Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Myanmar

In 1993, WCS became the first international conservation NGO to initiate a program in the Union of Myanmar. Staffed entirely by Burmese nationals, WCS implements a variety of conservation activities across the country. A primary aim is to work with the Government to increase the area under parks and reserves. To this end, WCS conservationists and Forestry Department staff have surveyed some of the most pristine and isolated forests in the region. One area, the Hukaung Valley, is located in the northern forests of Myanmar.  Hukaung contains healthy populations of threatened wildlife including a species new to science, the leaf deer, discovered during surveys in 1996.

The Human Aspect
Few people live directly within the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, although many live within the Valley itself.  Due to seasonal flooding, most people live on the edges of the sanctuary and venture into the park to hunt and collect forest products. The Lisu people, traditionally excellent hunters, will move through the Sanctuary for weeks hunting for tigers and meat to sell. 

Threats
Hunting remains the biggest threat to the ecosystem and commercial hunting threatens many species, especially tigers.  With the valley placed at the crossroads of India, Myanmar, and China, Hukaung is a growing source of endangered species for international trade.  Gold mining has also become a threat to the Sanctuary, as economic concerns force local people to find sources of income.

WCS Activities

In spite of the enormous challenges facing wildlife conservation in Myanmar, the northern forest complex, which contains the Hukaung Valley, provides an important opportunity for conservation. A dedicated team of Burmese nationals, trained by WCS conservationists, conducted tiger and wildlife surveys across Myanmar. After three years of surveys, the Hukaung Valley stood out as one of the best remaining areas for wildlife in the country, particularly for tigers.  Data collected were recently compiled and incorporated into a National Tiger Action Plan for the Union of Myanmar (funded by the ExxonMobil-sponsored Save the Tiger Fund). Acting on the Plan’s recommendations, WCS and Forestry Department staff are surveying the entire Hukaung Valley to determine the abundance of tigers and their prey in the region, especially outside the sanctuary.  The goal of this survey was to help create a large tiger reserve with the Wildlife Sanctuary as the core, and the surrounding protected forest acting as a buffer to human encroachment.  Additionally, research has been initiated on the impact of hunting on the sanctuary’s wildlife, and the role of wildlife in local economies.  

Important Next Steps
The recently declared Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in the world, spanning a total area of up to 21,802 km².  While much remains to be done to turn this reserve into a functioning protected area, WCS is committed to supporting the reserve.  Next steps include:
· Monitoring abundance of tigers and other wildlife in the Reserve;
· Training park rangers and other indigenous ethnic groups in park protection and monitoring techniques to increase protection of the sanctuary and improve data collection;
· Completing land-settlement issues and implementing a management plan in the Reserve;
· Improving public awareness and developing education curricula addressing the importance of tiger and wildlife conservation to increase support from local people.