Originally founded and formed in 2017, the Kachin Amber Research Institute was created primarily as method to foster Kachin cultural identity and historic preservation and promotion of amber as a resource in Kachin State; for Northern Myanmar heritage peoples with preliminary headquarters in Sumpra Bum, Northern Kachin State.
Recognizing the scientific importance of cultural preservation pertaining to amber, the Institute (KARI) sought to showcase to the world internationally important amber. The Kachin Amber Research institute has petitioned local, faith groups, and international organizations as well as national cultural representative funds allocated for scientifically important collections available for world populations. KARI continues to thank tremendous bilateral support from International aid organizations for continued support of Kachin Amber Industry for working populace and economic advancement protocols.
In science perspectives, we thank international community and many Kachin businessmen for continued education and financial support to further advance our local naming and describing of species extant to our region and also prehistoric for nomenclature and phylogenic catalogue and control. Without zoological systems and taxonomy world will never understand true extent of knowledge to gain from (in X,Y,Z amber preservation ancient species).
Presently the Kachin Amber Research Institute is the home of more than 5,000 pieces of Cretaceous Kachin amber. A professional warehouse was gifted for the purposes of safely storing scientifically valuable ambers. A body of ambers are available (for sell) for public procurement to support ongoing goals and aims of the institute. This list of avilable pieces is forecast to grow throughout 2023.
SEPT '22 UPDATE: With its website re-booted in Q3 2022, the Kachin Amber Research Institute is now operational. During the COVID19 pandemic and ongoing civil strife in 2021, the research institute had to be temporarily shuttered. Now the research institute is fully operational and resuming work at pre-pandemic levels.
Many ongoing projects are stalled and backlogged, as northern communities in Kachin State are impacted largely by economic slowdowns spurred by internal security issue. Large projects such as the re-equipmment of KARI lab (1), (2) KARI public collection in Myitkyina city for public viewing and showcase will resume. As of September 4 2022 the outpost research centre and amber collections office has re-opened in Sumpra Bum.