Environment preservation and conservation projects around Mergui Archipelago
Regarded as South East Asia’s best-kept secret, the Mergui Archipelago is a biologically rich and diverse environment. It is teeming with unique, rare and endangered flora and fauna. Because of its pristine marine, mangrove, and lowland forest habitats (the most healthy of the Bay of Bengal), the archipelago made it to the “tentative” list for World Heritage status. Unfortunately, like most remote areas on the planet, Myanmar's waters suffered from the development of fisheries. And its forests endured loggers and poachers alike.
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Environment protection and conservation projects for Mergui Archipelago: a necessity
Very few visitors came to visit Myeik Archipelago before 2010 but the nature enthusiasts all came back enchanted and the word spread quickly raising it from unknown to an enviable destination. When they heard about the wealth of reefs and forests in this part of the world, environmental organisations started enquiring and marine conservation projects have finally started here to protect this little paradise...
Environment conservation-focused organisations like Ocean Quest Global, Myanmar Ocean project, Oikos, and Project Manaia all started social and marine environment conservation projects in Mergui Archipelago in the last 10 years.
Environment conservation-focused organisations like Ocean Quest Global, Myanmar Ocean project, Oikos, and Project Manaia all started social and marine environment conservation projects in Mergui Archipelago in the last 10 years.
Formed in 1996, Lampi Marine National Park is the only marine national park in Burma, protecting the rich biodiversity of over 1000 species of animals, plants, and marine life. This park has many globally-protected species, such as the plain-pouched hornbill, Wallace’s hawk-eagle, loggerhead, Suna pangolin and green sea turtles.
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Environment conservation projects in Mergui Archipelago started with Lampi National park: The first marine national park in Myanmar. The park covers a group of islands in the center of Mergui Archipelago. Lampi Island is the biggest one, (48 kilometers long) and that's also where the park headquarters were built.
Istituto Oikos Onlus NGO came in in 2007 to support and manage conservation and livelihood improvement programs in Lampi Marine National Park. They collaborate on this initiative with Myanmar Ministry of Environmental conservation and forestry, BANCA, and other Burmese organisations and universities. This program got funded by the Italian Development Cooperation, the European Union, Stiftung Drittes Millennium and private donors.
Their initial goals were to build a visitor center, write a strategy for Biodiversity conservation and management, waste management, water supply, and a sanitation kit, as well as encourage community-based tourism and park sustainability. While a Marine National Park, so far only the land is protected and no rangers are surveying its seas.
Built and inaugurated in 2016, the Visitor Centre will help promote knowledge and awareness of the Park’s key natural resources. It is targeting both the local community and visitors. Istituto Oikos has also helped with the construction of park facilities like a ranger house, park office and guesthouse for project staff and researchers.
Istituto Oikos Onlus NGO came in in 2007 to support and manage conservation and livelihood improvement programs in Lampi Marine National Park. They collaborate on this initiative with Myanmar Ministry of Environmental conservation and forestry, BANCA, and other Burmese organisations and universities. This program got funded by the Italian Development Cooperation, the European Union, Stiftung Drittes Millennium and private donors.
Their initial goals were to build a visitor center, write a strategy for Biodiversity conservation and management, waste management, water supply, and a sanitation kit, as well as encourage community-based tourism and park sustainability. While a Marine National Park, so far only the land is protected and no rangers are surveying its seas.
Built and inaugurated in 2016, the Visitor Centre will help promote knowledge and awareness of the Park’s key natural resources. It is targeting both the local community and visitors. Istituto Oikos has also helped with the construction of park facilities like a ranger house, park office and guesthouse for project staff and researchers.
Between 2013 and 2017, Flora and Fauna international surveyed Mergui Archipelago thoroughly and cataloged 288 species of corals, 495 species of fishes, 258 reef invertebrates. They wrote a report of their findings and drafted a masterplan for the archipelago's preservation outlook.
This published report and subsequent press coverage and lobbying had a great impact on the government's conservation efforts. Dynamite fishing which was identified by FFI as a major problem has now completely disappeared! |
Project Manaia came from 2015 and 2018 to manage Mergui Archipelago Biodiversity Project (MABR). Through their survey, they documented over 400 species both on land and in the sea, 10 of them on the "endangered list". One of their interesting discoveries is a species of coral that's close to extinction elsewhere but still teeming in the region. Their research moved in 2017 to Boulder Island in the west in the Myeik Archipelago where they built a coral nursery.
