Acacia catechu (Sha)-bearing forests are the primary sources of cutch, a tannin extract from the heartwood of Sha trees. Sha forests in Myanmar are managed for cutch production, and tree harvesting for cutch is regulated by an official diameter limit (ODL, 30 cm DBH [diameter at breast height]). We explored sustainable Sha forest management for cutch production through stand inventory surveys…
Paddy-field expansion is a major driver of mangrove deforestation in Myanmar, but it is an unsustainable farming practice due to the abandonment of rice cultivation after some decades. To understand previous and existing paddy-field expansion into mangroves and to plan for sustainable resource use, we studied the process of developing and abandoning paddy fields, and the resulting impacts, in …