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Myanmar
Forest Information and Data
According to the U.N. FAO,
48.3% or about 31,773,000 ha of Myanmar is forested, according to FAO. Of this 10.0% ( 3,192,000 ) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Myanmar had 988,000 ha of planted forest.
Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Myanmar lost an average of 372,250 ha or 0.95% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Myanmar lost 19.0% of its forest cover, or around 7,445,000 ha.
Myanmar's forests contain 1,654 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Myanmar has some 1709 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 4.7% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 5.9% are threatened. Myanmar is home to at least 7000 species of vascular plants, of which 15.3% are endemic. 0.3% of Myanmar is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
2011 Update
In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in PNAS with new carbon stock estimates for global tropical forests.
| Forest definition (canopy cover %) | 10% tree cover | 25% tree cover | 30% tree cover | | Forest Area (M ha) | 49 | 42 | 40 | | Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C) | 5,631 | 5,123 | 4,971 | | Belowground forest carbon (Mt C) | 1,514 | 1,368 | 1,326 | | Total forest carbon (Mt C) | 7,146 | 6,491 | 6,297 | | Average Carbon Density (t C/ha) | 146 | 155 | 157 |
M=million, t=metric tons; all figures are mean carbon stock values
Myanmar (Burma) Environmental profile | Burma pictures
The following contains data relating to forest cover in Myanmar
Previous version of this profile (2009)
SECTIONS:
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Myanmar: Forest Cover, 2010
| Total Land Area (1000 ha) | 65755 |
| Total Forest Area (1000 ha) | 31773 |
| Percent Forest Cover | 48 |
| Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) | 3192 |
| Primary Forest, % total forest | 10 |
| Other wooded land (1000 ha) | 20113 |
| Percent other wooded land | 31 |
Myanmar: Breakdown of forest types, 2010
| Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 3192 | 10 |
| Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 27593 | 87 |
| Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 988 | 3 |
Myanmar: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 39218 | 34868 | 33321 | 31773 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -435 | -309 | -310 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -1.17 | -0.90 | -0.95 | |
Myanmar: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
| FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 38824 | 34172 | 32472 | 30785 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -465 | -465 | -339 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -1.2 | -1.2 | -0.99
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Myanmar: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 3192 | 3192 | 3192 | 3192 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Myanmar: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 394 | 696 | 849 | 988 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 30 | 31 | 28 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 5.85 | 4.05 | 3.08 | |
Myanmar: Primary designated function (percent)
| Production | Protection of soil and water | Conservation of biodiversity | Social services | Multiple use | Other | None or unknown |
| 62 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
Myanmar: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
| OWNERSHIP PATTERN |
| Public ownership | Private ownership | Other |
| 100 | n.s. | 0 |
| PRIVATE OWNERSHIP |
| Individuals | Business entities and institutions | Local, indigenous and tribal communities |
| 0 | 0 | 100 |
| HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS |
| Public administration | Individuals | Business
entities and Institutions | Communities | Other |
| - | - | - | - | - |
Myanmar: Growing stock in forest
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
Total
(million m3) | Per hectare
(m3) | Coniferous
(million m3) | Broadleaved
(million m3) | % commercial species |
| 1430 | 45 | - | - | 28 |
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
| Total (million m3) | Per hectare (m3) | Coniferous (million m3) | Broadleaved (million m3) | % commercial species |
| - | - | | | |
Myanmar: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(million metric tons) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 2040 | 1814 | 1734 | 1654 |
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(per hectare in tons) |
| | | 2000 |
| | | 52 |
ANNUAL CHANGE
(1 000 t/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| -23 | -16 | -16 |
ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE
(t/ha/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
Myanmar: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005
| FOREST FIRE |
| 1000 ha | % wild fire (not managed burn) |
| 218 | - |
| EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE |
| Insects | Diseases | Other biotic agents | Abiotic factors | Total (excluding fire) | % of 2005 forest area |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
Myanmar: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005
INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 3397 | 3604 | 3880 | - |
WOODFUEL
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 35687 | 37104 | 39180 | - |
Myanmar: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005
Value of removals
