Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity:

In Search of Sustainable Development

Haymar Hein

First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Japan Foundation and the coordinators of JENESYS program for giving me this great opportunity to participate and learn about Japanese environmental conservation through biodiversity. During my stay in Japan, I immensely enjoyed the wonderful program, lectures, awesome scenery, and meeting with young future leaders of environmental preservation from other countries. I gained quite a lot of valuable knowledge and experience about biodiversity, ecosystem and natural environmental conservation.

Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today. Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns such as rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather.  Biodiversity is the foundation of life on earth and one of the pillars of sustainable development.  The richness and variety of life on earth make possible the ecosystem services on which we depend: clean water, food, shelter, medicine and clothing.  Environments rich in biodiversity are resilient when stricken by natural disasters.  All of this is of particular importance for the poorest citizens of our world.

From this program, I got the concept, laws and regulations surrounding biodiversity, diversification of biodiversity, the important role of biodiversity and its preservation through the conservation of the environment for human beings as well as all other living organisms. Talking about Yakushima Island, I learned of a conflict between environment and natural resources conservation versus tourism, economic progress and pollution.  Although more visitors coming to this island means more investment and incentive contributing to economic growth, at the same time, because most visitors do not necessarily appreciate the nature to an adequate extent that they might actually endanger the existing environment.

We also discussed about Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. The main products of the Chisso Minamata factory include liquid crystals, preservatives, desiccants, chemical fertilizers, and synthetic resins. Chisso factory discharges its waste water into the sea where it causes pollution to fish and shellfish and thus destroys the environment. As a result, damage to human health occurs and the community receives a strong influence. Environmental pollution by toxic substances results in serious damages such as health problems and destruction of the living environment. From the economic point of view, it is clearly said that these activities are not economic choices because the measures against the damages done take a large amount of money and a great deal of time compared to the measures needed to prevent them in the first place.

The Isahaya Land Reclamation project in Ariake Sea is one such case that has led to a significant decline of marine and aquatic species diversity. In this bay there is a conflict between agricultural farming and fishery which have in turn led to institutional conflicts between Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, local government and national government.  In particular, all of these institutions should discuss about the important role of conserving biodiversity of marine and aquatic species and its impact on socio-economic conditions of local people and organizations, so as to find a modus vivendi under which each of them may try and bring forth their main objectives as effectively as can be.

Myanmar is an agrarian country and agriculture is the backbone of our economy. About 70% of our population lives in rural areas and these people have dynamic and complex livelihoods, which usually rely on a diversity of plant animal species, both wild and domesticated. Diversity within species (i.e. farmers' varieties or landraces) is also remarkable among the species domesticated for crop and livestock production, and results from rural people's innovation. Such agricultural diversity is vital insurance against crop and livestock disease outbreaks, and improves the long-term resilience of rural livelihoods to adverse trends or shocks. Agricultural biodiversity is increasingly threatened by the adoption of high-yielding, uniform cultivars and varieties in 'modern' monoculture.

  I feel that JENESYS has empowered me with more knowledge that I can apply in our country's environmental conservation. Inle Lake in the eastern part of Myanmar is a multipurpose lake for the residents nearby. At the downstream, conservation activities such as sediment dredging of waterway in the lake is a major activity. The amount of dredging of sediment in there is increased each year. The costs of bearing the sediments directly go to downstream society. Inside the lake area, however, floating garden agriculture, which mainly uses the deposited silt soil from the bottom of the lake, is able to give high income for the residents so much so that the floating garden area increased from 3,960 ha in 1990 to 4,478 ha in 2003. Soil erosion causes decreasing productivity of upland farms and imposes dredging costs for waterways downstream. On the other hand, the eroded silt and fertile top soil are deposited on the lake and are used extensively in the floating garden industry. Thus, soil erosion in the Inle Lake watershed has economic costs and benefits.

In case of Myanmar, there is an urgent need to promote sustainable agricultural intensification and sound management of natural resources, with increased emphasis on semi-arid zones in the central part of the country with fragile soils, limited rainfall, and widespread poverty. Natural resource degradation in such regions often results from or is exacerbated by poverty, inadequate property rights, inappropriate technology, and lack of access to markets and credit. Rural poverty is often caused by inadequate opportunities to intensify agricultural production. Thus, sustainable agricultural intensification is essential for alleviation poverty and managing natural resources.

  Through my experiences, I would like to highlight some of the important recommendations to promote sustainable agricultural intensification, with particular emphasis in low potential regions:-

1) Expansion of public and private-sector investments in infrastructure, particularly irrigation facilities and roads, market development, natural resource conservation, and agricultural research.

2) Provision of incentives to farmers and communities to implement integrated soil fertility programs and to undertake activities needed to restore degraded lands.

3) Establishment of farmers’ participatory irrigation water management systems to make better use of existing water supplies by providing appropriate incentives to water users and improving procedures for water allocation.

            The tasks ahead of us in search of sustainable development for increased productivity in agriculture sector are challenging. This has been one of the driving forces which have kept me to actively participate in developing our country’s economy through increased productivity in agriculture sector, with sustainable environmental conservation, by putting in practice all that I have learned from this program. It is a great privilege having the opportunity to give something back to my country despite how insignificant my efforts involved might have been. I believe that by carrying out all these essential activities, we can manage to conserve our environment as well as protect and sustain biodiversity resources both locally and globally. For me, it has been a wonderful journey filled with hope and joy just to have served as a small block of the building that is the future of our nation and I would like to conclude this report by reiterating how grateful I feel for the opportunity, pleasure, and privilege of participating in JENESYS that you so kindly and generously extended.