Abstract

• Mangrove conservation is very important for the people in Myanmar. Mangrove provides environmental protection, food sufficiency and socio-economic life. Mangrove also promotes an opportunity for future generations to meet the needs of vital livelihood. These consequences highlighted the need for conservation of mangrove. In Myanmar, mangroves are mainly found in three geographical regions, the Ayeyarwady Delta, and Rakhine and Taninthayi Coasts. Among them, Ayeyarwady Delta was the largest mangrove degradation. Population growth, lead to changes in land-use and over-utilization of resources. Moreover, under the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the government’s agriculture and aquaculture expansion policies led to massive depletion of mangrove. The Forest Department (FD) has responsibility to conserve the mangrove. Thus, the FD, in collaboration with the UNDP and the FAO, started UNDP/FAO projects in 1991. The Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 May 2008 and devastated quite a number of Ayeyarwady mangroves. Governments have encouraged the private sector to participate in mangrove plantation. In collaboration with NGOs and IGOs/INGOs, the FD conducted their tasks for community development and protection and conservation of mangrove systematically through community participation before and after 2008. The research aims to contribute the findings for the development of mangrove conservation which helps not only to safeguard natural ecosystems but also to alleviate poverty in the Ayeyarwady Delta. The objective of the research is to analyze how mangrove forests can be conserved in collaboration with Government agency, Local NGOs and IGOs/INGOs.