(RYES) exist. Due to human population growth, forest clearing and intense hunting reduced region’s biodiversity rapidly. The main groups responsible for major threats to the natural resources in RYES are the Chin tribes. Their traditional livelihood styles are shifting cultivation and hunting. To poach they use dogs and spears. Their dogs are very well trained and useful in harvesting numerous wildlife species including large mammals (e.g. gaur, sambar) and medium to small prey (e.g. tortoise, monitor lizard, porcupine). Gaur population numbers declined at increasingly rapid rates over the course of 20 years (Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD) report 2005, Forest Department). But older Chin men nevertheless insist that the gaur population cannot disappear from the southern Rakhine Yoma on account of their hunting practices. Lack of education, insufficient basic mechanical technology, and other such factors, the Chin have had very limited opportunities to obtain employment. Although some are able to secure jobs, their salary is very low, and generally insufficient even for basic needs. Accordingly, they are unable to survive in the city over medium to long term periods, primarily due to the high costs of living and health care. Although they have tried to settle in the towns and cities, about 70% of Chin returned to the Yoma where they resettle in the forest to poach wildlife and create taungya (shifting agriculture) plantations. This phenomenon is the norm among the Chin ethnic group. Poor civil practices, including bribery, corruption in some government agencies are widespread among Chin people around RYES in Southern Rakhine Yoma. Conservation Stewardship Program offers incentives through a negotiated benefit packages to the communities to make them responsible and choose conservation actions. Importantly, conservation agreement brings different stake holders like government, bilaterial agencies, private sector companies, foundations, individuals to a common platform and links them to people who own and use natural resources. A conservation agreement warrants people to impel the solution to conservation challenges. This way of approach assists in safeguarding biodiversity while upgrading the quality of l i f e for local communities. Many communities in different parts of the world are using their land, water and other natural resources in unsustainable ways–simply because they have no other readily available economic alternatives. Myanmar’s Forest Department (FD) established the RYES in 1999 to protect one of three largest elephant populations in the country. RYES lie in Southern Rakhine Yoma where semi-evergreen, evergreen rain forest, dry upper mixed deciduous forest and bamboo forest are found. It supports an important population of critically endangered Arakan forest turtle (Heosemys depressa); as well as significant population of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) and a number of regionally threatened species such as Phayre’s langur, dhole, Malayan sun bear, Himalayan bear, leopard, cloud leopard and gaur. There is therefore an opportunity to support Chin ethnic group in ways that reduce their need to poach while building working relationships with the sanctuary. In a country with no tradition of community-based conservation, this sets an important precedent. The key to designing conservation incentive agreements is to understand the economic drivers of poaching and to negotiate changes in community behavior that will offset or mitigate these drivers. Proceedings of the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the 161 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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