WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2016

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The environment plays a crucial role in the daily life and activity of the indigenous Karen people of Burma. The interdependence between people and the environment is visible in traditional culture, spiritual- and social life. The integral bond between the Karen people and the natural environment is also at work in communal tenure practices where environmental conservation and local livelihoods meet. The Karen people are one of the few remaining indigenous communities that live in sustainable coexistence with the natural environment. In respect of this, the indigenous Karen people have commemorated World Environment Day 2016 in Si Poe Kee village, Ta Kreh Township of Hpa-an District in Kawthoolei/Karen State. This celebration aimed to increase public awareness and inform the international community about how indigenous Karen communities protect, manage, utilize and govern their environmental resources sustainably in a changing environment. At the event, more than 300 indigenous Karen communities from three village tracts, 14 primary, middle and secondary schools, a number of Karen community based organizations and relevant departments of the Karen National Union (KNU) joined and showed their solidarity with issues of environmental protection and governance. This momentous event was brought to a close with a tree planting ceremony, as Karen communities look toward a greener and brighter future.