Northern Myanmar Forests
This is a short walkthrough of the plentiful Biodiversity found in the Myanmar Forests, and the innovation it can provide.
Why should you care about the Northern Myanmar Forests?
Myanmar's Northern Forest complex hosts the largest remaining tracts of primary forest in mainland Southeast Asia.
The area is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot with an estimated 6,000 species of which 1,500 species are estimated to exist nowhere else.
The Temp- tropical evergreen forest nearby (with a similar environment) is home to many medical and therapeutic plant species that range in treatments for dysentery, skincare, and antiseptic.
What living things exist in the region that could inspire innovation?
As we've discussed, Myanmar has a lot of biodiversity, but furthermore, its forest biomes hold a plentiful variety of bacteria and plants that inspire medical advances.
"Myanmar has a rich pool of, but less known, medicinal plants with traditional knowledge."
A study was done testing 93 traditional medicinal plants for antibacterial properties. 73 of the 93 came back as having varying levels of antibacterial as well as antivirulence tendencies.
Many other studies have been done most coming back with positive results regarding bacteria and plants with medicinal tendencies
What research is currently occurring in the region?
As I've said, there have been multiple studies done regarding the medicinal tendencies of Myanmar's plants and the positive effects of some of the bacteria in the various forests.
The majority of these tests have come back with positive results and improved our understanding of Myanmar's climate and culture.
Additional information regarding animals unique to Myamar and endangered animals residing in Myamar is also being done.
What elements of this research could develop innovations?
Known and unknown plant Species We already know many medicinal plant species found in Myanmar that Could contribute to new medicines, but I doubt we have discovered them all.
By taking a medicinal plant from each of the forest types we may be able to find new ways of combining medicines or breeding one plant that is a combination of each medicinal plant.
I believe that combining plants from multiple biomes would make it so the outcome could grow in multiple climates therefore making traditional medicine more available.