A Case Study of Aye Chaung Public Protected Forest in Chin State, Myanmar
This study examines the Daai indigenous peoples’ movement against the proposed expansion of the Aye Chaung Public Protected Forest in Chin State. Drawing on concepts of green territorialization, accumulation by dispossession, and new social movements, the analysis demonstrates that Aye Chaung Public Protected Forest is characterized by a lack of free, prior, and informed consent. In turn, Daai Indigenous communities seek to defend their land rights by redefining their identity as kho mah m’dek mah, or indigenous peoples. A countermovement against state green territorialization, Daai communities are reterritorializing their customary tenure systems through the creation of a Daai Indigenous Conserved Area. This approach has played a crucial role in the community’s successful resistance against the proposed expansion of the public protected forest.
- THEME
- Ethnic Politics | Resource Governance