[H-GG13] Use and management of natural resources and environment

[HGG13-04] Management plans and research needs for Lake Inle in eastern Myanmar

*Takahisa Furuichi¹ (1.Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast)

Keywords:Baseline data, Sediment, Erosion, Water

Conservation and management of Lake Inle and its 3,800km² catchment on the western Shan Plateau in eastern Myanmar have been both local and national concern given the significance of the lake to the economy, environment, and culture. Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, a focal ministry for nature conservation and environmental management in Myanmar, has prepared an action plan for Lake Inle, entitled ‘Inle Lake Conservation 5-Year Action Plan (2015-2016 to 2019-2020)’. The document identifies critical sites, proposed activities across various sectors, estimated costs and inputs, and monitoring and evaluation plans for future conservation and management of Lake Inle. This paper overviews a draft of the action plan, discusses its relevance to the issues on water and sediment with reference to the field data accumulated since 2004, and draws implications for future research.