A 358,000-acre indigenous stewardship territory declared by Karen communities in Kawthoolei

A “Welcome to Karen State” sign is displayed across the Moei river on the Myanmar side, as seen from Thailand’s Mae Sot district on April 12, 2024. Myanmar troops have withdrawn from their positions in a trade hub near the Thai border, a spokesman for the junta said, confirming reports from an ethnic armed group that has been battling the military for days. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Mizzima

Indigenous Karen communities in the Pawklo River Basin declared the formal establishment of the Pawklo Indigenous Stewardship Territory (PIST) in Tanintharyi Region on 26 April. This followed a three-day gathering held from 22 April to 24 in K’Ser Doh Township, Mergui-Tavoy District of Kawthoolei.

The text of the declaration is as follows.

This declaration affirms our inherent right to self-determination, our responsibility to care for our ancestral lands and waters, and our shared commitment to peace, justice, cultural survival, and environmental integrity. PIST is a living Indigenous territory governed by the Indigenous people who have protected it for generations.

The Pawklo Indigenous Stewardship Territory encompasses 358,493 acres (1,451 km2) of rivers, forests, mountains, farmlands, and sacred places. It is home to 24 villages and over 11,500 people whose lives, identities, and cultures are inseparable from the land. Through an inclusive and democratic process, 4,622 community members representing 88 percent of all eligible adults have endorsed the PIST Charter. Developed through years of consultations, community deliberations, and participatory research and mapping, the PIST Charter establishes an inclusive system of governance rooted in Indigenous Karen worldviews while affirming gender equality, intergenerational responsibility, and meaningful community participation in decisions affecting our territory.

We declare the PIST in response to decades of dispossession, militarization, and unconsented development, particularly the harmful projects that intensified after the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Roads, mining, and extractive activities have threatened our rivers, forests, livelihoods, and sacred places. Rather than allowing our ancestral territory to be taken or destroyed, we have chosen to govern and protect it ourselves according to our customary laws, Indigenous knowledge, and shared values.

The PIST is not only a declaration on paper, it is already a living reality. Our communities are actively protecting and managing 11 community forests and 15 fish conservation zones, safeguarding sacred forests and rivers, practicing rotational agriculture, and sustaining Indigenous agro-ecological livelihoods. These efforts demonstrate our Indigenous stewardship, which is essential for biodiversity protection, climate resilience, and the well-being of present and future generations.

As P’doh Saw Eh Na, Mergui-Tavoy District Secretary has stated:

“Our people are inseparable from the forest, just as wildlife is inseparable from forests. Wildlife must move from forest to forest to find food and mates to sustain and increase their populations. Likewise, we, the Karen people, must not be divided but live together in unity and remain connected to nature. We must coexist with forests and nature. Therefore, we warmly welcome and support the declaration of the Pawklo Indigenous Stewardship Territory as a component that fulfills and strengthens the long‑standing vision and efforts of the Mergui‑Tavoy District Karen National Union to establish the broader K’Ser Doh Conservation Areas (KCAs) in this district.”

In conclusion, today we declare the Pawklo Indigenous Stewardship Territory as a place of life, care, dignity, and responsibility, entrusted to us by our ancestors and protected for generations yet to come.