Burma is heavily endowed with resources both renewable and non-renewable.

The economy of Myanmar is mainly agrarian and consists of proper agriculture, forestry, livestock
and fisheries. Agriculture contributes more than 50% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)
and approximately 30% of the country’s total exports . The forestry sector contributes less than 1%
to the national GDP but is responsible for 10% of the total exports . The forest sector is very vital to
the agricultural sector and deforestation as a result of logging results in adverse effects to the sector.
As it is with the other developing economies, Burmese external trade mainly relies on the
exportation of primary products from natural resources which includes forest products. Over the
years, earning from the forest products exportation has been on the rise and this is mainly attributed
to the lucrative teak prices in the global market.

The forests offer an array of goods and services especially to the poor. The poor rely on forests for
their basic needs; food, shelter and clothing. A large percentage of people in Myanmar utilize fuel
wood for their energy needs and hence the importance of forests to the country. Myanmar has an
inadequate supply of electricity and hence the continued use of firewood and charcoal to satisfy
energy needs by a majority of people. Forests are also used by many people for income generation.
The charcoal production industry is huge in the country as a huge number of people rely on the
practice to meets their needs. In the urban areas, activities such as saw milling, wood processing and
making of furniture provide employment opportunities for thousands of the Burmese.

With the destruction of the forest environmental values, all people in Burma lose a great deal.

Illegal logging contributes to climate change whose adverse effects cause strains to the economy and
result in huge financial losses. It is estimated that developing countries such as Burma lose up to $15
billion per year as a result of illegal logging. These losses represent amount of money that would
have rather been invested in other sectors of the economy such as health, education and
infrastructural development. Illegal logging is also responsible for driving the price of timber and
wood down due to the fact that the illegal loggers do not pay taxes. Consequently, the economy may
lose some of the revenues it used to earn from legal logging activities and trade. Additionally, illegal
logging causes political instability which results in conflicts that further harm the economy.

It is clear that forests are an important resource to the economy of Burma, Forests support lives of
people through the provision of basic needs and also they provide forest products that are used by
many citizens to earn income. Timber, especially teak, has resulted to illegal logging that has greatly
threatened the economic growth and environmental conservation. The Burmese government should
invest in other alternative industries so as to ensure that the remaining forests are not lost through
logging and that the economy still thrives without being heavily reliant on forest products. The
mining industry is one industry that can create many jobs and lead to a growth in the GDP. Although
it is a silent sector, it offers a great opportunity that would lead huge economic benefits not only to
the economy but also the people of Buram.

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