This project  focuses on the conservation  and sustainable use of the marine, coastal and  terrestrial resources  of  Tanintharyi   Region, the  southernmost   region  of  Myanmar.  The  region  is  of outstanding significance for biodiversity  conservation - approximately  20% of Myanmar's Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are in Tanintharyi, grouped  under the Tanintharyi Range and Tanintharyi Marine  Corridors. The region includes the largest areas of lowland wet evergreen forest remaining in the lndo-Myanmar Hotspot, some of the largest blocks of mangrove forest in mainland SE Asia, and some 800 islands and diverse marine ecosystems of the Myeik  Archipelago in the Andaman Sea Marine  Ecoregion. The project  embraces all of these ecosystems, through   connected   land  and  seascapes that  cover  key  portions   of  the  Tanintharyi   Range, Aukland  Bay mangroves  and coastal waters, and marine  ecosystems from  Thayawthatangyi  Island group  in the  north  to Langann Islands in the south. It will demonstrate community  based natural resource management, participatory conservation area management and integrated  land use planning and management in line with a ridge to reef approach that connects terrestrial, coastal and marine resource management.

The first part of this complaint concerns the violation of indigenous communities’ right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in the development and inception phases of this project. The second section addresses the risks posed to the rights of refugees and IDPs to safely and voluntarily return to their lands. The complaint then focuses on the risks posed by the Ridge to Reef project on the land and resource rights of indigenous communities. The final section covers existing conservation initiatives that are being led by indigenous communities that stand as an alternative vision for conservation in Tanintharyi Region.