Exotic leather breakthrough in Myanmar
Manufacturers and users of exotic leather will soon have a new source of raw material: Myanmar. The country’s ministry of agriculture has taken the decision to turn crocodile farms in the Asian country into commercial operations, selling meat and skins to fund preservation efforts.
Breeding programmes will run for at least three generations, with a proportion of the crocodiles being returned to wild habitats, before farms can begin to trade the meat and skins they produce. Myanmar is already a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The authorities have said the farms that are in place in Myanmar to conserve species such as the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and the Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) require substantial funding. Generating income from meat and skins, as happens in other countries, including neighbouring Thailand, will help make these operations genuinely sustainable.
They have said farms will be able to partner with private-sector operators to develop meat and leather production.
In the case of the Siamese crocodile, a more viable conservation programme could be particularly important as this species is classified as critically endangered and is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species.
