July 21
MYANMAR’S forest reserve system was initiated in 1870 with the aim of successfully implementing forest management measures in an effective manner. Hence, it can be said that the establishment of forest reserves and announcements for setting the protected public forests are aimed at systematically managing the forests for long-term existence.
Forest reserves and protected public forests are set up for easing climate change, stabilize the ecosystem, increase environmental services, systematically manage mangrove forests and natural forests including tropical forests, continuously extract timber and forest products and fulfilling the needs of timber, bamboo, firewood and forest products to local people.
The forest areas are demarcated with the use of natural boundaries such as creeks, canals, mountain ranges and ravines. These natural boundaries are very distinct on the ground as well as on the maps for enabling the forestry officials to easily find the forest areas in carrying out forestry tasks and how to manage the forest reserves which should be expanded or reduced or cancelled if necessary.
The Department of Forest under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation slates to establish 50155900 acres of forest reserves and protected public forests, accounting for 30 per cent of the national lands under the Myanmar Forestry Policy (1995) and the National Forestry Sector Master Plan (2002-2002 financial year to 2030-2031 financial year).
In so doing, the government has set up 826 forest reserves on 29,693,174 acres of land and 454 protected public forests on 13,446,058 acres of land, totalling 43,139,232 acres of land, accounting for 25.80 per cent of the total land area of the nation. Moreover, efforts are being made to establish some 801,900 acres of forest areas on a yearly basis for meeting the target.
The government submitted the action plan on the implementation of mitigating climate change at a national level to the United Nations in 2021 as a duty of member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The action plan emphasizes the implementation of the forest sector involved in the main sectors for lessening the carbon emission.
Greening measures taken by the government for thriving the forests aim to prevent degradation of the environment and contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic life of the people through the extraction of forest products and advantages of the greening process. Hence, all the people are to join hands with the government in greening the barren hills and plains to ease climate change for the whole nation as well as the world. GNLM
