Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary

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Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary

Strengthening communities to enhance wildlife conservation and natural resource management

Protected area management

Wildlife Conservation

Forestry

Background

Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, in upper Sagaing Region, is one of the largest protected areas in Myanmar. It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1974 and WCS-supported activities started 20 years later. Local participation and adequate staffing are the main challenges for effective management.

The project

WCS began work in the sanctuary to support the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD). Interested locals were recruited as community guards to enforce the law. In 2017, the guardian program began to recruit active locals without qualifications in order to support NWCD and park guards for effective wildlife monitoring. To date, 50 community guards have been recruited and 61 guardians have joined the fieldwork. This system improves participation, provides income, and helps build trust between conservationists and communities, which has reduced threats in the sanctuary.

About the organization

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is an international NGO with the mission to save wildlife and wild places worldwide. WCS initiated long-term conservation in Myanmar in 1993.

Setting up camera traps during sun bear surveys. The sanctuary has been intensively monitored using camera traps since 2014. The biological monitoring team comprises WCS staff and community guardians who conduct monitoring supported by patrol teams made up of community guards who have the authority to take action against illegal activities in survey areas.

Snares are destroyed by a patrol team. Poaching is one of the main threats to wildlife in Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary. A recent survey focused on detecting and destroying snares deployed by poachers in the eastern part of the sanctuary, which usually has less patrol coverage due to accessibility and logistical constraints.

Species are recorded annually in Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary from camera trap surveys. With the constant effort of biological monitoring surveys, the camera trap surveys have identified a growing list of terrestrial species and growing populations of globally important species.

The newly established Htamanthi Training and Research Center on the eastern side of Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary. The center is a training ground for community guards, community guardians, and NWCD staff and offers training in building community capacities, learning advanced law enforcement, and biological monitoring. The center will also host awareness-raising activities and livelihood development training for community members around the sanctuary.