Impacts of Community Forestry on Local Livelihood A Case Study in Dry Zone, Myanmar, Phyo Thu

Abstract

In Myanmar, Community Forest Instructions (CFIs) issued by the Forest Department in 1995 is an innovation to decentralization in managing the forest and became as a route to more secure land tenure. The role of peoples participation and public awareness is implicitly highlighted in the management of forest resources in view of sustainability. This study aimed to measure the socio-economic impacts of CF on the livelihood of Forest User Group (FUG) members and to examine the change in livelihood level of FUG members. Through the socio-economic survey based on questionnaires and field observations accessing the five capitals which are Natural Capital, Social Capital, Human Capital, Financial Capital and Physical Capital, the impacts on livelihood strategy of FUG members and the impacts of project-led approach and participatory approach were examined in the two cases of Dry Zone, Myanmar. After 10 years of CF implementation in both sites, two different approaches lead the two FUGs to different level of livelihood conditions according to the income generating activities, and the FUG members have found the alternative livelihood options and their livelihood strategies have been changed, accordingly their younger generations could access to better education within the regions. Keywords: Community Forestry, people participation, livelihood strategy, socio-economic, Myanmar