SOBA-4

[SOBA-4] Biodiversity of the Ayeyarwady Basin Prepared by: Christoph ZÖCKLER, with contributions from Maurice KOTTELAT (fish diversity)

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NATIONAL WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE (NWRC) | AYEYARWADY STATE OF THE BASIN ASSESSMENT (SOBA) REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................ II EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 2 1

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 4

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DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE AND STATUS OF SPECIES........................................... 6 2.1 Mammals ...........................................................................................................6 2.2 Birds ................................................................................................................. 18 2.3 Reptiles ........................................................................................................... 49 2.4 Amphibians......................................................................................................56 2.5 Fish ................................................................................................................... 57 2.6 Other aquatic fauna ....................................................................................... 68 2.7 Plants ............................................................................................................... 70

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AREAS OF HIGH BIODIVERSITY VALUES .................................................................. 71 3.1 Hotspots of biodiversity distribution ..............................................................71 3.2 Areas of fish species endemism ..................................................................... 74

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KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS (KBA) ............................................................................ 75 4.1 Wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) ................................. 78

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TRENDS AMONG SELECTED GROUPS OF BIODIVERSITY ........................................ 80 5.1 Trends in waterbirds ....................................................................................... 82 5.2 Declining riverine terns .................................................................................. 90 5.3 Increasing species ........................................................................................... 91

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THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY .................................................................................... 92 6.1 Hydropower, irrigation dams ......................................................................... 93 6.2 Loss of wetlands ............................................................................................ 94 6.3 Deforestation ................................................................................................. 96 6.4 Conversion to plantations ............................................................................. 98 6.5 Gold and jade mining ..................................................................................... 98 6.6 Pebble and sand mining ................................................................................ 99 6.7 Over-fishing ................................................................................................... 100 6.8 Bird hunting ................................................................................................... 102 6.9 Illegal wildlife trade ...................................................................................... 104 6.10 Plants ............................................................................................................. 104 6.11 Invasive species............................................................................................. 104

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSERVATION.......................................................... 106 7.1 Sustainable development ............................................................................. 106 7.2 KBAs and protected areas ............................................................................ 106 7.3 Eco-tourism ................................................................................................... 106 7.4 Head-starting programme and assurance colonies .................................... 107 7.5 Reintroduction .............................................................................................. 108 7.6 Integration of local cultural and spiritual context into conservation measures ................................................................................................................... 108 7.7 Bird nest protection schemes ...................................................................... 108 ii

7.8 7.9 7.10 8

International Conservation Agreements ..................................................... 108 Biodiversity surveys ...................................................................................... 109 Recommendation of a biodiversity monitoring scheme and indicators .... 110

CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................ 112

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... 113 REFERENCES...................................................................................................................... 114 ANNEX 1 – MAMMAL SPECIES LIST (ACCORDING TO IUCN DISTRIBUTION MAPS) ........... 122 ANNEX 2 –AYEYARWADY BASIN BIRD SPECIES LIST ......................................................... 130 ANNEX 2.1 –AYEYARWADY BASIN WATER BIRD SPECIES LIST.......................................... 160 ANNEX 3 –AYEYARWADY BASIN REPTILE SPECIES LIST .................................................... 168 ANNEX 4 –AYEYARWADY BASIN AMPHIBIANS SPECIES LIST ............................................ 172 ANNEX 5 –AYEYARWADY BASIN FISH SPECIES LIST .......................................................... 174


