3.7. Environmental assessment
Myanmar/Burma has a very diverse ecology and biodiversity. It features abundant natural resources, in particular timber, minerals, gems, crude oil and natural gas. The sustainable extraction of these resources is a major challenge for development and environmental conservation. Deforestation remains a central issue: forest cover went from 58% of the total land area in 1990 to 47% in 2010, an average annual deforestation rate of 1%. Myanmar/Burma’s forest degradation is caused by unsustainable commercial logging, fuel wood consumption, unplanned and unrestricted agricultural and aquaculture expansion, shifting cultivation, conversion to commercial plantations (palm oil or rubber) and infrastructure development.