99 The Myanmar National Sustainable Development Strategy – NSDS UNEP 2009b also clearly mentioned the three
perspectives of sustainable management of natural resources, integrated economic development and sustainable social development.
Action needed to improve and revise current policies, regulations and ongoing thrusts: • The 1992 Forest Law and 1994 Protection of Wildlife and Wild Plants and Conservation of Natural Areas Law
should be reviewed and revised to be in line with current developments of national and international trends; • The Forest Rules and Community Forestry Instructions 1995 should be upgraded to legal status or incorporated in
the Forest Law, so as to assure or guarantee land allocation for CFs and boost public interest in CF establishment; • Before rapid CF expansion, there is a need for review of existing CFs, as roughly 50 percent of them are suboptimal
and may not benefit local communities. • Formulation of rules and regulations so the Environmental Conservation Law 2012 can be adopted and implemented
effectively is urgently warranted. • The National Forest Master Plan NFMP 2001 should be reviewed and revised as necessary.
• Private investments in forest land restoration such as establishment of commercial plantations by private companies should be strongly promoted.
• In highly vulnerable areas such as the Central dry zone, hilly regions and the delta area, conservation of remaining natural forests should remain the priority over establishment of new plantations by clearing existing natural
vegetation. • Alternative household energy sources are needed in order to reduce high dependency on forests for daily household
energy requirements fuelwood, charcoal etc.. There is a need for a complementary energy policy for fair share and management of the nation’s rich energy resources such as oil, gas and hydropower.
6.2 National strategy for forest and landscape restoration
6.2.1 Public awareness
Raising public awareness about the importance of forests and inducing public participation in forest resource management are crucial themes for achieving SFM and successful forest and landscape restoration. Two out of six imperatives of the
1997 Myanmar Forest Policy address public participation and awareness-raising:
• Community participation in forest management; and • Public awareness about the vital role of forests for the well-being and socio-economic development of the nation.
The 1992 Forest Law also focuses on awareness and participation in the conservation and sustainable utilization of forest resources, and stresses the importance of collecting and updating resource information; planning; continuous monitoring
of all forest operations; and maintaining ecological balance and environmental stability.
The major institutions striving for public awareness-raising on forestry-related issues are the Forest Department and the DZGD of MOECAF. The Forest Department has formed an extension division to take responsibility for forestry and
environmental extension, information sharing and disseminating knowledge on sustainable forest and land management, forest degradation and the importance of restoration. The DZGD on the other hand is launching village-level environmental
education programmes in all 54 townships of the Central dry zone of Myanmar. The main aim is to educate rural communities about the importance of trees and forests for their daily livelihoods and how they can participate in conserving
and restoring the heavily degraded forest resources of the area. In addition, these two departments are encouraging and assisting communities to plant trees in degraded forests, barren lands, village tracts, farmyards and household compounds
for fuelwood and other forest products.
In recent years, environmental NGOs and civil society groups in Myanmar have played an important role in promoting environmental knowledge and awareness. Their willing involvement should be highly encouraged and MOECAF should
create a platform for all non-government and government organizations to share knowledge and work together on forest landscape restoration.
6.2.2 Planning, monitoring and evaluation Planningpolicy development framework: Environmental issues are now being incorporated into the national
development plans. Myanmar’s NSDS is the country’s most recent commitment to long-term national development planning. The vision is ‘Wellbeing and Happiness for Myanmar People’. Three goals, each with their own specific strategies,
are specified:
• Sustainable management of natural resources; • Integrated economic development;
• Sustainable social development.
The first goal suggests strategies for forest resource management, sustainable energy production and consumption, biodiversity conservation, sustainable freshwater resource management, sustainable management of land resources and
sustainable management for mineral resource utilization.
