Project update - November 2005

DSWF/ FREDA / FD
Surviving Together Programme at Alaung-Daw-Kathapha
National Park, Myanmar

Brief Progress Report for the period October, November and December 2004

1. Management and administration

The Park Warden of the Forest Department continued to manage the park with the co-operation and support of DSWF / FREDA. There are a total of 120 staff personnel under the Park Warden including 80 field staff and 40 office staff.

With the renewal of the grant by DSWF for the year 2004-2005¸ it was obvious that the moral of the staff personnel of the park had risen again. In the renewed discussions between the park personnel and FREDA representatives, the agenda included the need for regular and intensive patrolling, documentation and illustration of the findings of the patrol teams focusing on the duration and route of each patrol, encounters with poachers and confiscations. The need for systematic camera trapping of endangered mammals was also identified. The Park Warden informed FREDA of his plans to set up the camera traps at least three times in a year in three different seasons, (summer, rainy season and winter). A salary supplement for the AKNP staff personnel was disbursed with effect from October 2004. Dry rations were also provided on a monthly basis as usual.

2. Park Protection and Wildlife Monitoring

In order to control sporadic poaching in the park, a regular patrolling system was enforced during the month of October , November, December 2004. There were 3 teams of patrols in October, 4 teams in November and 3 teams in December. Each team was headed by a ranger and the members were made up of foresters, a forest guard, and a Mahout(Elephant rider). Each team consists of around 5-6 members. In the course of one patrol, 2 local made guns, some lead bullets and one knife were confiscated. In addition, bundles of orchids removed from trees and 2 gaur legs were seized. In one location, such activities as the poisoning of a stream for fish and cattle rustling were also identified.

Sighting of herds of wild boar, barking deer, sambur deer, and monkey were made and tracks of leopard, wild boar, sambur deer, barking deer, banteng, serrow and birds were observed.

8 poachers of orchid plants were also seized but after a briefing on the value of natural biodiversity and their undertaking not to commit further crimes, they were released.

On the whole, it was considered that the protection of the park was satisfactory during the first quarter (Oct-Dec) of the project period. It was also noticed that the number of poaching incidents on mammals appeared to be decreasing due to the deterrent effect of regular patrolling.

In order to be more effective in the protection of the park, some Executive Committee members of FREDA visited the park in February 2005 to monitor the progress of the activities as well as to identify the needs of field staff and the villagers personally.

3. Community Outreach

With a view to alleviating the poverty of the rural community dwelling around the park and to encouraging their cooperation in the protection of the park, various forms of community outreach activities were undertaken during the months of October, November, December 2004. Two forest nurseries at Yinmarbin and Htantabin were maintained to raise high value multipurpose tree seedlings for distribution to the villagers at the start of the monsoon rainy season in June 2005. FREDA field staff had collected seeds and raised about 21,000 seedlings, comprising 13 species which are popular among the villages. It is planned to educate the farmers to grow the seedlings in their backyard garden as well as at the border of their farm-land under the agro-forestry system.

1000 fuel efficient A-1 stoves were purchased by FREDA in December for distribution to the villagers who are interested in using these stoves for domestic cooking. In order to provide education on the value of these stoves as well as to advocate their wider use, thus reducing the cutting of trees in the park for fuel-wood, FREDA recently prepared an educational leaflet on the value of A-1 stoves for distribution to the villagers concerned. It is printed in Myanmar language and is an example of one of the awareness raising activities of FREDA.

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