“COMMUNITY-DRIVEN NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT”

Seminar on Prospects for Peace and Security in South East Burma/Myanmar

Wattana Resort, Mae Sot, Wednesday 4 November 2015

Presented by Frankie AbreuTenasserim River and Indigenous People Networks

“We Used to Fear BulletsNow We Fear Bulldozers”

Dirty coal mining by military cronies & Thai companiesBan Chaung, Dawei District, Myanmar

• Kamoethway River valley is the upstream area of the Tenasserim River • Established human settlements have existed in the valley for over 200

years• More than 12,000 people in 12 villages are currently living along the

Kamoethway river valley• The area is under the dual administration of the Karen National Union

and the Myanmar/Burma government• People survive on upland rice farming and integrated betel nut

plantations• Communities in the area have been suffering from armed conflict since

1945• In 1997, several villages along the Tenasserim river abandoned their

homes and farmland due to a major military offensive

Community Profile

• The initial investment cost for this infrastructure project was estimated at over 10 billion USD

• According to the initial plan, Phase 1 of the project (a road link to Thailand, water reservoir, water treatment plant, & 400 MW coal-fired power plant) would start in 2010 and will be completed in 2014

• The road link was constructed through the Kamoethway area in late 2010 without the local people’s consent

• Local people from Tenasserim Region have suffered not only the DDP&SEZ project but also land-grabbing for mono-crop plantations and several kinds of mining, including coal

Challenges: Dawei Deep Seaport and Special Economic Zone

Sustainable forest conservation can be achieved only when native people have the right to participate in the forest management process. This includes the right to control and manage natural resources in their territories based on their culture and traditional practices.

TRIP NET’s Belief

Local Knowledge-Based Research

• Documented local resources before they are damaged by the entry of extractive industries to the area.

• Collected comprehensive baseline data in order to strengthen the community’s bargaining position.

• Local knowledge-based research is an important way to show community members that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to sustainably manage their own local resources.

Community Initiated Fish Conservation Zone

In order to maintain and recover the remaining aquatic species and ecosystem, villagers have proposed the establishment of a Fish Conservation Zone on the Kamoethway River.

A Socio-Economic Assessment Training workshop was held from 28-29 August 2014. The objective of the workshop was to recognize the scope of their resources, to understand their community, and to discuss how to balance utilization and conservation.

Villagers develop socio-economic assessment questionnaires

Participants conduct a socio-economic assessment (12-13 September 2014)

Village-level capacity building

Findings from Socio-Economic Assessments

Cash Income Non Cash income

Non agricul-ture

Agriculture

Forest Product

68%

6%26%

Garden & farm

Natural forest/stream

44%56%

0%

10%

20%

30%

Monitoring River and Forest Ecosystems

Kamoethway indigenous people documented the condition of the river and its ecosystem, including: measuring the depth and width of the river; and an initial test of the water for contamination of heavy metals discharged by the mining company.

While conducting the scientific monitoring, indigenous knowledge was used for ecosystem analysis.

Forest Protection

Working on a fire breakPosting signs raising awareness about

forest fires

Monthly Community Forest Network Meetings

Representatives from 12 villages of Kamoethway contributed their knowledge.

Demarcation of conservation areas

12 villages are surrounded by these conservation areas.

In order to manage the forest properly, nine categories of conservation areas were demarcated.

The conservation areas are: 1. Wildlife sanctuary; 2. Watershed forest; 3. Agroforestry land; 4. Utilization forest; 5. Umbilical cord forest; 6. Culture forest; 7. Herbal forest; 8. Fish sanctuaries; and 9. Cemetery land

Working Groups

Local people join working groups based on their expertise:

• Herbal medicine • Forest trees • Edible wild

vegetables • Wildlife• Handicraft • Rotational Farming

TRIP NET works to develop the capacity of local people to effectively and sustainably manage their own natural resources (biodiversity, forest landscape and ecosystem) in order to rehabilitate and improve the quality of life in communities that have been affected by long-term armed conflict.

People-Centered Approach

Members of RKIPN (Rays of Kamoethway Indigenous People and Nature)