DVB Debate discusses the effects the ban on raw timber exports will have on the timber industry and how effective it will be in tackling deforestation.

While the raw timber export ban is a step towards avoiding a regrettable transformation in one of Burma’s major industries, it may only work in tandem with more reforms that tackle the country’s deep-seated corruption.

Hsipaw and the surrounding landscape is a beautiful destination, excellent for trekking, meeting local hill tribes and venturing off the beaten track.

Built around 1850, the world's longest teak bridge is straining under the effects of age and a lack of regulation to protect it.

Raw timber export is estimated to rise by 33 percent this year, in the lead-up to a nationwide ban on the commodity, according to the Myanmar Timber Merchants Association.

Burma’s Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry announced six months ago that a ban on the export of raw timber will go into effect on 1 April 2014. The Myanmar Timber Merchants Association has requested that foreign timber merchants cooperate with the government to stop illegal exports.