The entire continent of North America has 914 species of birds. Not bad鈥攅xcept that Myanmar, which is only about the size of Texas, has a whopping 1,114 species of birds, according to a . That鈥檚 a whole lot of biodiversity for one small country. Myanmar鈥檚 bird population includes at least a dozen endangered species, including the Scaly-sided Merganser, Masked Finfoot, and Spotted Greenshank, which have survived in part because of the country鈥檚 reclusive past. But that may all change, now that the country has thrown its doors open to the foreign venturists.
From 2010 to 2014, conservation groups including the Bird and Nature Society, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Flora and Fauna International conducted a sweeping survey of Myanmar鈥檚 forests, lakes, and shorelines to find out which birds inhabit its lush terrains. The survey turned up 20 avian species that had never been recorded in the country, including the and . Despite this wave of newly recorded diversity, conservationists fear that Myanmar鈥檚 birds are in danger of poaching, pesticides, and encroachment from farming. With increasing foreign influence, environmental threats are on an uptick.
Myanmar鈥攆ormerly known as, and , Burma鈥攈as spent almost all of the past 50 years under an abusive military dictatorship and isolationist policy. The country鈥檚 lack of development has allowed it to retain large swathes of wilderness that have neither been cultivated nor explored. In the wake of the military junta鈥檚 demise in 2011, a few local non-profit groups formed to protect these lands. Some organizations, including the (BANCA), have been successful. One of BANCA鈥檚 biggest missions has been to by preserving the bird鈥檚 breeding grounds in Myanmar.
Soon, the country will be grappling with the challenges of managing large tracts of pristine wilderness. As of March 2012, foreigners have been 鈥攂ut not own鈥攍and in Myanmar. The country鈥檚 rich soil and former status as 鈥渢he rice bowl of Asia鈥 (in the early 1960s it was the world鈥檚 largest exporter of rice) makes it attractive to investors from nearby China and India, among other countries. No one really knows whether protecting natural resources is high on the government鈥檚 list of priorities. In light of recent discoveries, it should at least cast a more watchful eye on its precious environmental assets.