Community-led Elephant Conservation in Rakhine Yoma

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in commercial poaching of Asian elephants in Myanmar due to market demand for elephant skin and other parts in neighboring countries. Elephant poaching is organized by groups of hunters supported by international smugglers. Habitat degradation is also major threat that leads to increased human-elephant conflicts (HEC). The Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range (RYER) is an important source site for asian elephants, a strategic area for combating elephant trafficking, proposed as a flagship site for “Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE). Myanmar Biodiversity Fund (MBF) supports community-led elephant and habitat protection, human-elephant conflict mitigation and raising conservation awareness in this globally important conservation stronghold site, the RYER through collaboration of local partnerships and empowering communities.