Erecting signage around the lakes and wetlands in Myanmar
There’s a persistent myth in conservation that communities are passive recipients of protection efforts; people to be consulted after plans are made or helped once decisions are finalized. But across cultures and ecosystems, the reality tells a very different story.
People who depend on the land are often its strongest stewards.
In northwest Myanmar, at one of our project sites, this truth is unfolding around two vital wetlands: Naung-yan and Naung-sai Lakes, nestled in the Patkai Mountains near the Indian border. These lakes support a rich web of biodiversity, provide food security for surrounding villages, and hold deep cultural significance for local communities. They also sit within the watershed of Hukaung Wildlife Sanctuary, a globally important landscape known for tigers and many lesser-known—but equally vital—species.
Despite their importance, these wetlands have faced increasing pressure. Deforestation, pollution, and illegal hunting have contributed to declining fish and bird populations, threatening both ecosystems and livelihoods. Like many wetlands around the world, Naung-yan and Naung-sai were not at risk because communities failed to care, but because they lacked access to the resources, training, and institutional support needed to protect what they already valued.
Cleaning around the lakes
When Communities Ask for Support
When local leaders who had participated in Friends of Wildlife’s Biodiversity Hero trainings began noticing increasing threats to their wetlands, they didn’t wait for outside solutions. They requested support to lead their own conservation effort.
Friends of Wildlife (FoW), with support from Community Conservation, worked with the Naga Conservation Association (N-CA) to develop a conservation program, not by prescribing solutions, but by backing local leadership with the tools, training, and time required to act.
Community meeting to formulate a plan for wetland protection
Conservation Led From Within
Since 2020, Friends of Wildlife and the Naga Conservation Association have worked alongside elders, youth, and village leaders to strengthen community-led wetland protection. The goal has never been to impose conservation strategies from the outside, but to build capacity, creating space for collective decision-making rooted in local knowledge and priorities.
They brought together representatives from 21 villages, creating forums where traditional ecological knowledge, lived experience, and scientific understanding could meet. Over time, more than 800 individuals have participated in conservation planning, training, and action.
This matters because conservation that lasts generations must be owned by the people who will be there long after a single project ends.
Marking fishing zones in the wetlands
What Community-Led Conservation Looks Like in Practice
The results of this approach are concrete and measurable:
- Degraded lake edges are being restored through community-led tree planting initiatives
- Villagers organized clean-up campaigns, removing approximately 1,500 kilograms of garbage from wetland ecosystems
- Clear lake boundaries were collectively defined and marked, strengthening protection and accountability
- Village-level conservation groups assumed monitoring and stewardship roles, reinforcing local governance
These actions weren’t symbolic. They were coordinated, practical, and sustained.
You can read more about the work you’re supporting in Myanmar here.
A Model That Works Because People Are Trusted
Across cultures and continents, conservation succeeds when communities are recognized not as beneficiaries, but as leaders. The work unfolding around Naung-yan and Naung-sai Lakes offers a powerful example of what happens when conservation begins with respect and partnership.
When communities lead, ecosystems don’t just survive. They recover.
And when you choose to support community-led conservation through organizations like Community Conservation, you become part of that recovery—quietly, powerfully, and with lasting impact.
Restoring the wetlands
Be Part of What Works
Community-led conservation works because it centers local leadership while ensuring communities have access to the resources they need to act.
Your support allows Community Conservation to stand behind partners like Friends of Wildlife and the Naga Conservation Association, helping restore wetlands, strengthen local governance, and protect vital ecosystems in northwest Myanmar.
If you believe conservation should be led by the people who know the land best, we invite you to stand with them.
Support community-led conservation today at communityconservation.org/support
Sunset on the wetlands