Review of Efforts to Combat Desertification and Arrest and Reverse Land Degradation in Myanmar - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 266

Chapter 14
Review of Efforts to Combat Desertification
and Arrest and Reverse Land Degradation
in Myanmar

N.N.O. Weine

Synopsis Myanmar is located in a region less vulnerable to desertification.
Although there is no place which can be strictly defined as a sandy desert, some
specific areas in the vast central zone of the country indicate the potential for land
degradation due to the combined impacts of both the adverse climatic conditions
and the stress resulted from human activities. This chapter gives a summary of the
current situation of Myanmar in respect to desertification and land degradation

Key Points

• Land degradation in Myanmar is caused by water erosion, wind erosion, soil

fertility depletion, salinization, alkalinization and water logging. Visible land
degradation is recognizable in the central dry zone area of Myanmar and extends
partially over the Divisions of Mandalay, Magway and Sagaing covering 17 %
of the total area of the country. In these areas, soil erosion is intensive and rapid
as a result of heavy rain showers and the low degree of rock compaction. Surface
runoff has been estimated to be 30 %. Removal of the natural savanna vegetation
quickly leads to erosion, which is most intensive at the start of the monsoon rains
on bare soils. In the dry zone, where rainfall is already low, reduced infiltration
means less effective utilization of precipitation. An increase of runoff also leads
to the expansion of rill and gully erosion.

• The term “Dry Zone” is now being used to represent the dry central part

of the country. As Myanmar is endeavoring to maintain its natural resources,
the Ministry of Forestry strives to undertake the greening project throughout
the country with the cooperation of all levels of the governmental sectors. The
greening operation was started by planting trees in the 9 critical districts of the
arid zone of central Myanmar and extended to 13 districts with the creation
of new department namely the Dry Zone Greening Department (DZGD). This