Short Film on “Saving Chindwin’s Biodiversity”

Watch the film: Saving Chindwin’s Biodiversity

Myanmar’s Chindwin River Basin is home to a wide range of ecosystems, from upland forests to riverine lowlands and seasonally flooded wetlands. These habitats support 370 bird species, 16 mammal species, including tigers, 5 reptile species, 82 butterfly species, and 155 fish species, of which 54 are endemic to the area.

The six million people living in the basin depend on its natural resources for their livelihoods. They gather fuel, food, and medicinal plants, use seasonally flooded wetlands for fishing, and plant crops in riverbank gardens.

“Saving Chindwin’s Biodiversity” shares perspectives from people living in the basin. They discuss their lives and livelihoods, threats to natural resources such as mining, and ongoing efforts to protect the basin’s natural resources before it is too late.

The film is an outcome of the Chindwin Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (CBES) study, a two-year assessment by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). CBES aims to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem service values by supporting local communities and state agencies in Myanmar’s Chindwin River Basin.

Film Credits

• Producer (script, editing, and sound): Rajesh Daniel
• Camera: Wichai Juntavaro
• Associate producers and interviewers: May Thazin Aung, Than Htway
• Translators: Thant Zaw Soe, Ei Phyo Wai Aung
• CBES project leads: Thanapon Piman, SEI; Prof. Win Maung, Myanmar Environmental Institute (MEI)

Project support: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

The film was produced in collaboration with the Sagaing Regional Government, state agencies, academics, researchers, and media in Myanmar. Special thanks to the local communities in the Chindwin Basin and the Chindwin River Basin Organization (CRBO).