Over the past two weeks, HKU undergraduate landscape students travelled from Thailand to Myanmar to study regional planning of the Dawei-Kanchanaburi corridor and Special Economic Zone. Preceding the trip, the group spent 5 weeks producing a 200-page research report, of maps, timelines and diagrams, contextualising the SEZ across industry, investment, land rights, ethnic conflicts, and environmental conservation. During travel, students presented their work to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), The Border Consortium (TBC), EcoDev, and the Dawei Development Association (DDA). The field tour was led by Assistant Professors Ashley Scott Kelly and Dorothy Tang.
Ashley, Dorothy, and the 19 students from the HKU's Division of Landscape Architecture extend their thanks to past and present members of DDA for both hosting and connecting; Spirit in Education Movement (SEM); MOECF's team at the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve Project; the village of Kalonehtar for their hospitality; Bia and her team at TBC's Kanchanaburi field office; Adelle and Annika at TBC Bangkok; Hanna, Win and Sai from WWF; May, Kyaw Thinn Latt, and team from WCS; Mark and Patrick from FFI; Tony and his team at EcoDev; and to the University of Hong Kong's Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Centre and Faculty of Architecture for generous support of the trip.
Posted by: Ashley Scott Kelly (Design for Conservation)