Rapid ecosystem service assessment of a protected wetland in Myanmar, and implications for policy development and management

•Socio-economic benefits of wetlands have often been overlooked in decision making.•Simple TESSA benefit-cost analysis raised awareness of wetland benefits in Myanmar.•Rapid benefit assessment informed current management practices at Moeyungyi wetland.•TESSA aided the incorporation of ES approach in Myanmar’s wetland policy development. Many of the world’s wetlands have been degraded or destroyed, with Asia being one of the most impacted regions globally. Given the likelihood that Myanmar will increase rice production in the coming years, we assessed the impact of this on the Moeyungyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar, and the ecosystem services it provides. Using a framework outlined in the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA), we estimated that sanctuary provides annual benefits of at least $22 million y-1 ($2130 ha−1 y-1; 2014 US dollars) and that these benefits are received by local communities (c.12,000 households), downstream rice farms, and the international communities. We show that an increase in water use for increasing rice production in nearby town was not considered to have a significant effect on the benefits that the wetland currently provides. However, our results are subject to methodological assumptions and limitations. Notwithstanding this, we found TESSA to be useful for providing information to local and national stakeholders on the broader importance of the conservation of wetlands. Our case study demonstrates how rapid ecosystem service assessments may pave the way to sustainable management of Myanmar’s wetlands.