Forest erosion rate in Myanmar is reached to about 150,000 acres annually within five-year time and Myanmar stood third place in the list of countries most affected by deforestation, according to Forest Research Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

“According to a survey collected in 2015, the forest area in Myanmar was reduced 1.7 per cent which is over 0.5 million in hectares and 1.5 million in acres,” said Director Thaung Naing Oo from the department.

“Our country has highest rate of deforestation and stood third in the list of countries most affected by deforestation in 2010 and 2015,” he said.

The timber production is reduced and stopped in the new government era and in some forest areas, the timber production is stopped up to ten years.

According to the estimation made by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), forest covered over 42 per cent of the land area in 2015.

The FAO announced the list of forest cover areas five years a time and it will be announced the list in 2020.

Ohn Win, Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation said forest areas in Myanmar is reached to over 25 per cent of the country area and forest research areas are covered about up to 6 per cent.

A total of 53 forest reserves with about one million acres in space are set up within three-year of current government tenure and forest covered areas reached to over 42 million acres at the present.

Moreover four more natural reserve areas with over 130,000 acres of space are set up and it is reached to 43 natural reserve areas with over 9.7 million acres of space which covered 5.83 per cent of the country area.

The union minister said the ministry is setting up more state forest plantations to improve the forest covered areas and to fulfill the requirement of the forest in the country.

The government enacted new law to preserve natural reserves forest and sent a bill to Union Attorney General to seek advice.