Nantha Island and Mayyu Estuary designated as Ramsar wetland site

By Hnin Nwe 23 May 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
23 May, Sittwe
 
Arakan State’s Nantha Island and Mayyu Estuary were designated as a Ramsar wetland site on May 22, coinciding with International Day for Biological Diversity.

An effort to have the area recognised with the Ramsar honour began in 2008, according to Dr. Thiri Daywi Maung, executive director of the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA).

“We tried many years ago. We weren’t able to go on trips continuously depending on our funds. We can observe spoon-billed sandpipers and other wetland birds. We subsequently discovered turtles,” she told DMG.

Ramsar status is conferred based on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. The Nantha Island-Mayyu Estuary site, located between Sittwe and Rathedaung townships, is Myanmar’s sixth.

The global recognition was achieved thanks to collaboration from the Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, the Arakan State government, BANCA and its Arakan (Rakhine) State-based counterpart, R-BANCA.

There are about eight villages surrounding the Ramsar site, and with many villagers depending on the local wetland for their livelihoods, BANCA plans to carry out activities so that the area’s new status will not be misunderstood by local communities, said Dr. Thiri Daywi Maung.

“We need to send a message to the residents that designating the area as a Ramsar site is because it is an internationally important area due to its having unique biodiversity, and it is not meant to destroy their living,” she said.

The Forest Department, R-BANCA and BANCA will work together on conservation activities to sustain the Ramsar site, including holding discussions with residents in the region, said BANCA. Despite last week’s good news, Dr. Thiri Daywi Maung said such activities were currently suspended due to COVID-19 and because members of the site observation team previously faced safety concerns as they frequently heard the sound of gunfire coming from Rathedaung Township on the Arakan State mainland.

The area encompassing the island and estuary measures 3,608 hectares (8,916 acres), and is an important habitat for a biodiverse array of plants and animals, she said.

The area was designated after meeting five of nine criteria for Ramsar qualification.

Myanmar’s five other Ramsar sites are the Moeyungyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary; Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary; Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary; the Gulf of Mottama; and Inle Lake.