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Ayeyarwady River Basin is a vast area of over 410,000 square kilometers, covering a rich set of diverse ecosystems of a total of 12 ecoregions, from Hkakabo Razi Mountain at 5,881 metres and the alpine shrub and meadow system dropping down to the Delta mangroves and mudflats at sea level. The Ayeyarwady Basin is one of the biological most diverse regions in the world. It is the 19 th richest region in bird diversity globally. It is home to 1400 mammal, bird and reptile species of which over 100 species are globally threatened. At least 388 fish species are known to occur in the region but the total is estimated to be likely nearer 550 when most areas will have been surveyed. For most taxa the current knowledge is very scarce and scattered. Amphibians and many invertebrates are little studied. This report focusses on wetland and riverine habitats and the biodiversity that is relatively well studied. The analysis of the biodiversity in the basin is a sobering account of a wide-spread and systemic degradation of the basin’s species, habitats and ecosystem functions. The findings in this assessment confirm a widespread decline in almost all taxa and across almost all regions. Several vertebrate species among the mammals, birds and also reptiles have already disappeared from the Ayeyarwady Basin and many others are likely to follow suit if conservation actions are not taken seriously and supported with proper resources. The declines are pronounced and sharp in particular for comparatively well monitored water birds on many river stretches and lakes. Some few species are increasing. Yet the vast majority is declining and in some areas or regions sharply, creating a sense of urgency to protect the characteristic and yet fragile biodiversity of the Ayeyarwady River Basin. The riverine breeding birds, such as terns, skimmers and lapwings are most affected alongside the fast disappearing freshwater turtles, reflecting the overall precarious situation in the river and its wetlands. The threats and reasons for the declines are variable and far ranging from large-scale industrial development and even flyway related issues among the migratory birds to small-scale but increasing sand and mineral mining and precipitious hunting and poaching across the entire basin. The fragile river system and its wetlands are under enormous and increasing pressure from hydropower development, sand, pebble extraction, mining for gold and other minerals and over- exploitation of its biological resources. It is a unique ecosystem and a lifeline for millions of people living in the center of the country and it deserves full protection and strict control over its resource management. Rapid changes in social and economic conditions will likely occur across Myanmar in the near future as annual rates for economic growth are expected to be as high as 8% and tightly linked to natural resource exploitation. Overall, Myanmar is close to a market of more than half a billion people. This creates new and additional challenges for people and biodiversity, which are already under enormous environmental stress. This could be addressed through policy and institutional reform and the integration of environmental safeguards into economic development planning. Some of these safeguards must be a comprehensive network of Protected Areas and a sustainable resource management that is negotiated and led by communities and supervised by an Integrated River Basin Management Committee and local subsidiaries. No-take zones free of any fishing, mining and dredging need to be established and the result of a resource management plan for the entire river and adjacent wetlands. In total almost 90 key biodiversity areas have been identified, including 6 new areas based on the findings of this analysis, but only about half of it is included in a protected areas system. However, progress has been made recently and two new Ramsar sites have been designated. The Ayeyarwady River is unique and one of the largest rivers in Asia that has not been fragmented by dams. It is largely unconstraint in its hydrology, sediment and nutrient flow and still hosts a unique suite of biodiversity of international importance. Its scenery with quaint villages and pagodas, impressive sandbars and gorges is unique and beautiful. It would certainly qualify as a World Heritage site under natural and possibly also for cultural criteria. This would not only boost the conservation of the region’s rich cultural and natural history, but also provide a long-term vision for the local communities that build their livelihoods on a sustainable economy that also includes the promotion of eco-tourism as well as sustainable use of the river’s natural resources. Water birds have been well studied and long term trend data are already available and been analysed. These groups of birds are proposed as biodiversity indicators and a suite of monitoring sites is proposed to monitor the health of the wetland ecosystems in the basin.

2 SOBA 4 | WORLDFISH / FFI


In addition to the water birds and freshwater turtles the river dolphins act as key sentinels for the health of the river ecosystem. The Irrawaddy Dolphin river population is in a critical but stable state. The Yangtze Dolphin is extinct and the Mekong river population of the Irrawaddy Dolphin is on the brink of extinction due to human impacting the river ecosystem. Myanmar has the choice to either follow the destructive path of the Yangtze and Mekong River where biodiversity has suffered and the dolphins been lost (Yangtze) or almost lost (Mekong), or opt for a sustainable development in balance with biodiversity and people.

3 SOBA 4 | WORLDFISH / FFI


1 INTRODUCTION The Ayeyarwady River Basin is a vast network of tributaries and provides a host of ecosystem services to the population as it flows through the country. It is the most important waterway in Myanmar covering 61% of the country. With a total of 413,674 square kilometeres it embraces a cascade of 12 ecoregions as defined by WWF (2017), from Hkakabo Razi Mountain with an elevation at 5,881 metres and the alpine shrub and meadow system dropping down to the Delta mangroves at sea level. The basin can be described in three parts: the mountainous upper Ayeyarwady catchment that extends to the Himalayas; the hilly and flood plain zone in the middle Ayeyarwady; and the delta landscape of the lower Ayeyarwady. The Chindwin Basin feeding the Ayeyarwady also has a diversity of ecosystems shaped largely by elevation and geology. The ecoregions are distributed as follows in Table 1.1 (WWF and ICEMa 2017). Table 1.1 - Ecoregion representation in the Ayeyarwady basin (ICEM 2017a) Ecoregions Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forests Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Ayeyarwady dry forests Ayeyarwady freshwater swamp forests Ayeyarwady moist deciduous forests Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests Myanmar coast mangroves Myanmar coastal rain forests Northern Indochina subtropical forests Northern Triangle subtropical forests Northern Triangle temperate forests Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests Total Values (