26 March 2025 – Indigenous Karen women possess valuable knowledge about various species that differs from the perspectives of men, yet their insights are often overlooked. Women play a crucial role in mobilizing the community and sharing important information. They are primarily responsible for nurturing children and passing down knowledge to future generations. Recognizing the significance of both male and female perspectives is essential for maintaining Karen territories and ensuring the well-being of the community.
Women’s Research Group, accompanied by Indigenous Wildlife Researcher Saw Blaw Htoo together with local elders and young men who helped with transportation
The Women’s Research Group (WRG) carries out research combining western scientific methods and documenting ancestral knowledge on biodiversity in their territories. The group includes both female and male community members, and when conducting surveys, many members of the community are invited to join and learn together.
Naw Keneral Moo (middle) takes the lead in conducting fish research
From March 12th to 20th, 2025, KESAN’s Women’s Research Team, along with local Karen indigenous researchers, embarked on a trip to the hill evergreen and montane evergreen forests in northern Salween Peace Park. The team conducted research on local fish, frog, bird, and plant species, exploring the richness of the forest ecosystem.
The area is part of the Kheshorter Community Forest which was formally recognized by the Karen National Union in October 2014 and managed by 15 villages. KESAN’s Indigenous Wildlife Researcher Saw Blaw Htoo, members of Luthaw township Kawthoolei Forestry Department, and local Indigenous elders also joined the trip to assist the team in identifying biodiversity species.
The KESAN Women’s Research Team was composed with two young women and one young man from KESAN and local Karen women from different villages in northern the Salween Peace Park. All the local Karen women researchers are also part of the two-community forests: Kheshorter and Thawthee-Pworgaw community forests in the Salween Peace Park. The team is coordinated by Saw Blaw Htoo, KESAN’s Indigenous Wildlife Researcher.
Every year, the team makes at least three trips to conduct research on biodiversity species depending on the time and seasons where their target species can be mostly spotted.
Naw Su Bu, who joined the the women research team in 2012, said:
“We currently research birds, vegetables, fish and frogs. Each person is assigned to take the lead in researching individual species. However, we usually travel together and help each other when we conduct research as a team. When we are on our own in our village, we will also take the photos of anything that is important for our research if we have our camera with us and take note”.
During the trip, the team walked through forests, mountains, and valleys to conduct their research. In this native forest, there were no roads, so the team followed mountain ranges or wildlife trails to travel from place to place. In areas without trails or where the vegetation was particularly thick, the team had to clear the bush to make their way. In some spots, they had to walk down steep valleys.
At night, the evergreen forest, located between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level, saw temperatures drop to around 11°C. To stay warm and cope with the cold, the team built fires.
Despite these challenges, the Women’s Research Team demonstrated resilience and strength, walking from mountain to mountain while carrying their materials on their backs. They took photos, documented any species they considered important for their research, and even searched for fish and frogs at night to identify them in the morning.
Naw Kenralel Moo, member of KESAN’s Women Research Team said:
“Although there are challenges, to ensure our children can still see and learn about different species and to show the world about the richness of biodiversity in our Salween Peace Park so that they will support our Indigenous conservation, we women do what we can.”
At one point, the team were invited to join a traditional fish catching ceremony by the villagers. This made things easier for the team to catch many varieties of fish species and identify them while they also were able to enjoy the taste of the fish from the stream together with the villagers.
At the end of a tiring day of walking in the forest, the women made dinner for the team with the food they brought from the village, and vegetables and shoots that they found in the forest. Meantime, the men helped with firewood collection, preparation of bamboo utensils and a bamboo tube to boil drinking water, plates from bamboo, and a sleeping place so that the team can hang their hammocks. After that, they enjoyed the meal together at dusk. Some nights before they slept, the team would sit together and share stories and sing together.
Naw Su Bu said:
“We also invite the men to join our trip. When we were scared to go somewhere or needed to cross a big river, or needed to collect bigger firewood, we asked them to help us. About the places that we are scared to go – I mean that the forests where people can run into wildlife like tigers or can be easily lost. In this situation, we asked the villagers or the men who have good knowledge about the forest to go with us.”
As the women research team travel from place to place, they also passed through several Karen animist communities which are part of Kheshorter Community Forest who conducted traditional forest offering ceremonies in their own area. As part of Kheshorter Community Forest’s communities, the local women researchers also joined the ceremonies to share their work and show solidarity.
During the 8 days walking in the forest, the team observed great hornbills eating fruit on fig trees, a gibbon jumping from tree to tree, the claw marks of bears and leopard on tree bark, and footprint of gaur and bears. They also heard the snorting call of a serow in hilly evergreen forest with an elevation above 5,000 ft.
Over the years, the Women’s Research Group has conducted research on various flora and fauna across different ecosystems and published several research books. In their previous orchid study, conducted from 2012 to 2016, the team successfully identified 121 species of orchids from 37 families, with 77.5% of these species being prohibited in international trade. The results were later published in a book titled Studying Orchids, Enriching Lives in 2018. This publication not only presented the number of identified orchid species but also highlighted the deep connection between orchids and Indigenous Karen beliefs, as well as the cultural values that are crucial for conservation.
In 2023, the team published another book titled Enriched with Mushroom Wisdom, which resulted from four years of research conducted from 2014 to 2018. This book aimed to help future generations learn about and appreciate the traditional wisdom of mushroom identification, promote mushroom conservation through the use of traditional knowledge, and revitalize Indigenous Karen ways of life while passing this vital knowledge on to younger generations.
So far, the research for orchids and mushrooms has been completed and the results have been published already. Currently the team is conducting research on vegetables, birds, fish and frog species in the northern Salween Peace Park area. So far, the team has identified around 55 fish species, 200 bird species, 300 vegetable species, and 36 frog species. Soon, we will be able to see the full result of the great work of these indigenous researchers.
The work of the Women’s Research Group not only contributes to the preservation of biodiversity but also strengthens the cultural ties that bind the Karen people to their land and traditions. Through their dedication to documenting and sharing traditional ecological knowledge, the group plays a pivotal role in ensuring the sustainability of the region’s ecosystems. By bridging the gap between science and Indigenous wisdom, they offer invaluable insights into the deep, reciprocal relationship between humans and nature. As they continue to pass on this knowledge to future generations, their efforts embody the spirit of cultural resilience and environmental stewardship, ensuring that the Karen way of life endures for years to come.