Biodiversity conservation in a changing climate: a review of threats and implications for conservation planning in Myanmar

Abstract

High levels of species richness and endemism make Myanmar a regional priority for conservation. However, decades of economic and political sanctions have resulted in low conservation investment to effectively tackle threats to biodiversity. Recent sweeping political reforms have placed Myanmar on the fast track to economic development-the expectation is increased economic investments focused on the exploitation of the country's rich, and relatively intact, natural resources. Within a context of weak regulatory capacity and inadequate environmental safeguards, rapid economic development is likely to have far-reaching negative implications for already threatened biodiversity and natural-resource-dependent human communities. Climate change will further exacerbate prevailing threats given Myanmar's high exposure and vulnerability. The aim of this review is to examine the implications of increased economic growth and a changing climate within the larger context of biodiversity conservation in Myanmar. We summarize conservation challenges, assess direct climatological impacts on biodiversity and conclude with recommendations for long-term adaptation approaches for biodiversity conservation.

Fig. 1

Location of Myanmar (inset) within mainland Southeast Asia

Fig. 2

The distribution of ecoregional climate stability across Myanmar. Climate stability was calculated based on six bioclimatic variables (annual mean temperature, mean diurnal temperature range, mean annual temperature range, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of the driest quarter) of current and future climates. The darker colors represent more stable climates (i.e., regions more suitable for existing ecosystems). The climate similarity shown here is the average over seven general circulation models, and compares today’s climate with 2050 (Source: Iwamura et al. 2010)