The Landscape of Gulf of Mottama
The Gulf of Mottama is one of the largest mudflat areas in the world which is covered by brown water funnel-shaped toward the Sittaung River. It is the arm of the Andaman Sea and is located in the southern part of Burma with 4000 kilometers of coastline from Yangon Region to Bago Region and Mon State. Three major rivers such as Sittaung, Salween, and Yangon rivers flow into the gulf and deposit multi-layers of sediments for the enrichment of agriculture cultivation sustainability. The unique ecosystem of the Gulf of Mottama and its natural resources provide food for migratory birds, fish, and other living things which depend on it.
The main feature of the Gulf of Mottama is a tide-dominated coastline with rages between 4-7 meters with the highest tidal. According to Wikipedia, during spring tide, when the tidal range is around 6.6 m, the turbid zone covers an area of more than 45000 km2 making it one of the largest perennially turbid zones of the world’s oceans. During neap tide, with a tidal range of 2.98 m, the highly turbid zone coverage drops to 15,000 km2. The edge of the highly turbid zone migrates back and forth in sync with every tidal cycle by nearly 150 km.
In 2017, with the nonstop effort of the Mon State government, the Gulf of Mottama Project, and local communities, the Gulf of Mottama became the 5th Ramsar Site in Myanmar which aims to protect and wise-use natural resources in the gulf to benefit the local communities sustainably. Along with the designated Ramsar site, the Mon State government also created a co-management zone in Thaton Township to protect massive exploitation of fishing, ban illegal fishing, and restorative mangrove forests.
The current conditions
Fisheries is one of these livelihood options. According to the research, because of illegal fishing, mismanagement of fishery resources, and increasing length of fishing hours, the sustainability of these fishery resources are under threat. Many communities depending on these fisheries resources lost an important component of their livelihoods and as a consequence, many of them migrated to neighboring countries to seek new job opportunities and incomes.
According to a rapid assessment conducted by a group of researchers in 2014, small-scale fishermen were using various kinds of fishing nets which include drift gill net, trammel net, set gillnet, set bag net, and beach seine nets. Apart from these, handmade fishing gear like set gill net with a small mesh size (6mm) with the local name “Than Za Gar Pike” is also widely used by the fishermen, especially from Kyaikhto.
The Gulf of Mottama is an open fishing ground, so the fishermen were able to move freely along the coastline. People from Kyaikhto can fish in Thaton fishing ground likewise people from east [Bago and Yangon] came to the Mon.
The researchers' highlight that there were conflicts among the fishermen especially between those who were using legal and illegal fishing gear. Many fishermen assume that due to fish catch volume is decreased, the fish population in the Gulf of Mottama area is high decline because of Than za gar pike.
The International Union of Conservation Nature – IUCN points out that the fish stock in the Gulf of Mottama had been declined from 50-90% in the last 10 years. This was happening due to illegal fishing, long-hour fishing, weak law enforcement, and lack of alternative sources of income for sustainable livelihoods options.
The Gulf of Mottama Project
To respond to these alarming trends, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) started the Gulf of Mottama Project (GoMP) in 2015. The project is implemented by HELVETAS Myanmar in collaboration with the Network Activities Group (NAG) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Around 16,000 households from 60 villages in eight townships in Mon State and Bago Region have currently benefited from the project. The overall goal of the project is “the unique biodiversity of the Gulf of Mottam is conserved and sustainably developed in order to benefit human communities that depend on it”. To achieve this goal, three outcomes are interlinked; Outcome 1 - Livelihoods are secured and diversified to build communities’ resilience; Outcome 2 - Coastal natural resource use is sustainable and well-managed, and biodiversity is conserved; Outcome 3 - Coastal natural resource governance is coordinated and effective and awareness of the value of the GoM is raised.
To reach these outcomes and respond to the overall objective, the project implemented various sectors of livelihood options such as agriculture, skill for employment, and sustainable fisheries. Crosscutting activities like WASH, conservation, and governance are the foundation to support the current needs of the communities and future management of Gulf of Mottama natural resources. The project also considers promoting potential eco-tourism can be part of sustainable livelihood options for coastal communities.
Potential Eco-tourism as an alternative source of income
With the natural beauty and enrichment of habitat in the Gulf of Mottama, now it becomes a popular site among bird-watchers. Approximately, more than 250000 migratory birds take the route to East Asian Australian Flyways migrate to the Gulf of Mottama during winter every year. Among these, the critical endanger species Spoonbill-sand-piper also included, and annually about 40% of the total population [500] spent their winter in the gulf.
Dozens of bird watchers around the world gathering at the Gulf of Mottama to spend 5-7 days doing an annual shorebird survey. The Gulf of Mottama Project is part of the survey team and provides financial support for local surveyors.
Due to the unique ecosystem in the gulf and multi-cultural in the society, the Gulf of Mottama Project initiated a tourism study in partnership with Alsharq tour company. The study took 6 months to completed and the report was launched by 20 December 2020 with three potential sites were recommended. Dozens of local and international tour companies were participated in the virtual launching event and further discuss the concrete plan to move it forward.
From the discussion, several potential activities were brainstormed and came to the conclusion that bird watching, boat ride, fly fishing, camping on mangrove area and visit the local were possible optioned to further develop and it might attract the local and international tourists to visit the area.
However, according to the Gulf of Mottama’s chief technical advisor, Mr. Jos van der Zanden, the Gulf of Mottama is unique and has a natural beauty in itself. It might be possible to develop eco-tourism or community involvement tourism but basic infrastructure and government policies are the issues to discuss further.
He further added that the Gulf of Mottama is not a tourism-based project and rather a development base project. What we can do is to assist the tour companies through providing the installation of the water filter system, other hygienic matters, and soft skill training for the local communities that we are working with.
Currently, designing the eco-system tourism and community involvement tourism are still in the process of engagement with potential tour companies and have not yet implemented any projects.
According to official data, in 2019 around 4.4 million tourists visited Myanmar however, because of the current widespread COVID 19 pandemic, the tourism industry is facing hardship to boot the businesses and have further impacts on Myanmar economy.
A rapid assessment of fish and fisheries information in a part of the east coast of Gulf of Mottama (Mon State) by A group of researchers (Tint Wai, Win Ko Ko, Moe Moe Myint, Zaw Linn Htun, Thaw Phyo Shwe, Tint Tun) published 2014