Enhancing Climate Change Resilience through promoting mangrove-friendly aquaculture in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta

Project Objective: To enhance climate resilience and adaptive capacities of smallholder farmers of Pyapon township by creating an enabling environment for the promotion of community led mangrove-friendly aquaculture in the Ayeyarwady Delta.

Myanmar is the second most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change. Studies have indicated that at least 43% of Myanmar’s delta area is expected to be lost in the next 80 years due to sea level rise. This posed a serious threat to agricultural productivity, health, and food security of more than 3 million people, particularly those living in Pyapon, Bogale, and Labutta townships.

Located in the Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar, the project will address the capacity and resource challenges, technical assistance on mangrove restoration, and financial gap for establishing Community Forests Enterprises (CFEs) and organisational strengthening of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs). The main objectives of the project are: (1) to provide technical knowledge and resources to enhance the productivity of mangrove-friendly aquaculture and draft business plans that demonstrate return on investment to attract private sector investment; (2) to ensure communities realise the direct relationship between healthy mangroves and productive aquaculture and bring CFUGs together to restore and protect degraded mangroves.

The project will thus empower communities to protect and restore about 4,900 ha of mangroves contributing to the mitigation of climate change impacts through carbon sequestration and coastal protection. It will also enhance the socio-economic status of the community through enabling more productive and sustainable livelihoods, creation of green jobs/employment opportunities, increased resilience to natural disasters, secured wildlife and habitats leading to reduction in human-wildlife conflicts, serving both human and natural needs within the environment.