SST where Myanmar Bird and Nature Society was born

By the end of the 1990ies a number of foreign birdwatchers visited Myanmar and employed SST Tourism Company as their travel agent. Very little up to date information on the birds of Myanmar was available then and a lot of guesswork was involved in planning these trips. On returning to Yangon these birders discussed their observations with U Nyein Chan, then director of SST and responsible for their eco-tourism program. Generally they were impressed by the country’s natural riches but there were also discussions about the lack of infrastructure and the need for conservation, as some of  the places visited were facing imminent threats of destruction.

So SST was encouraged in its effort to promote eco-tourism but it was also clear, that to be successful at it, a lot more information was needed. It was during these discussions that the idea of what was later to become the Myanmar Bird and Nature Society first took shape. SST has always maintained good relations with the Forest Department and so in early 2000 FD staff members U Thein Aung, U Myint Shwe and U Thet Zaw Naing, all three of them working at different national parks and all of them with a special interest in birds, first got together with U Nyein Chan to discuss the possibilities of founding a society that would focus on nature research, education and conservation. At that time the organization was to be called “Myanmar Bird Club” but its name was soon changed to MBNS to broaden the scope of its efforts. The societies main focus at the moment are still birds but different projects on other animal groups and plants are planned for the future.

Later that year more people from the FD (Daw Thandarkyi, Daw Mu Mu Thein), SST (U Khin Maung Gyi) and other organizations (U Nyunt Win) got involved and a constitution for the society was drafted. As it is not possible for government employees to hold an official post with an NGO U Thet Zaw Naing resigned from his job at the FD and was subsequently employed by SST, MBNSs first sponsor, to be able to become the society’s first secretary. In June 2001 the Myanmar Bird and Nature Society officially applied for government registration which was finally granted on November 21st 2003. MBNS is therefore the first NGO working from within Myanmar that is concerned with bird and nature conservation. The time between application and finally getting official status was already used to get the first projects off the ground.

Being still in its infancy MBNS does not yet have a general membership but is a rather loose organization of mainly Forest Department and University staff members as well as some foreign birdwatchers. One of its new members is Dr. Htin Hla, probably Myanmar’s best known authority on birds and bird watching and part of the survey team that recently rediscovered Gurney’s Pitta in southern Myanmar.

 

General Aims:

 

Increase of knowledge about the fauna and flora of Myanmar:

For large parts of the country information is still inadequate or totally lacking. Even though the number of people visiting Myanmar on bird tours and expeditions is steadily growing, a lot of the gathered information is never published and therefore inaccessible. Because such data forms the basis for every conservation effort MBNS is trying to establish a database of bird sightings from all over the country to gain a greater knowledge about the distribution and status of the birds of Myanmar. For the future it is hoped that the society will be able to bring all the different parties that are working on bird-related matters in Myanmar together and get them to cooperate. As a number of individuals and organizations with different interests are involved, we are well aware that this must be a long term goal.

 

 

 

Education:

Another major aim is to raise awareness among Burmese people for environmental issues. Usually locals tend to take natural resources for granted and underestimate their value. By getting them interested in their environment and making them aware of the importance of conservation MBNS is trying to build a foundation for future conservation work.

 

Conservation:

Compared to other neighboring countries Myanmar has still a lot of pristine habitat left but the threats of destruction are growing steadily. Even though there are 33 existing or proposed protected areas in Myanmar most of them are acutely short of resources. It will therefore be an important part of MBNS’s work to help facilitate conservation efforts inside protected areas as well as to point out other areas worth protecting.

 

Projects:

Thanks to the tireless efforts of U Nyein Chan and U Thet Zaw Naing a couple of successful projects were completed during the last two years:

 

Poster Campaign:

With funds from OBC a set of 1000 posters was printed and used in an environmental education program. The posters titled “Bird Around Us” show a cross-section of (mostly common) species found in Myanmar, including two of its endemics (White-throated Babbler and Hooded Treepie). Since the beginning of the fall them 2002 they have been presented in 667 schools all over the country as far north as the Kachin state. An additional 49 longer talks have been held at a number of schools by members of MBNS. By distributing these posters in schools pupils are encouraged to develop an interest n birds and their environment and therefore to become aware of the importance of nature conservation. The campaign was well received by the government and it will be continued during the next educational year.

 

Ecology of the White-browed Nuthatch:

Also with the help of a small grant from OBC, U Thet Zaw Naing spent almost two month on Natmataung national park to study the ecology of the endemic White-browed Nuthatch, and endangered species restricted to the higher elevations of the area around Mt. Victoria in the southern Chin Hills. For the first time detailed observations were made on the birds ecology and breeding behaviors. The results of the study have recently been published in Forktail 19 (2003)

 

Other Projects:

MBNS founding member U Myint Shwe is occupied at the moment with a bird survey of the Leshe Volcano Tank and its surrounding area, which should be completed by the time you read this.

Small surveys of Sarus Cranes have been conducted in the Ayearwaddy Delta in April 2004 and a longer visit to the Dawei (Tavoy) District, Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) by U Thet Zaw Naing should bring new information about the region north of where Gurney’s Pitta was recently rediscovered.

The Society has also been present at some major exhibitions inside Myanmar, among them the opening ceremony of Maubin University in 2003 and 10th Anniversary of Myanmar Floriculturist Association Dec(21-25) , 2003 and the School Family Day of the Ministry of Education in 2004.

Also a first newsletter in Burmese has been published and distributed.

Plans:

Apart from the above there are a number of new projects that MBNS will be occupied with in the near future.

 

Expanding its membership:

To get people to join a society it has to offer something to prospective members.

It is planned to produce an English Language newsletter, which will mainly be aimed at foreign birdwatchers with an interest in Myanmar.

For Burmese members another kind of newsletter is planned. It should be available for a small membership fee and will be focusing more on beginners. Common species should be introduced with illustrations and basic environmental issues be discussed.

 

Equipment donation scheme:

As in other third world countries, good equipment for fieldwork is almost unavailable in Myanmar. Most of the work has to be carried out with inadequate optical equipment and sometimes even without a proper field guide. Were it not for birding tourists that sometimes donate books or used binoculars a lot of the projects would not have been possible. As late as last year for instance, if a park ranger at Alaungdaw Kathapa national park saw a bird he could not identify he would have to wait till he had a chance to travel to Yangon to visit the library of the forest department to consult a field guide.

It is therefore planned to organize a scheme to collect used equipment that is still in good working condition from western birders and donate it to birders in Myanmar.

Written by Aaron Ofner, European Representative

Note: SST brought up Myanmar Bird and Nature Society (Reg. No.1867) for 3 years at its own office and transferred it to New Chairmanship for better access to public participation at

Myanmar Bird and Nature Society
No.221/223, Shwe Gondine Road, Bahan Township, Yangon 11201, Myanmar