In February 2013, the current Director and Regional Technical Advisor for China, Singapore and Myanmar, Dr. Madhu Rao of the Wildlife Conservation Society said, that "for many years, Myanmar's isolation has served to protect the social ecological and biodiversity which has disappeared from many other regions in Southeast Asia”. However now, emerging from years of political and economic isolation, its shift towards democracy means that Myanmar is opening up to the rest of the world. At the same time, Myanmar is involving with many countries and feeling the (inter)dependencies of a globalized world. Myanmar forms part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, and some of the largest tracts of intact habitat can be found in Myanmar. However, the illegal trade of teak and other natural resources has grown rapidly in recent years. Thus, it is crucial that Myanmar’s government enacts relevant laws to protect the forests and natural habitats from destruction.