deutscher tropentag, october 8 -10, 2003 in g#246;ttingen.pdfVIP

Deutscher Tropentag, October 8-10, 2003 in Göttingen International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development Technological and Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development Forest Plantation Management between Centralized and Participatory Planning — A Case Study of East Pegu Yoma Project (EPP), Myanmar 1 2 BA KAUNG , KHIN MAR CHO 1 Ministry of Forestry, Forest Department, Dryzone Greening Department, Mandalay Division, Myanmar E-mail: bakaung@ 2Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Rural Sociology and Extension, Germany Abstract Myanmar is one of the top ten teak planting countries. Although the plantations cannot replace all functions of nat ural forests, they are necessary for combating deforestation and providing increased demand of basic needs and individual wood, especially in tropical developing countries. The overall objective of this study is to contribute better strategies for plantation management in Myanmar. The study was carried out in a large-scale teak ( Tectona grandis) plantation project on degraded natural forest area in Myanmar. Personal interviews were done with three major interest groups of EPP: the planner, the field level s taff and the effected local people. A small-scale one-shot inventory was also conducted to examine the impacts of forest dwellers on nearby plantations. Research findings indicate that the planning process of EPP was carried out by a group of professionals without discussion with other interest groups. Young foresters who were assigned by the Forest department implemented the project. Local people were involved in the project only as temporary labo