Background

Ecosystem services and products underpin the livelihoods of millions of people living within the Ayeyarwady Basin. A United Nations Inclusive Wealth Report (2012) estimates that between 1995 and 2010, Myanmar has lost 35% of its natural capital, effectively eroding the natural systems underlying community livelihoods. In part these losses result from a poor understanding of the economic values of ecosystem services, rendering them an externality in national socio-economic development planning.

As part of the Ayeyarwady State of the Basin Assessment (SOBA), Australian Partners assisted the Hydro-Informatics Centre (HIC) to value the ecosystem services of the Ayeyarwady basin so that a quantified understanding of the basin’s natural capital can supplement understanding of economic production. This work will improve understanding of and inform the future River Basin Masterplan and will place particular emphasis on the ecosystem benefits that poorer communities are reliant on.

Objectives

• Review existing information characterising the state of ecosystems in the Ayeyarwady Basin that provide important services to market and non-market activities.
• Review existing methodologies and propose a replicable and defensible approach suitable for Myanmar to take account of information available in the Basin.
• Apply the proposed methodology in a rapid assessment for the Basin, thereby quantifying ecosystem services in the Basin.

Outcomes

This activity has delivered a number of technical outputs, capacity building of DWIR and HIC staff and training seminars for Young Water Professionals. View documentation for more information.