P02: Future Yangon Green Spaces

Pledge Your Climate Action!
Theme: Nature-based Solutions as public goods to fight climate change

Applicant Information

Name: Min Khant Thway
Organization: For The Future-Myanmar

Project Overview

Title: Future Yangon Green Spaces
Location: Yangon Region
Duration: Planned

Tackling Urban Environmental Challenges

The Future Yangon Green Space Project addresses various interrelated environmental and social challenges impacting the quality of life in Yangon, such as rapid urbanization with its high levels of air pollution from increased traffic, industrial activities, and construction damaging the health of residents, especially in densely populated neighborhoods. Besides this, the general lack of greenery makes Yangon’s neighborhoods much hotter than rural areas, raising the temperatures. This would contribute not only to immediate comfort but also to health in the longer term by offering greenery that cools temperatures and cleans the air.

In addition to this, seasonal flooding often hits Yangon because large swaths of land are covered in pavement, an obstacle to natural drainage. Planting trees and forests will absorb rainwater and reduce runoff and the impact of heavy rains. Finally, with rapid growth, the natural habitat areas have been greatly reduced, decreasing biodiversity. Planting native plants and creating micro-forests will support the wildlife in this area and enhance biodiversity in the city.

A Community-Led Approach to Green Transformation

The Future Yangon Green Space Project aims at two strategies: community-led tree planting and urban micro-forest creation. Together, these will green both the varied environs of Yangon for maximum environmental and social effect. On the one hand, we will plant trees in communities—in consultation with the residents—in parks, schoolyards, along streets, and so on. The project will be owned by the community through events of monthly planting and educational workshops regarding the benefits of trees.

The second element of this consists of the creation of urban micro-forests, following a technique proposed by Miyawaki, by densely planting native species in small areas to achieve a self-sustaining ecosystem in as little as two to three years. The micro-forests will be ideal for suburban townships in Yangon. We would like to enhance resilience, protect biodiversity, and thereby improve the quality of life.

Transformative Impact

The Future Yangon Green Space Project will go a long way in bringing benefits to the environment and the community level. The trees will filter particulate matter, reducing air pollution, and will guarantee cleaner air for better respiratory health among its community.

The seasonal flooding that is included in the project will protect the neighborhoods from water damage and make living conditions safer. Biodiversity will also be enhanced with this action since the native trees and plants in micro-forests support creating mini ecosystems within the suburban township. On the social side, this project aims at raising awareness about the environment among all its people by inviting them to be involved in the process of planting and upkeep, leading to community ownership and their environmental responsibility.

Community Engagement

Community involvement is right at the heart of this project. Community tree-planting events will be held and shared via non-profit youth-led organizations, where people can come together to plant trees and participate in workshops on environmental resilience. These events are going to ensure active learning and give them shared responsibility. We would promote the project through social media by documenting the process and engaging the local community for the same.

The local monastery school partnerships will ensure that these micro-forests become true outdoor classrooms where the learning about their participation and best practices will take place. This will ensure the project continues to have an educational impact moving beyond the initial planting events.

Innovation and Creativity

These micro-forests and tree planting will utilize the scientifically proven Miyawaki method of dense planting, which accelerates growth and allows these urban forests to grow quickly and eventually become self-sustaining with minimal maintenance. This project brings additional value in community creative learning. We can also do the signboard to share about the trees and information about promoting environmental responsibility for environmentally aware and engaged citizens.

Sustainability & Duplicability

Future Yangon Green Spaces applies the project as sustainable and native-species-based, with planting species that could bear the climatic conditions in the Yangon suburban township. In this way, trees need barely any care after they grow. The dense, self-sustaining micro-forests require little to no maintenance after the initial few years, since they will be a model of natural forests and create a strong ecosystem in support of their own existence. Moreover, community and youth-led nonprofit organization involvement in this project results in green spaces being cared for and protected by these residents, enabling them to survive and grow over time. Educational material and the inclusion of local monastery schools then make it repayable: Students and community can alike take from this project knowledge and strategies and apply them in other homes.

Additional Information

A strategic partnership and guidance will become the success of the Future Yangon Green Space Project. This will be achieved in cooperation with local community organizations to obtain locations for planting. Environmental organizations will provide guidance on selecting tree species for planting, workshops, and follow-up on environmental impact. The meager budget needs from the project will make it possible on a community-based funding, donation, and volunteer support basis.

We envision, through this project, a greener, healthier, and more resilient suburban township. This project will marry traditional tree-planting elements with the establishment of micro-forests, enabling the creation of green areas with easy access that will benefit the environment and well-being of the township.