This document summarizes a workshop bringing together organizations working on resource conservation and development issues in Kachin State, Myanmar. The workshop aims to connect participants, provide context on the resource conflicts in Kachin, and facilitate discussion to develop insights. Kachin State faces intense pressures on its landscape from logging, land conversion, and proposed dam projects. Its rich biodiversity and cultural sites are threatened by these issues amidst an ongoing conflict. The workshop seeks to improve resource governance and find lessons to help address these challenges.

1. Working
Together
for
a
Be0er
Kachin
Landscape
Peter
&
co
-­‐
Shalom
Foundation,
Myitkyina
U
Myint
Aung
&
co
-­‐
Friends
of
Wildlife,
Myanmar
Jake
&
co
-­‐
IUCN
Oliver
&
Mark-­‐
University
of
East
Anglia,
UK
Tim
-­‐
London
School
of
Economics,
UK
Kevin
–
UC
Berkeley,
US

2. This
session
1. CONNECTING
[10m]
v Meet
your
neighbours
2. UNDERSTANDING
KACHIN
[30m]
v Resource
conservaHon
&
development
under
conflict
3. DISCUSSION
[35m]
v Develop
insights
from
experience
4.
SHARING
[15m]
v Report
to
the
group

3. 1
CONNECTING
[10
minutes]
— Introduce
yourselves
to
neighbours
on
your
table
— Who
are
you
&
what
do
you
do?

4. 2.
UNDERSTANDING
KACHIN
a. Resource
conflict
issues
b. Resources
c. Timeline
d. Our
project
process
e. Stakeholders
&
geopoliHcs

5. a.
The
issue:
resource
conflict
— New
reality
of
intensifying
pressures
on
landscape
resources
— Interdependence
requires
coordinaOon
&
regulated
use
for
sustainability
and
equity
— A
‘landscape
approach’
to
resource
governance
involves
mulO
stakeholder
negoOaOon,
compromise,
adapOve
co-­‐
learning
— In
the
real
world
abuse
of
power
and
violent
conflict
!
agreement
difficult
— What
can
be
done
to
improve
processes;
—
what
lessons
can
be
learnt?

6. 1.7m
popl
35,000
m2

7. 4
of
the
7
Myanmar
sites
expected
to
be
proposed
for
World
Heritage
status
Kachin
contains
some
of
the
most
important
conservaHon
areas
in
Myanmar
&
SE
Asia

8. C.
BUT
troubled
history
&
elusive
peace
1886
BriOsh
colonial
annexaOon
1947
Panglong
Agreement
‘Full
autonomy
in
the
administra2on
of
the
Fron2er
Areas
is
accepted
in
principle’
1948
Burmese
Independence
from
BriOsh
1962
Ne
Win
military
coup
[
Kachin
Independence
Army
(KIA)
formed
[
fighOng
1988-­‐9
DemonstraOons,
elecOon,
but
cancelled,
Than
Shwe
military
coup
1993
Kachin
Ceasefire
2011
FighOng
resumed
by
Burmese
Army
–
frequent
atrociOes
against
civilians
2015
parOal
naOonal
ceasefire
agreement
–KIA
not
parOcipaOng;
2015
November
-­‐
general
elecOon
November

9. Myitsone
dam
plan
2007
dam
cascade
deal
–
China
Power
Industry
/Max
Myanmar
crony
/Than
Shwe
dictatorship
— 7
dam
–
Myitsone
6,000
megawa0
140m
high
û No
public
consultaOon
û High
silt
load,
lifeOme
brief
û Buy
Operate
Transfer
deal
-­‐
electricity
to
China
costs
of
decommissioning
to
Myanmar
û No
transparency
-­‐
secret
contract
û corrupt
signing
fee
payment
to
senior
military
figure
û Environmental
Impact
Assessment
nonsense
û tectonically
acOve
–
very
high
risk
of
massive
failure
2007
Dam
building
commenced,
evicOons
2011
Dam
site
bombing
&
naOonal
mass
movement
2011
–
President
Thein
Sein
suspended
dam
construcOon
for
decision
by
next
President
Conflict
resumed,
exacerbated

10. Inundated
areas
=
much
of
Kachin
û flood
areas
‘size
of
Singapore’
û Se0lements
&
food
producOon
lands
û confluence
areas
and
much
of
river
culturally
revered
by
Kachin
û highest
conservaOon
value
area
in
region
/
global
û KIA
territory
to
be
flooded
=
military
strategy

11. Seismic
hazard

12. Rese0lement

13. • BASIC
CONSTRUCTION
ABILITIES
INADEQUATE
• NO
ALTERNATE
LAND
FOR
FOOD
PRODUCTION
• SOME
RETURNING
FROM
DESPERATION
BUT
INTIMIDATED
AND
TORTURED

14. Over-­‐logging[
forest
degradaOon
land
conversion
[
deforestaOon

15. 0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
2011-­‐2012
2012-­‐2013
2013-­‐2014
Conversion
Hmber
Bamaw
&
Shweku
townships,
Kachin
state
(MTE
data)
No
of
trees
felled
Volume
(HT)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
Numbar
of
Trees
Myitkyina
Forest
Management
Unit
Other
Hardwoods
(FD
data)
AAC
Felled
• Official
over-­‐extraction
compared
to
the
Annual
Allowable
Cut
-­‐
resource
exhausted
• Massive
volumes
of
conversion
timber
from
agribusiness
concessions

17. SystemaHc
illegal
Hmber
extracHon
by
Chinese
Hmber
agents
in
concert
with
Burmese
military,
Kachin
Independence
Army
Land
grabbing
!unaccounted
conversion
timber
Domestic
supply
criminalized

19. Community
forestry
successful
with
Shalom
facilitaOon
but
scaling
up
not
being
approved
by
Chief
Minister

20. TradiOonal
Taungya
–
Long
fallows
forest
culOvaOon
• Traditional
Kachin
food
security
system
• Sustainable
fallowing
–
promotes
forest
recovery
&
timber
production
• Biodiverse
mosaic
• Hostile
policy
environment
–
tenure
insecurity
&
eviction

21. Fisheries
— EssenOal
source
of
nutriOon
— EssenOal
livelihood
acOvity
— Fish
biodiversity
— Fishery
aucOon
system
pro-­‐
elite
/
excluding
common
ciOzens
— Criminal
gangs
using
destrucOve
electro
&
explosive
fishing
— Mercury
toxicity

22. Mining
&
polluOon
• Widespread
valuable
deposits:
gold,
jade,
molybdenum
etc.
• Mining
degrading
land
• Gold
refining
–
widespread
release
of
mercury
=
serious
public
health
crisis

23. A
cartoonist’s
view:

27. “These
are
our
poliOcians”

29. Our
project
Village
action
research
Technical
review
Multi
stakeholder
Policy
influencing
workshop
Support
to
implement
improved
NR
policies
&
practices
Kachin
parliament-­‐
arians
2014
Activating
Township
Environmental
Conservation
Committees

30. Discussion
[30
mins]
In
each
table:
1. How
to
reconcile
resource
conservaHon
with
development
in
non-­‐conflict
context
–
what
is
your
experience?
(sustainably
&
equity)
2. How
does
conflict
situaHon
affect
this–
how
to
proceed
in
Kachin?
Please
share
your
experiences
and
impressions
[on
1
page
of
whiteboard
for
each
&
prepare
to
report]

31. ReflecOon
— What
have
we
learnt?
— What
are
the
implicaOons
for
Kachin
scenario?