Myanmar has a lot of nature to share with its residents and the rest of the world. Some 40 percent of its land area is under forest cover and it is home to more than 1,700 birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
In the dry zones of Myanmar, degraded natural areas can be restored if communities believe that a low-cost investment now (for instance, a ‘leave the land alone for three-years’ strategy) would pay off in the medium term.
This may be possible if households receive a guarantee that they can thin and harvest trees later for fuelwood or small timber, perhaps. However, the trick will be in creating contracts between the state and communities that incentivize households to want trees! Currently, trees appear to be only for protection; in these communities, they need to be put to use!
Households may also be willing to plant more trees on private lands – in their homesteads, farms, roadsides etc. However, these private plantings can only be sustained if communities believe that they can reap public and private returns from them. If the entire village plants trees that can be harvested, then they can perhaps cut better deals with traders and, possibly, also pay off their debt.
At a community meeting, we asked the elders whether they carried any debt. They laughed at our foolish question. Of course, they were in debt – they had to educate their children! Perhaps if we can get the incentives right, the villagers in the dry zones of Myanmar can do their bit for climate mitigation but also pay down their own debt. How about planting a tree as a family grows and selling the returns when it’s time to pay for college? Perhaps if we can create tree banks, the garden will weed itself.