Myanmar maintains 46 protected areas encompassing approximately 38,872 square kilometers, roughly 5.8 percent of the country's total land area. The system includes national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, marine parks, and nature reserves administered by the Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. The Protected Area System was formally established under the Protection of Wildlife and Protected Areas Law enacted in 1994, which replaced the 1936 Burma Wildlife Protection Act inherited from colonial administration. Myanmar's protected areas span three biogeographic zones: the Eastern Himalayas, the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, and the Sundaic region, creating exceptional species diversity across elevations ranging from sea level to 5,881 meters at Hkakabo Razi.
Hkakabo Razi National Park occupies 3,812 square kilometers in northernmost Kachin State along the border with China and India. Established in 1996, the park protects Southeast Asia's highest mountain, Hkakabo Razi at 5,881 meters, and contains elevational gradients from tropical forests at 1,000 meters to permanent snow above 4,800 meters. The park lies within the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and harbors species including red panda, takin, Asiatic black bear, and snow leopard at higher elevations. Access requires permits from both the Forest Department and military authorities due to border sensitivity. The park's remoteness and political restrictions mean comprehensive biological surveys remain incomplete. Japanese mountaineer Takashi Ozaki and two teammates achieved the first documented summit of Hkakabo Razi in 1996, though the Myanmar military disputes whether the true summit was reached. Subsequent expeditions in 2014 and 2019 failed to definitively summit due to weather and terrain challenges.
Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, established in 1984, covers approximately 1,606 square kilometers across Sagaing Region near the Chindwin River. The park represents Myanmar's first designated national park and protects mixed deciduous forest and dry zone vegetation types increasingly rare elsewhere in the country. Alaungdaw Kathapa, the park's namesake, refers to a Buddhist arhat who reportedly meditated in the area, and a pilgrimage site marks the location where his remains were enshrined. Wildlife populations include Asian elephant, gaur, banteng, sambar deer, barking deer, wild boar, and potentially small numbers of Eld's deer, though recent surveys have not confirmed the latter. The park experiences significant dry season fire pressure from surrounding agricultural communities. A 2018 camera trap survey documented 31 mammal species but noted population densities appeared lower than in protected areas with stronger enforcement. Park access from Monywa requires approximately four hours by road to reach headquarters facilities.
Hlawga National Park encompasses just 62 square kilometers approximately 35 kilometers north of Yangon in Yangon Region, established in 1982. Despite its small size, Hlawga functions primarily as an environmental education center and wildlife rehabilitation facility rather than a wilderness preservation area. The park contains a zoo housing species native to Myanmar including tigers, leopards, elephants, and various deer species in enclosure settings. A 405-hectare wildlife park section allows limited free-ranging populations of deer and other herbivores. The park maintains a botanical garden with labeled native tree species and operates education programs for Yangon school groups. A small museum displays taxidermied specimens and information panels about Myanmar wildlife. The park receives approximately 150,000 visitors annually, primarily domestic tourists from Yangon on weekend excursions. Facilities include a small hotel, restaurant, and elephant riding opportunities that conservation organizations have criticized as inappropriate for a protected area. Hlawga represents Myanmar's most accessible protected area but contributes minimally to biodiversity conservation given its small size and heavy recreation orientation.
Natmataung National Park, also called Mount Victoria National Park, protects 722 square kilometers in Chin State centered on Mount Natmataung, which reaches 3,053 meters, Chin State's highest peak. Established in 1994, the park ranges from 2,000 meters to summit elevations and protects montane evergreen forests distinct from Myanmar's lowland ecosystems. The park gained recognition for endemic bird species including the white-browed nuthatch, first described to science from this location in 2005 by ornithologists from the Myanmar Bird and Nature Society and international partners. Subsequent surveys documented the Burmese bushtit, another endemic species. Mammal populations include serow, goral, Asiatic black bear, and clouded leopard confirmed through camera trap studies conducted between 2001 and 2016. The park experiences cool temperatures year-round with frost common above 2,500 meters during December and January. Access requires travel to Kanpetlet township in southern Chin State, approximately 12 hours by road from Mandalay. A guesthouse operated by the Forest Department near park headquarters accommodates visitors, though visitation remains low at several hundred annually due to access difficulties and until recently requirements for special travel permits to Chin State.
Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary encompasses 643 square kilometers surrounding and including Inle Lake in Shan State, designated in 1985. The sanctuary protects wetland habitats critical for resident and migratory waterbirds while attempting to balance conservation with tourism and agricultural interests of the Intha people who maintain floating gardens and stilt-house villages across the lake. The sanctuary supports populations of endemic species including the Inle carp, found nowhere else globally. Bird surveys have recorded over 200 species including spot-billed pelican, woolly-necked stork, and various herons, ducks, and waders. The lake's open water surface has decreased substantially over recent decades. A 1935 British survey estimated lake surface area at 135 square kilometers, while a 2012 satellite analysis measured only 116 square kilometers, with floating gardens and encroaching vegetation accounting for much of the loss. Water quality has declined due to agricultural runoff, particularly from tomato cultivation in floating gardens where fertilizer and pesticide use has intensified. The sanctuary designation provides limited practical protection given that enforcement mechanisms cannot easily restrict activities of the approximately 70,000 residents living within sanctuary boundaries. Tourism has grown substantially, with boat traffic, hotel construction, and associated development creating additional pressures. Conservation organizations including Fauna and Flora International have worked with local communities since 2003 on sustainable agriculture practices and waste management, though challenges persist.
Popa Mountain Park protects 129 square kilometers around Mount Popa, an extinct volcano reaching 1,518 meters in Mandalay Region approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Bagan. Established as a park in 1989, the area previously received informal protection due to its sacred status in Burmese animist tradition as home to the 37 mahagita nat, pre-Buddhist spirits incorporated into Myanmar's religious practice. Taung Kalat, a volcanic plug rising 737 meters above surrounding plains adjacent to the main massif, hosts an important pilgrimage site accessed by 777 steps. The park's isolation as a volcanic outcrop surrounded by dry plains creates island biogeography effects concentrating biodiversity. The area supports one of Myanmar's highest primate densities with substantial populations of stump-tailed macaque, rhesus macaque, and pig-tailed macaque. These populations, habituated to human presence through decades of feeding by pilgrims, display minimal wariness and frequently approach visitors, creating management challenges. Dry dipterocarp forest covers lower elevations while semi-evergreen forest occurs above 1,000 meters where moisture levels increase. Bird surveys have recorded 214 species despite the small protected area. The park receives approximately 100,000 visitors annually, primarily Burmese pilgrims visiting the nat shrine. No entry fee exists and enforcement of park regulations remains minimal. Deforestation on Mount Popa itself has been arrested, but surrounding areas continue experiencing clearing for agriculture.