Review of Efforts to Combat Desertification and Arrest and Reverse Land Degradation in Myanmar - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 274

fuel. The DZGD since its creation in 1997 had distributed some 100,000 efficient
cooking stoves, 9.2 million numbers (7.4 million kg) of briquettes and, the use of
45,000 metric tons of agricultural residue by villagers in the dry zone was recorded
over the same period. About 600,000 improved cooking stoves are scheduled to
be distributed during the period from 2001 to 2010, and some 108 million kg of
briquettes are also planned to be distributed over the same period.

6 Focus on Combating Desertification

Myanmar is a country affected by desertification and drought in some areas. The
main area affected by desertification and drought is the Dry Zone in the central part
of the country.
The exact causes of desertification are often complex and arise from a variety
of factors including settlement of marginal lands, overgrazing, poor management of
water and soil, and changing climate with decreasing rainfall and greater incidence
of drought.
In Myanmar, the government has stepped up its efforts on preventing land
degradation and combating desertification in recent years. The Ministry of Forestry
leads efforts to combat desertification with the participation of other ministries but
Myanmar is still in the process of developing specific mechanisms for combating
desertification. The Government launched a special program and drafted a 30-year
Master Plan for greening of this zone (see Sect. 7.1 below).
From the forestry point of view, one of the major tools to fight the spread of
deserts is the planting of trees and other plants that retain water, maintain soil
quality and micro-climate. Greening work has been carried out in Sagaing and
Monywa Districts in Sagaing Division , Myingyan, Maiktila and Yemethin Districts
in Mandalay Division , Magway, Pakokku, Minbu and Thayet Districts in Magway
Division . Although originally intended for 9 districts, greening work has been
extended to 13 districts. Over 80,000 ha of forest plantations have been established,
and over 240,000 ha of remaining actual forests have been conserved and protected.
The arid zone greening work is being done in accordance with a 30-year Master
Plan. During the implementation period, 3.3 million ha of green and lush forests
will emerge. The Greening Project will prevent desertification of dry regions.
The Irrigation Department and Water Resources Utilization Department under
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation have been implementing drinking water
supply and irrigation water supply program through judicious utilization of water
from surface, rivers, creeks and groundwater sources for food sufficiency and
promotion of crop-productions in the Dry Zone.
Furthermore, the tasks for development of wood substituted fuels have also been
carried out. With many of the local people using trees for firewood and cooking, the
problems on forest depletion/degradation has become acute. To solve this problem,
the DZGD under the Ministry of Forestry has endeavored to promote utilization of