Myanmar Protected Areas: Context, Current Status, and Challenges

Protected areas (PAs) are important tools for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. PAs safeguard ecosystems and their services, such as water provision, food production, carbon sequestration and climate regulation, thus improving people’s livelihoods. They preserve the integrity of spiritual and cultural values placed by indigenous people on wild areas and offer opportunities of inspiration, study and recreation. Due to a long period of isolation, Myanmar has conserved an extraordinary natural and cultural heritage that is in part represented in its protected area system.