This project aims to address an urgent need for assessment of the biodiversity and conservation value of Thanintharyi Division of southern Myanmar. This area is in the most southern part of Myanmar, and borders peninsular Thailand to the east and south and the Andaman Sea to the west. The area supports the largest remaining patch of rainforest in Myanmar and is believed to support a high concentration of flora and fauna, which is increasingly rare in the region due to deforestation of large areas of ecologically similar rainforests in Thailand. Little biological investigation has ever been carried out in this area, and as a result there is no semblance of a protected area system. As Myanmar's economy opens up, forest areas are becoming threatened by developments such as rubber, oil palm and cashew nut plantations, so there is an urgent need for accurate information to assist in the land-use planning process.

The project will:

a) conduct an ornithological survey of representative habitats within the Division to assess their status and identify the most important and viable sites for biodiversity conservation;

b) disseminate this information to the local and national level authorities, and wider scientific and conservation community;

c) undertake capacity-building among BENCA and the participating state organisations in conservation planning and biodiversity assessment;

d) prepare a second phase project proposal to promote conservation of the key sites identified.