Lampi Marine National Park

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Lampi Marine National Park

Building local capacities to protect the Park’s unique biodiversity

Protected area management

Wildlife conservation

sustainable fisheries

livelihood development

Background

Located in the Myeik Archipelago, Lampi Marine National Park is Myanmar’s first Marine National Park and is home to more than 1200 marine and terrestrial species. The Park’s rich biodiversity is threatened by overfishing, illegal logging, hunting, and uncontrolled tourism development.

The project

Since 2009, Istituto Oikos has supported the Forest Department to improve the management and conservation of the Park through a range of activities in different areas. A General Management Plan was developed with the involvement of authorities, communities, and the private sector. Capacity building and equipment are provided to the Park staff for the monitoring of key species and law enforcement against illegal activities. Environmental awareness campaigns and clean-ups are implemented to improve solid waste management. Local communities are involved in the sustainable management of fisheries and the development of ecotourism activities (village tours, excursions, handicrafts).

About the organization

Founded in Italy in 1996, Istituto Oikos focuses on biodiversity conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Oikos started working in Myanmar in 2007.

Lampi Marine National Park covers a group of islands in the Myeik Archipelago in Tanintharyi region. The Myeik Archipelago consists of more than 800 islands dotted along 600 kilometers of coastline in the Andaman Sea.

Photo: David Van Driessche - Istituto Oikos

Lampi Marine National Park protects evergreen and mangrove forests, coral reefs, sea grasses, and a rich biodiversity, including many endangered species, such as the Sunda pangolin, loggerhead and green sea turtles, and the plain-pouched hornbill. Monitoring protocols have been developed for the monitoring of key species, wildlife identification, and camera trapping activities inside the Park.

Photo: Istituto Oikos

Although the Myeik archipelago was officially opened to tourism in 1997, its islands remain largely unexplored. In Lampi Marine National Park, ecotourism training is offered to local communities to support the development of community-based tourism activities. These provide alternative livelihood options in order to reduce illegal activities that are destructive to the Park’s ecosystems.

Photo: David Van Driessche - Istituto Oikos

The Moken – often referred to as Sea Gypsies – are the indigenous people of the archipelago. About 320 Moken live in the Park today. Over the last 15 years, they have suffered rapid impoverishment due to greater competition with the growing fishing industry and the consequent decline of marine resources. This has had important implications for their traditional nomadic lifestyle, leading them towards a more sedentary existence.

Photo: David Van Driessche - Istituto Oikos