Myanmar, Climate Actions, Conflict and Peacebuilding (MyCClimate)

RESEARCH PROJECT

Myanmar, Climate Actions,
Conflict and Peacebuilding
(MyCClimate)

Climate change, armed conflict, land use,
resource control, and local governance in Myanmar.

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PROJECT LEAD

Dr Helene Maria Kyed

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DURATION

February 2023 –
December 2026

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FUNDER

Danida Fellowship
Centre (DFC)

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PARTNER INSTITUTIONS

Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), Nyan Corridor, and The Highland Institute (THI)

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STATUS

Current Project

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Overview

Myanmar, Climate Actions, Conflict and Peacebuilding (MyCClimate) is a long-term research initiative led by the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). The project explores how communities in Myanmar experience and respond to climate change within the broader context of armed conflict, political instability, and ethnic diversity.

The project conducts community-based research in contested areas, including Chin, Mon, Naga, and Karen regions. Using ethnographic and qualitative methods, it investigates how climate change affects land use, resource control, and local governance, and how climate actions can contribute to peacebuilding or deepen existing tensions. The project centres the voices and experiences of local communities and seeks to inform climate interventions that are context-sensitive and conflict-aware.

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Objectives

1

Strengthen social science understanding of climate, development, and agrarian change in Nagaland through grounded empirical research.

2

Generate evidence on how local livelihoods, land use, and environmental changes are interconnected in order to inform context-sensitive policies and practices.

3

Build a collaborative research environment that enhances local researchers’ capacity, supports publication, and promotes knowledge-sharing with communities, policymakers, and wider audiences.

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Research Themes

Climate Change

Armed Conflict

Land Use

Resource Control

Local Governance

Development and Agrarian Change

Local Livelihoods

Peacebuilding

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Activities

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Community-based research in contested areas

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Ethnographic and qualitative research

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Collaborative research and capacity building

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Publications and research outputs

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Workshops and public engagement

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Knowledge-sharing with communities, policymakers, and wider audiences

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Outcomes

The project documentation identifies a Highlander special issue as an important project output. The special issue aims to advance understanding of climate, development, and agrarian change in Nagaland through empirical research.

The documented outcomes also include contributions to academic debate and policy and practice, as well as strengthening research capacity through collaborative work, publications, knowledge-sharing activities, workshops, and public engagement.

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Research Team

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Dr Helene Maria Kyed

Principal Investigator

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Lue Htar

Senior Researcher
February 2023 – December 2026

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Tarini Manchanda

Senior Researcher
February 2023 – December 2023

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Joseph Venuh

Driver and Field Assistant
March 2023 – December 2025

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Sholu Movi

Associate Researcher
March 2024 – May 2026