(million US$) | Value per ha forest
(US$) |
| Industrial roundwood | Woodfuel | NWFP | Total | |
| 765 | 812 | - | - | - |
Myanmar: Employment in forestry 1990-2005
TOTAL
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | - |
IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | - |
IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| n.s. | n.s. | - |
Myanmar: Forest policy and legal framework 2008
National forest policy (year): Yes (-)
Sub-national forest policy: -
National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2001) In implementation
National forest law (year): Specific forest law (1902)
Sub-national forest law: -
Myanmar: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008
| 2000 | 2005 | 2008 |
| # | % female | # | % female | # | % female |
| - | - | - | - | 64858 | - |
Myanmar: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005
| Forest revenue | Public expenditure (1000 US$) |
| Domestic funding | External funding | Total |
| (1000 US$) | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments |
| 2041 | - | - | - | - | - | -
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Myanmar: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010
CbD:
UNFCCC:
Kyoto Protocol:
UNCCD:
ITTA:
CITeS:
Ramsar:
World Heritage Convention:
NlbI:
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Burma: Environment
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | | Natural hazards | destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts |
Burma: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 15.19%
permanent crops: 0.97%
other: 83.84% (2001) | | Natural resources | petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower |
Burma: Economy
| Economy - overview: | Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from government controls, inefficient economic policies, and abject rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism", but those efforts stalled and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including inflation, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, and a distorted interest rate regime. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 legislative elections. Economic sanctions against Burma by the United States - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons in response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy - further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. Oil and gas development will drive growth in the next few years. Other areas, however, are struggling. In February 2003, a major banking crisis hit the country's 20 private banks, shutting them down and disrupting the economy. As of December 2005, the largest private banks remained moribund, leaving the private sector with little formal access to credit. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be one to two times the size of the official economy. Burma's trade with Thailand, China, and India is rising. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, a better investment climate and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. | | GDP - per capita | $1,800 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 1.5% (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 54.6%, industry: 13%, services: 32.4% (2005 est.) | | Industries | agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement; natural gas | | Economic aid - recipient | $127 million (2001 est.) | | Debt - external | $6.967 billion (2005 est.) | | Population below poverty line (%) | 25% (2000 est.) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.) |
Burma: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 42,909,464 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 0.42% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 65.2 | | Median age (years) | total: 26.14 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 2.01 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% |
Largest Cities in Myanmar
Cities and urban areas in Myanmar with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| City | Country | City Population | Urban Area Population |
| Yangon | Myanmar (Burma) | 4016000 | 4016000 |
| Mandalay | Myanmar (Burma) | 1057600 | 1057600 |
| Mawlamyine | Myanmar (Burma) | 367500 | 367500 |
| Bago | Myanmar (Burma) | 228100 | 228100 |
| Pathein | Myanmar (Burma) | 219700 | 219700 |
| Monywa | Myanmar (Burma) | 165500 | 165500 |
| Akyab | Myanmar (Burma) | 164400 | 164400 |
| Taunggyi | Myanmar (Burma) | 157100 | 157100 |
| Meiktila | Myanmar (Burma) | 154900 | 154900 |
| Mergui | Myanmar (Burma) | 146500 | 146500 |
| Lashio | Myanmar (Burma) | 128500 | 128500 |
| Pyay | Myanmar (Burma) | 126300 | 126300 |
| Henzada | Myanmar (Burma) | 125000 | 125000 |
| Myingyan | Myanmar (Burma) | 123700 | 123700 |
| Dawei | Myanmar (Burma) | 115600 | 115600 |
| Pakokku | Myanmar (Burma) | 113200 | 113200 |
| Thaton | Myanmar (Burma) | 103200 | 103200 |
| Maymyo | Myanmar (Burma) | 102400 | 102400 |
Burma: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 357,300 (2003) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 66,500 (2003) | | Roadways (km) | total: 30,000 km |
Burma: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 60.7 years
male: 57.8 years
female: 63.78 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 67.24 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | 1.2% (2003 est.) | | Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2004) |
Myanmar
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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