Mangrove expansion runs up against funding shortfalls in Arakan State

18 Dec 2020

Nyan Hein| DMG
18 December 2020, Sittwe

Mangrove planters in Arakan State who are self-reliant in funding their efforts say they are struggling to hit expansion targets due to financial difficulties. 

Those involved have nonetheless been able to grow over 200,000 plants across more than 2,000 acres in Ann, Kyaukphyu and Taungup townships, said Ko Myo Lwin of the Ann Township Mangrove Trees Conservation Group.

“We had firstly planned to grow mangrove trees in all areas where water pollution happens. But we cannot grow in all areas because of financial difficulties,” he told DMG.  

Plans have been drawn up to plant mangroves in Ann, Kyaukphyu, Taungup, Myebon and Pauktaw townships, but Pauktaw and Myebon have been left out to date due to lack of funds.

“In some places, we cannot grow the full number of plants we should grow because of insufficient money. For example, we should grow 100,000 trees in an area, but we can plant only 50,000 trees,” he said.

Armed conflict and travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are other challenges for mangrove planters, Ko Myo Lwin added.

Myanmar’s Forest Department compiles and updates information on mangrove forests throughout Myanmar once every five years. The most recent tabulations, from 2015, found that Arakan State had 395,726 acres of mangroves in total, U Zaw Myo Hlaing, assistant director of the Arakan State Forest Department, told DMG in July.

By district, Kyaukphyu, Thandwe and Mrauk-U are the state’s top three in terms of mangrove acreage. 

Denmark will provide more than US$700,000 for mangrove reforestation along the coasts of Arakan State and Tanintharyi Region, Danish Ambassador to Myanmar John Nielsen said on November 30.

Conservations say expansion of prawn and fish farms and over-harvesting of mangrove trees for firewood are the main reasons for mangrove depletion in Arakan State, shrinking the habitats of aquatic wildlife and reducing resilience to coastal erosion.