Myanmar: ‘Unprecedented Rate’ of Agriculture-Driven Deforestation: Report

Mar 12, 2015 | David Hopkins, The Irrawaddy
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The conversion of forestlands for agricultural development is occurring at an “unprecedented rate,” aided by a weak legal framework governing forest management and land use, according to a new report released on Thursday.

Expanding on a previous analysis released in November 2013, the report by US-based non-profit Forest Trends illustrates how private agribusiness concessions, invariably held by well-connected firms in regions of rich biodiversity, are providing a “cover for logging operations.”

It cites official data that over 800 domestic companies acquired a total of 750,000 acres of demarcated forestland for industrial agricultural production as of 2013. In some cases, firms have demonstrated little or no intention of planting the agricultural crop despite clearing the land, suggesting timber extraction was the primary objective.