Development and Abandonment of Mangrove Paddy Fields and the Impacts Thereof in a Mon Village in Taninthayi Region, Myanmar

Abstract

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 a Mon village in Taninthayi Region. Three conditions were observed: field expansion by local people for subsistence during the period of insurgency, state-imposed field development, and extension of fields with the local authority’s support. Although the sustainability of fields depends on their specific geographic setting, the water action, and reasonable protective mangroves cover, paddy-field abandonment may occur within two to three decades after initial rice cultivation due to frequent embankment breaching. Consequently, the complex and long-term changes to the village’s agroecology and socioeconomic conditions studied included the onset of out-migration and orchard development following paddy-field abandonment. The previous practice of paddy-field expansion without regulation of the coexistence of mangroves and agriculture could not support sustainable resource use and rural development. Therefore, we recommend that revitalization of mangrove paddy fields at a manageable level should go along with follow-up investment and assessment of environmental challenges.