The project will facilitate a landscape approach (LA) to the governance and management of the Upper Ayeyarwady River Basin (UARB) as a framework for protecting livelihoods and ecosystem services (ES) in the face of heterogeneous stakeholders and proposed land uses at multiple spatial scales, within a (post-) conflict arena. The UARB, comprising the Ayeyarwady river basin down to the confluence of the Chindwin and Ayeyarwady Rivers, is a site of rapid ecological change and development challenges, and where planning has been hampered by long running armed conflict and continuing resource conflicts, and where there is still little research-based knowledge.
MK29 will use a combination of participatory action research processes (PAR) and technical assessment also using and adapting existing spatial data to generate valuable empirical data. This data will be used to feed inclusive multi-stakeholder governance deliberations for improved planning and decision-making, engaging key political actors and civil society groups, and also the private sector. It will also contribute capacity building, particularly for more marginalized stakeholders including women.
This project ended in December 2016.
Watch videos from the field:
Read a blog about this project, titled Managing resources and mitigating conflict in Myanmar.
Listen to a podcast about the project.
Look at photos from the project field visits.
Read a report, titled Understanding the Upper Ayeyarwady River Basin
Working Together Kachin photostory briefing paper and Working Together Kachin summary paper
Lead: The Water Security Research Centre, School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Oliver Springate-Baginski (Oliver.springate@uea.ac.uk)
Partners: Shalom Foundation, Yangon/ Myitkyina; Friends of Wildlife, Yangon / Myitkyina; IUCN Myanmar, Yangon; London School of Economics and Political Science
