Irrawaddy River Valley, Delta and Control of Myanmar’s Lifeline

Myanmar is situated in Southeast Asia and bordered in the west by the India, by Bangladesh in the northwest, by China in the north, China (Xizang) in the northeast, by Laos in the east and Thailand in the southeast. Myanmar’s forests and wildlife are among its greatest natural treasures. They have been steadily lost to human activities including large-scale deforestation for mining, illegal charcoal production, and booming online wildlife trade. Political turmoil, expanding extractive industries, and diminishing focus on sustainable agriculture are accelerating soil degradation across Myanmar. The primary objectives are to assess the extent and causes of soil degradation in the Irrawaddy River basin and its impacts on agricultural productivity and to assess lessons learned, manage, mitigate, and restore the Irrawaddy River watershed lifeline in Myanmar. The river is still of great importance as the largest commercial waterway within Myanmar. It also provides important ecosystem services to different communities and economic sectors, including agriculture, tourism, and fisheries. Myanmar’s military dictatorship signed an agreement for the construction of seven hydroelectric dams in 2007. Environmental organizations have raised concerns about the project’s ecological impact on the river’s biodiverse ecosystems.