leaders and elders, women and children, in the villages was an enriching and unforgettable experience. Page 6 of 39 MEINMAHLA KYUN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY CONSERVATION PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report assesses the current fishery-based livelihoods of people living in the villages around Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary (MKWS) and the scope to diversify their livelihoods to reduce pressure on aquatic resources. It also outlines potential fisheries management strategies in relation to the zoning plan