The culture and natural heritage of the nation is the priceless and irreplaceable assets. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization- UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of “Outstanding Universal Value” to humanity.

 

The heritage is the culture and the environment you live in. It is what the ancestors gave to present generation and what the present generation will pass down to future generation.

World Heritage is heritage recognized by the entire world as being important. It can be cultural or natural or mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Site.

As of May 2017, 1052 sites are listed: 814 cultural, 203 natural, and 35 mixed properties, in 164 states.

Myanmar has been a member of World Heritage Convention since 1994. Though there are several highly potential natural world heritage sites, we, Myanmar still don’t have any natural world heritage site yet.

Myanmar Forest Department has been collaborated with UNESCO for the preparation of nomination dossier for Hkakabo Razi Landscape as Myanmar’s first Natural World Heritage Site (NWHS) with the support of Norway Heritage Foundation since 2013. Forest Department and UNESCO are now going through the project “Safeguarding Natural Heritage in Myanmar”, leading to the designation of Natural World Heritage Site of Myanmar.

On November 2013, Forest Department and UNESCO jointly organized a “National Consultation Meeting on Myanmar’s Natural World Heritage List”.

At that occasion, multi-stakeholders discussed the 7 potential sites over nationwide to be included in the tentative list. Those sites are;

1.      Hkakabo Razi Landscape,

2.      Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary,

3.      Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary,

4.      Natmataung National Park,

5.      Myeik Archipelago,

6.      Ayeyarwady River Corridor and

7.      Taninthayi Forest Corridor.

The tentative list of Natural World Heritage Sites in Myanmar has already recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The sites of tentative list definitely meet at least one of the criteria of World Heritage Convention for designation. However, It cannot nominate all sites at the same time as nomination process takes time and includes several tasks.

Therefore, Forest Department and UNESCO also organized the second national consultation meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on February 2014, for the selection of candidate site for designation of the First Natural World Heritage Site of Myanmar.

Based on this consultation, Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Natmataung National Park were selected as priority areas from Myanmar’s tentative list of natural world heritage sites.

For assessing the suitability of these two areas to be nominated for designating the natural world heritage sites, UNESCO expert mission team visited to those areas and conducted focused group discussion with local stakeholders on last May.

The preliminary assessments observed integrity issues in both priority sites. Therefore, Forest Department and UNESCO conducted another field visit to Hkakabo Razi national Park to assess the suitability to be nominated as Myanmar’s First Natural World Heritage Site. Second field assessment recommended Hkakabo Razi Landscape to be the potential NWHS. Hence Forest Department and UNESCO have jointly conducted the following activities for the preparation of Nomination Dossier for Hkakabo Razi Landscape as the Myanmar’s first natural world heritage site:

            -     constitution of state level steering committee, coordination committee, taskforce and technical working groups for the preparation and submission of Nomination Dossier

            -     field expedition, data collection and analysis

            -     mapping

            -     holding taskforce meetings, steering committee and coordination committee meeting, consultation with local communities to raise awareness in Yangon, Myitkyina, Putao, Machanbaw, Naungmon and Nay Pyi Taw

The Hkakabo Razi Landscape is located in the northernmost corner of Myanmar, bordered by India and China and is considered globally important biodiversity areas. Mountain ecosystem and evergreen forest ecosystem, alpine ecosystem with winter snow can be found in the property.  

 

    

 

The property, which comprises the Hkakabo Razi National Park and the Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary, is considered one of the last remaining large functioning ecosystems in the Himalayan. Covering an area of more than 10138.5 km2 of continuous and undisturbed ecosystems and habitats, ranging from tropical evergreen rain forest to snowcapped mountains, including any habitat type in-between, the area is critically important for the survival of many faunal and floral communities and species. The property’s dramatic geological history, exceptional habitat diversity and natural integrity, and intricate biogeography, constitutes (a constellation) likely unique worldwide, all contributing to its Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of science and conservation.

Elevation ranges from 50 m at the southern end of Hponkan Razi WS to over 5,800 m.  The property borders India and China and includes Mt. Hkakabo Razi, which at 5,881 m is the highest peak in Southeast Asia.  Mt. Hponkan Razi rises to 5,165 m.

Its very low population and inaccessibility have protected the Hkakabo Razi Landscape from development.  About 4000 people live in the property: 1900 in Hkakabo Razi NP, 2000 in Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary.  Small settlements in the proposed extension are home to about 170 more people.

