Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services
The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.
Myanmar is rich in biodiversity due to its diverse ecosystems and varying sea level to mountain peak elevations. Among its ecosystems, forests are considered to be integral to the stability of the environment, however, the country also supports a large diversity of freshwater ecosystems, ranging from fast-flowing mountain streams to wide, slow-flowing lowland rivers, as well as lakes and other non-flowing wetlands. Myanmar is also endowed with some of the most extensive and least disturbed coastal and marine ecosystems in mainland Southeast Asia. Its extensive coastline accommodates half a million hectares of brackish and freshwater swampland that supports essential ecological functions and habitats such as spawning, nursery and feeding grounds for aquatic organisms like fish, prawns and other aquatic fauna and flora of economic importance. Overall, the country counts 11,800 species of vascular plants of gymnosperms and angiosperms, 251 mammals, 1,056 bird species, 279 reptiles, 82 amphibians, 841 medicinal plants, 96 bamboos and many tropical crop species. The Dry Zone is well known for the production of oil seeds and cotton, especially under developed irrigation systems and the Taninthayi region is suitable for cultivating rubber and fruit crops. Myanmar is also rich with diverse inland water and freshwater diversity, with over 350 freshwater fish species (a significant portion of which may be endemic), over 800 marine fish species, 9 species of seagrass, 51 coral species and five of the world’s marine turtles are found in Myanmar’s waters.
However immense, Myanmar’s genetic diversity is eroding due to the introduction of modern varieties and technology to feed an ever-expanding population. The country counts 144 globally threatened species, among which there are four critically endangered species of mammals, birds and reptiles, respectively, and 13 critically endangered plant species. In addition, 39 endangered species have been reported (including 12 plant species and 10 reptiles) and 80 vulnerable species (among which are 33 birds and 26 mammals). Trends are declining for marine turtles (primarily due to their capture for consumption and ornamental crafting, destruction of nesting sites and egg collection) and large mammals, like tigers and elephants, are highly vulnerable to local extinction due to improper sex ratio and reduction of home ranges by human activities. The same negative trend is observed in various natural environments, such as forest and inland water habitats. While FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) indicated that about 50% of the total land area of the country is covered with forests, this area decreased by 7% between 1990 and 2005 as a result of human pressure and forest cover changes. Likewise, decline of inland water biodiversity is common due to increased demand on freshwater resources and drainage of wetlands for agriculture and urbanization.
Myanmar relies largely on ecosystem services and biodiversity for the livelihood of its population and economic growth. A particularly salient example of this dependency is the agricultural sector, which represents 36% of the GDP and 13.3% of the country’s total export earnings, and employs 61.2% of the total labor force. With 18 million ha of total arable land and a population growth rate of 1.75%, the agriculture sector will play a very significant role in the future, both in terms of employment, economic growth and food security (the country’s population is expected to reach 60 million by 2015). Forests are also fundamental to the socio-economic well-being of the people of Myanmar, providing local villagers not only numerous forest products to fulfill their basic needs but also contributing substantial foreign exchange earnings to the State economy, notably through timber trade.
Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)
The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.
Major threats to biodiversity in Myanmar include hunting, overfishing, forest depletion and degradation, encroachment, forest fires, habitat destruction (which is expected to grow due to increasing urbanization), climate change, introduction of alien invasive species and increasing markets for wildlife and their derivatives in neighboring countries (i.e. illegal trade in wildlife and their products).
