ACTION REQUIRED:NEWS - Myanmar, Sou

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Subject: ACTION REQUIRED:NEWS - Myanmar, South Korea to Enhance Forestry

Cooperation
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Myanmar, South Korea to Enhance Forestry Cooperation

               Xinhua
               23-JUL-99

               YANGON (July 23) XINHUA - Myanmar and South Korea
               have agreed to enhance cooperation in the forestry sector
               by establishing tree plantations in Myanmar's central and
               arid Mandalay division, official newspaper The New Light
of
               Myanmar reported Friday. 

               Under an agreement signed here Thursday between the
               Myanmar Ministry of Forestry and the Forest
Administration
               of South Korea, forest plantations will be set up in the
               Mandalay division's Nyaung U township with the assistance
               from the Korea International Cooperation Agency. 

               In July 1998, Myanmar worked out a three-year project
               (1998-2000) to plant trees of 149.8 hectares annually in
the
               township's Kyubinkwayh Forest Reserve with the help of
the
               Jifpro Group of Japan and 10 other Japanese
organizations. 

               Since 1992, Myanmar has been implementing a greening
               and environmental program in the arid zone in the central
               part of the country, which is aimed at systematic
               conservation of forests to maintain sustainable yield of
forest
               products. 

               The greening project was launched in nine districts of
the
               arid zone in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway divisions in
               1992 and by 1997 more than 16 million trees including
teak
               and hardwood trees had been planted in areas of over
               21,000 hectares, covering 57 townships and 15 mountain
               ranges. 

               The project was extended to 13 districts after 1997 to
cover
               a total area of 9.14 million hectares. 

               Myanmar's land area of reserved and protected forest
               amounts to more than 104,000 square kilometers.