Back to news
15 Nov 2016 | News

Developing an Avenue to Strengthen Community Interactions and Engagement for Conservation and Development

2 mins Read

70% Complete

It has been agreed upon that a Community Information Resource Centre (CIRC) will be established in Wa San Dum, a village in Myanmar’s Putao district. The centre has been envisioned as a government-led, community-managed institution that hosts four facilities: a visitor information centre, a homotel facility, a community mart, and demonstration sites for low-cost rural technology.

The concept came about  as the need to engage and empower communities in the Northern Myanmar Forest Complex to positively support the efforts of the Myanmar Government to nominate the Hkakaborazi Landscape as a natural World Heritage Site was recognized. The CIRC concept was jointly agreed upon by the Putao District Government, local communities, the Forest Department, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Myanmar, during a Landscape Journey Consultative process undertaken as part of the Landscape Initiative for Far-eastern Himalayas (Hi-LIFE).

A one-day inception workshop was organized in Putao on 21 October 2016 by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the Forest Department, Putao District, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The objective was to share concepts and elements of the CIRC, initiate the endorsement process, and discuss the design, partnership strategy and related governance mechanism.

There were 35 participants representing governmental officials from the departments of forestry, rural development, border development, livestock, fisheries, land records, and education, the Hkakaborazi National Park, and women associations. Participants included representatives from seven villages, the private sectors, and WCS and ICIMOD. Htun Wai, Putao District Administrator, was present during the occasion.

A three-day field trip comprising of visits to related villages, was conducted  after the inception workshop to further consolidate the idea among local communities. This interaction was useful in preparing the community for their engagement in running the facility and therefore promoting livelihood opportunities linked with conservation awareness, sustainable land and water management, and conservation. The communities appreciated the idea of the CIRC and showed commitment and enthusiasm to maintaining and running the centre themselves, and discussed various capacity building needs and resources requirements.

The Putao district government has agreed to provide a location in Wa San Dum Village for the establishment the CIRC, and is currently engaged in further discussions with the community to finalize the governance mechanism and design of the CIRC. WCS, as an implementing partner of the Hi-LIFE Initiative, is playing a crucial role in communicating the idea to local communities, and also leveraging resources for the establishment of the CIRC.

The Nature Wildlife Conservation Division and the Forest Department have been providing strategic guidance, and as focal institutions for Hi-LIFE, they are positive about the objective of the CIRC and the engagement of the community in supporting conservation and development efforts in Kachin state. The construction of the CIRC is expected to start early next year.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Relative Content

Continue exploring this topic

4 Jan 2018 News
At The Crossroads takes ICIMOD Prize at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival

Through his subtle yet powerful depiction of the struggles of rural mountain village life in Uttarakhand, India, director Savyasachi Anju ...

10 Feb 2015 News
Climate Change in Downstream Areas of the Indus River Basin: Local Perceptions and Adaptation Measures

Likewise, indirect impacts like losses to agriculture and livelihoods due to erratic rains in high altitudes may result in increased ...

13 May 2019 News
UIBN – India Chapter discusses data gaps and collaborative research

In a bid to address these very regional issues, provide solutions to policy and decision makers, and further encourage collaborative ...

25 Dec 2015 News
ICIMOD Scientists Contribute to Managing Energy, Water and Food Security Challenges in Pakistan

The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) organized the 31st Annual General Meeting and Conference of the 

2 Feb 2017 Beekeeping
ICIMOD and KHDC Organize Training on Beekeeping in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

A seven-day training of lead farmers on beekeeping was organized from 5 -11 January 2017 with the main objective of ...

8 Aug 2018 Cryosphere
Three students graduate from KU’s glaciology programme

In December 2018, three new students – Aman Thapa, Anushilan Acharya, and Reeju Shrestha – graduated from this MS programme ...

22 Nov 2018 Cryosphere
Preliminary Findings Suggest Debris Cover Does Not Accelerate Glacier Melt

The finding is an outcome of a joint field expedition carried out through September–October 2018 by researchers from the International ...

23 Dec 2015 News
A Sunny Future – ICIMOD All Solar

  In its commitment to reduce its institutional carbon foot print and promote renewable energy, ICIMOD signed a contract with Sipradi ...