 

   

 

It contains a diversity of forest types across this elevation gradient, from lowland evergreen forests up to alpine meadows.  This diversity of habitats supports a variety of endangered wildlife, including several that are endemic to the property.  Its position at the convergence of three biogeographical regions, Eurasia, the Indian subcontinent, and Indochina, has resulted in high levels of endemism and species richness.  It is also located at the convergence between Palearctic and Indo-Malayan ecozones, therefore containing both temperate and tropical components.  The Southern Extension strengthens the OUV of the property because it contains an area of high bird species richness and areas in which vertebrate species new to science have recently been discovered (Renner and Rappole 2011).  The very large size, diversity, and intactness of ecosystems across the Hkakabo Razi Landscape, and its location next to large protected areas in China and India creates an exceptional contribution to conservation across the Eastern Himalayan range.

Nomination Dossier of Hkakabo Razi Landscape will be submitted to UNESCO by means of 2 Criterion; Criteria ix (Outstanding Ecological and Biological Processes) and Criteria x (Biodiversity).

Criterion (ix): Located at a multiple plate collision zones between the Indian plate, the Lhasa terrane, and the Eurasian plate, and rapidly uplifting mountains forming the headwaters of the Ayeyerwady, the property represents a global center of exceptional habitat diversity driven by a distinctive topographical complexity of connected landscapes. The higher elevation parts of the property are the southernmost alpine ecosystem of Eurasian mountains with winter snow. Starting on the Tibetan plateau and descending the steep north-south mountain ridges and rivers into the lowland forests of tropical Southeast Asia, the property constitutes a unique matrix of habitats for plant and animal migration and speciation during past and ongoing climatic change. Likely the world’s greatest intact elevational gradient starting from lowland forests to alpine areas combined with exceptional natural integrity and hyper-mesic conditions results in high floral and faunal species diversity. These habitats form the substrate for 'ongoing ecological and biological processes' at the nexus of a globally exceptional multitude of biogeographical regions (two zoogeographic provinces, two floristic regions, two Udvardi Provinces, five terrestrial Realms/Biomes, and five Ecoregions), and conservation priority sites (two biodiversity hotspots, three endemic bird areas, two 'Global 200 Ecoregions', and one Center of Plant Diversity). The large tract of exceptionally diverse and ecologically intact landscape of the property is an outstanding example of significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial and fresh water communities of plants and animals.

 

   

 

Criterion (x): The Hkakabo Razi Landscape is a convergence zone where floristic and faunistic biogeographical regions merge, resulting in exceptional ecological diversity, species richness and inter- and intra-species variation. With its steep elevational gradient, wide range of climatic zones and landscapes, geographical barriers and connecting corridors, the property boasts a unique variety of habitat types critical to the survival of a wide range of species, communities and ecosystems, from tropical to alpine. The property alone is estimated to provide habitat for more than 6000 plant, 500 bird, 150 mammal, 50 reptile and amphibian, and 50 fish species. The property, which covers about 1.5% of the country's terrestrial surface, contains 50% of the plant and bird species recorded from Myanmar. Many floral and faunal species in the property are restricted in range (an estimated 25% for plants, and 10% for bats and birds), making the property critically important for survival of many species. Distinctive endemics include recently discovered bat species, and the Naung Mung Scimitar Babbler Jabouilleianaungmungensis (only known to occur in restricted sites within the area). The site is also, the globally most important habitat for large populations of the Leaf Deer Muntiacusputaoensis and Rufous-necked Hornbill Acerosnipalensis. The exceptional natural integrity and habitat diversity of the property is fundamental to the existence and natural protection of the incredible biological diversity, including species, communities and ecosystems of Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of science and conservation.

 

                    

 

Protection and Management of Hkakabo Razi Landscape

The Forest Law (1992), the Law on the Protection of Wildlife and Protected Areas (1994), and the Rules on the Protection of Wildlife and Protected Areas (2002), the Law on Environmental Conservation (2012) provide a strong regulatory framework for the protection and management of protected areas in Myanmar, including those located within the Hkakabo Razi Landscape. The management authorities of both the Hkakabo Razi National Park and Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary, under the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD) of the Forest Department (FD), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC), are respectively located in Naung Mung and Putao. Both protected areas have a management plan and a zoning plan, recognizing the rights of local community. SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) patrol system is used to monitor poaching, one of the main threats in the property, and other illegal activities. The authorities of the Hkakabo Razi National Park and the Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary have established a collaborative management system. Local community members in villages in both the national park and wildlife sanctuary have been appointed and trained as park guards. Through an elaborate radio system, the community rangers are able to communicate with their Headquarters in Putao and report on illegal activities in the property, as well as request for assistance when needed. 

 

 

 

Contact Information

U Win Naing Thaw, Director,

Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division,

Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation,

Phone: +95 67 405002, Email: nwcdfdmof@gmail.com