YANGON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has recently designated two new protected public forest areas in the western state of Chin's Paletwa Township and in the west-central region of Magway's Gangaw Township.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation on Monday designated the land of 4,988 acres in Paletwa Township as Kayat protected public forest area and the land of 8,400 acres in Gangaw Township as Pawle-Watchipa protected public forest area.
The designation of the protected areas was aimed at conserving watershed areas, mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, ensuring soil conservation and fulfilling the needs of local residents, the ministry said.
"By designating protected areas like these, natural forests can be conserved and illegal logging can be stopped in accordance with laws. It is better for mitigating climate change and environmental conversation," Maung Maung Kyaw, a director of the Forest Department, told Xinhua.
A total of 11 protected forest areas were designated across the country so far this year, he added.
In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the Southeast Asian country had a total of 67,559.66 square miles of reserved forest and protected public forest areas.
It is about 25 percent of the country's national territory, official data showed. ■