2 new coral nurseries | 2 distinct Marine Conservation projects in Mergui Archipelago
2 new coral nurseries | 2 distinct Marine Conservation projects in Mergui Archipelago
Ocean Quest Global arrived in Myanmar in 2019. Founded in Malaysia in 2010 by Anuar Abdullah, this NGO focuses on protecting and rehabilitating coral reefs to the benefit of local communities.
After years of research, this Malay Marine Biologist found a way to rehabilitate coral reefs in an entirely natural and non-invasive way. He invented a natural cement to glue the broken coral parts to rocks without any plastic or artificial product only using organic matters. |
You may have heard about OQG's most ambitious project in 2019: the rehabilitation of Maya Bay on the island of Ko Phi Phi, in Thailand. Made famous by the movie: "The Beach" starring Leonardo di Caprio, this enclave saw hundreds of tourists every day brought by uncaring boats who destroyed the coral with their daily anchoring. With no more coral in the zone, fishes started disappearing too, and "The Beach" was nothing more than sand... In collaboration with the National Centre for the Operation of National Marine Parks and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ocean Quest Global created a huge artificial reef and this and is a huge success so far. With small corals to feed on and hide in fishes came back quickly and baby sharks started revisiting to the delight of regular divers.
After several successful projects around Asia, they just built a new coral nursery at Kyun Pila, in the South of Myeik Archipelago. They also created a training program to make their coral propagation knowledge available to all. During their stay on Kyun Pila, they couldn't avoid falling in love with its pristine forest and diversified their operation to explore and record the animals in the green jungle as well.
After several successful projects around Asia, they just built a new coral nursery at Kyun Pila, in the South of Myeik Archipelago. They also created a training program to make their coral propagation knowledge available to all. During their stay on Kyun Pila, they couldn't avoid falling in love with its pristine forest and diversified their operation to explore and record the animals in the green jungle as well.
Burma’s first non-profit ocean conservation Organization, Myanmar Ocean Project started in 2018
Born and raised in Myanmar, Thanda Ko Gyi studied in Australia. That's where she became a passionate diver and learned about ocean conservation. She went on a diving trip in Myanmar in 2017 and this trip changed the course of her life. During one of her dives, she, unfortunately, encountered a massive discarded fishing net that had entangled and killed about a dozen sharks. About a year later, she returned to this dive site. It was completely deserted. There were no more shark nor fish. That’s when she decided to take matters into her own hands. After seeing the destruction a single fishing net could cause, she wanted to do something about ocean pollution.
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In late 2018, she founded Myanmar’s first non-profit ocean conservation organization, Myanmar Ocean Project. She embarked on the mission of restoring and protecting the health of Myanmar's oceans. Her strategy was first to find and remove as many ghost nets and fishing gear as she could. But then she realized she couldn't do it alone. Education and local collaboration is essential. Thanks to her Burmese inheritance she engaged with local fishing communities. If she could convince them that discharging their broken gear in the sea is not in their interest the combat would be won. After all discarded fishing gear in the sea continue to kill fishes they will never eat nor sell. Together with the locals she finds sustainable local solutions to this waste problem and moves on to the next village.
In 2019, she gained financial support from the National Geographic Society and Ocean Conservancy, Global Ghost Gear Initiative and Ocean Conservancy. Strong of a funding grant, Myanmar Ocean Project set out on a year-long expedition into the Mergui Archipelago to get more data about abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). How bad is the problem?
Myanmar Ocean Project's achievements so far (June 2020) are: 1,821 kg of ghost gear retrieved and 89 sites surveyed and cleaned, 25 local dive and snorkel guides trained, 250 people directly engaged. Thanda is also currently working on her data-focused report on discarded fishing gear for a World Bank project about plastics pollution in Myanmar. |
Thanda also works with Marine Mega fauna foundation to document the Giant Oceanic Mantas in Myanmar Waters.
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All these marine conservation projects are working in the same direction towards the protection of the wonderful marine environment and biodiversity of Mergui Archipelago.
We truly hope Myanmar will continue its environmental conservation efforts to protect and preserve the true gem of Mergui Archipelago for the nation. The creation of a Marine National park like in the Maldives, Raja Ampat or Tubbataha reef would be a tremendous asset to the country as a diving tourism destination.
Do you also want to explore this unspoilt paradise away from the crowds?
We truly hope Myanmar will continue its environmental conservation efforts to protect and preserve the true gem of Mergui Archipelago for the nation. The creation of a Marine National park like in the Maldives, Raja Ampat or Tubbataha reef would be a tremendous asset to the country as a diving tourism destination.
Do you also want to explore this unspoilt paradise away from the crowds?