Visits of rare species to Nanthar marine national park plummet in cyclone’s wake

By Admin 05 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
5 July 2023, Rathedaung

Animal visits at a marine national park on Nanthar Island in Rathedaung Township, Arakan State, where rare species of animals often come to graze, decreased by 70 percent following Cyclone Mocha, according to the Rakhine Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association.

The marine national park is home to about 80 rare bird species, some of which are on the verge of extinction, as well as rare turtles, fish, shrimp and crabs.

The chairman of the Rakhine Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association, U Yan Naung Soe, said that after Cyclone Mocha hit Arakan State on May 14, many mangroves and other trees in the marine national park were destroyed, and the number of grazing animals decreased.

“Rare animals visit the marine national park much less. A lot of grazing land for rare animals was lost due to the storm. The breeding grounds for rare animals were lost, and the plants became almost non-existent because of the storm. In the past, now would have been the time for herons to breed. Now that the mangroves are gone, there are no herons at all,” he said.

The marine national park covers more than 20,000 acres, and about half of the land area was destroyed by Cyclone Mocha. The marine national park has not benefited from any restoration work more than a month after the storm.

If the storm-affected marine park, located at the mouth of the Mayu River, is not maintained in time, nearby villages may suffer from more severe natural disasters.

“If this island is further destroyed, the surrounding villages will become unsustainable and the natural disasters will be even worse. If there is no protection, if the waves come in directly, the local people will have to suffer the negative effects more,” he added.

“The marine national park has to be serviced by the Forest Department, which cannot be done at the moment,” U Aye Min Naing, assistant director of the Arakan State Forest Department, told DMG.

During the open season, about 120,000 birds regularly come to graze at the marine national park, and other rare bird species also come to graze seasonally.

The birds build nests in the mangroves and perennial trees in the marine national park. The marine national park is important not only for Arakan State, but also for the entire country of Myanmar, so the depleted mangroves and perennial trees need to be planted as soon as possible, local residents say.

“It is not good if the ecosystems are destroyed for a long time. We should act to prevent the destruction of ecosystems. People should not kill and eat birds that come to feed,” said Daw Myint Myint Aye, a resident of Minbya.

Nanthar Island, located between Sittwe and Rathedaung townships in Arakan State, was designated as a marine national park by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation on February 21, 2022.

Lampi Island in Bokpyin Township, Tanintharyi Region, was designated as Myanmar’s first marine national park, with Nanthar Island becoming the country’s second.