MNREC Union Minister arrives back after attending China Xizang Forum

The Myanmar delegation led by Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi attended the fourth China Xizang Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation held in Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China. They returned to Yangon yesterday afternoon and were welcomed back by officials from the Chinese Embassy and the ministry.
The Union minister, along with the Myanmar delegation, arrived in Kunming on the evening of 5 July and was welcomed by Prof Dr Yang Yongping, Director-General of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), Prof Dr Yang Xuefei of Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), and Myanmar students. They discussed matters related to biodiversity conservation, conducting further research, and providing additional scholarships to enhance human resource development.
During the Union minister’s visit to the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), Deputy Director- General Dr Wu Jianqiang and Prof Dr Yang Xuefei discussed the conservation of plant biodiversity in the garden, research on and discovery of new plant species and explained methods for conserving plant species from various regions of the world outside their natural habitats. They also addressed research, education, human resource development, and public recreation.
Afterwards, the Union minister toured and observed various plant species cultivated and conserved in the botanical garden, as well as the exhibits in the biodiversity conservation awareness gallery. Established in 1938, the botanical garden covers an area of over 44 hectares and houses more than 8,840 plant species. It attracts over 700,000 visitors annually.
The Department of Forest under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and the research and development divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), including the Kunming Botanical Garden (KIB), the Kunming Institute of Zoology, and the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), have been cooperating in biodiversity conservation, research, and human resource development since 2016. In April 2024, a five-year memorandum of understanding was signed again, reportedly accelerating their cooperation. — MNA/TKO