New Issue: Science’s Impossible Questions. Read Now

Can Ecotourism Save Myanmar's Wildlife? [Slide Show]

As the country transitions to modernity, the fate of its stunning biodiversity hangs in the balance

Indawgyi Lake is famous for Shwe Myitzu Pagoda, a pilgrimage site for local Buddhists, accessible only by boat during most of the year. But it is also home to elephants, endangered hog deer, eastern hoolock gibbons and nearly 450 species of birds.

Rachel Nuwer

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


[Editor’s note: Science writer Rachel Nuwer went to Myanmar to report on efforts to develop ecotourism there as a means of preserving the country’s remarkable biodiversity for her story in the May issue of Scientific American. Check out the slide show below for images from her trip. Her reporting for this story was paid for with a grant from the Society of Environmental Journalists.]

Rachel Nuwer is a science journalist and author. Her latest book is I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World (Bloomsbury, 2023). Follow her on Bluesky @rachelnuwer.bsky.social

More by Rachel Nuwer
Scientific American Magazine Vol 314 Issue 5This article was published with the title “Can Ecotourism Save Myanmar's Wildlife? [Slide Show]” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 314 No. 5 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican052016-7yoxSDiFFU12wEVENr83Ma

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe