172 S. Thiha et al.
areas for protection. After a further 2 years of consultation with community groups and other stakeholders, Myanmar’s first three locally managed marine areas were formally de- signated in September 2016 and legally confirmed in March 2017. Two of the participating villages, Lin Lon and Done Pale Aw, lie in the northern Myeik Archipelago around Thayawthadangyi Island, and Langann lies further south (Fig. 1). The notification of each locally managed mar- ine area includes boundary delimitation, location of per- manent and seasonal no-take zones, and appropriate rules and regulations. These are the first such notifications de- signed specifically for co-managed marine fisheries in Myanmar (Howard, 2017). There is no explicit reference to locally managed marine
areas or other co-management initiatives in the current Marine Fisheries Law and their legal recognition is stated in the official notification issued by the Fisheries Director General, which refers to an article in the Marine Fisheries Law that allows the government to delegate authority over natural resources to local communities. Extensive efforts had been invested by the Department of Fisheries, fisheries
organizations and international NGOs in drafting a newlaw that that will include a clear regulatory framework for this kind of initiative. Unfortunately, the work was suspended when the military forces took power in 2021. Nevertheless, the legal validity of locally managed marine areas and other fisheries co-management models has been confirmed and all parties are bound to respect their rules and regula- tions. In working towards establishing a locally managed marine area network, Fauna & Flora also worked collabora- tively with the Forest Department and the Department of Fisheries to develop a wider marine protected area network throughout the Myeik Archipelago. There has been signifi- cant work to design and develop a marine protected area network plan, and to draft a spatial plan, including mapping and zonation for various levels of proposed protection (Becker et al., 2017). The Myanmar government also estab- lished the National Committee for Coastal and Marine Conservation to coordinate the different government bodies responsible for development and designation of this marine protected area network. Fauna & Flora is working to ensure that the locally managed marine area fishing communities participate in marine protected area planning consultations, so that the rights of local fishers are respected within new marine protected areas. The process for designation (Fig. 2) that was followed for
the first three locally managed marine areas is being re- peated for the new areas, with minimal differences except for the environmental and social management system, in- cluding the expression of free, prior and informed consent, which has been strengthened in light of the current political situation. Each locally managed marine area is managed by a committee, which varies in size depending on the loca- tion, and comprises various ethnic groups, and fishers of different types and genders. Management plans for each site have been developed and approved, and Fauna & Flora has provided a patrol boat for each locally managed marine area, to help enforce regulations and promote com- pliance. Since 2019, Fauna & Flora has also provided these communities with small grants that allow local people to manage diversified livelihood projects, including crab banks for blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus, village savings and loans associations, small-scale livestock rearing, and other agroforestry projects (Howard, 2017). The establishment of the first locally managed marine
FIG. 1 Existing (Lin Lon, Done Pale Aw and Langann) and proposed (Pyin Bu Gyi, Done Shwe Than, Min Kaung Se and Ye Aye) locally managed marine areas in the Myeik Archipelago, Tanintharyi, Myanmar.
areas inMyanmar has engendered considerable interest am- ongst other villages in the Myeik Archipelago, with several other communities coming forward to indicate their enthu- siasm for the idea. Currently, there are a further four areas that have been proposed as new locally managed marine areas within the Myeik Archipelago: Pyin Bu Gyi, Done Shwe Than, Min Kaung Se and Ye Aye. This scaling-up will promote the involvement of communities in decision- making and empower communities to manage their own resources, with the ambition that a network of devolved
Oryx, 2023, 57(2), 171–174 © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605322001193
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