AsianScientist (Jan. 4, 2012) – Representatives from China, India and Myanmar gathered in Myanmar from December 21 to 23 last year to plan the transboundary management of the Brahmaputra-Salween Landscape, a biologically rich ecosystem shared by the three countries.
Held in Nay Pyi Taw, the meeting was organized jointly by the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, the Government of the Republic of Myanmar, and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
The Brahmaputra-Salween Landscape comprises several remote but key protected areas in the eastern Himalayas, including the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve in China, the Namdapha National Park in India, and the Hkakaborazi National Park in Myanmar.
Besides being home to numerous ethnic groups, the area is also one of the region’s most safeguarded habitats of a number of wildlife species of global importance such as takin, red panda, snub nosed monkey, hollock gibbon, and Namdapha flying squirrel, as well as many endemic flowering plants.
These species are distributed widely across the landscape, irrespective of the national boundaries, and require a regional approach for its maintenance, said Dr. David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD.
“A regional approach is required to manage this mountain landscape, to enhance the livelihoods of the people living there, and to conserve its natural resources and ecosystem services for future generations,” Dr. Molden said.
During his inauguration speech, His Excellency U Win Tun, Minister for Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Myanmar urged the participating countries to focus on both research and development to take this initiative further.
At the meeting, the 30 participants drew up plans to promote transboundary biodiversity management, cultural conservation, sustainable economic development, and enhanced ecosystem and socio-economic resilience in the Brahmaputra-Salween Landscape.
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Source: International Center for Integrated Mountain Development.
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