Committee set up to protect Wunbaik mangrove forest reserve in Arakan State

By DMG 30 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom
30 September 2021, Ramree

A committee was formed on September 29 to protect the Wunbaik reserve mangrove forest (WRMF), Asia’s second-largest mangrove forest, in Ramree Township, Arakan State.

The committee consisting of 26 mangrove conservationists and local people was formed to prevent illegal logging and charcoal harvesting from the WRMF, according to Ko Tun Naing, a committee member.

“Illegal logging and logging are more common in the Wunbaik reserved mangrove forest. We have formed this mangrove protection committee because natural disasters can occur if these issues are not addressed,” he told DMG.

In the past, it was believed that firewood was cut from the WRMF as a fuel source, given the lack of electricity, Ko Tun Naing said. But now, as access to electricity has increased, more and more people are cutting down mangroves to make charcoal, he added.

Dr. Maung Maung Kyi, chairman of the Rakhine Coastal Region Conservation Association (RCA), told DMG that public awareness should be provided to conserve the WRMF, and other livelihoods should be created for the charcoal harvesters.

“This forest is an invaluable treasure in Arakan State, but it has been cut down in the past and now. At present, there is little time to protect this mangrove forest. Otherwise, the mangroves could disappear within 10 years,” he said.

U Zaw Zaw Aung, assistant director of the Arakan State Forest Department, told DMG that the Wunbaik reserve is being conserved by locals in cooperation with police and the Forest Department.

“The Forest Department, in collaboration with the public and private sector, has been conserving this mangrove forest. There are various actions under the Forest Law. If people break into the forest compound, they will be prosecuted under the zoning law,” he said.

The WRMF covers more than 150,000 acres and is located in Ramree and Kyaukphyu townships, Arakan State. The reserve is considered a biodiversity hotspot.