Mohammad Shaheed Hossain Chowdhury

An overview on the protected area system for forest conservation in Bangladesh

A total of 19 protected areas (PAs) have been established in Bangladesh representing all the four forest types of the country. Apart from being the repository of biological diversity, these PAs serve as the source of subsistence livelihoods to the local communities. While all the PAs are managed by the state Forest Department (FD), with a view to ensure sustainability, a recent approach of co-management has been initiated in five PAs as a pilot project with an aid of development partners incorporating stakeholders’ participation. Along with demonstrating a number of upbeat impacts, the initiatives exert some constraints which need to be addressed properly to ensure the success of participatory approach and enhance the ongoing conservation scheme. This paper reviews the published works, government and project documents to analyze the present status of PAs and suggest recommendations accordingly.

Traditional Utilization of Wild Date Palm (Phoenix sylvestris) in Rural Bangladesh: An Approach to Sustainable Biodiversity Management

A study was conducted to explore the traditional utilization pattern and indigenous management practices of wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris Roxb) in the rural agrarian regions of Bangladesh. A multistage sampling method with 10% intensity and a semi-structured questionnaire were used for the study. The farmers manage the palm mainly for sap production with which sugar based secondary goods are manufactured. The sap is either used fresh as drink or after some sort of processing as molasses and/or alcoholic beverage. Seven diversified sites support the palm as its habitat and most palms (20.40%) occur in orchards. Besides growing naturally, the palm is also established in orchards using the wildings as the staple planting material. Although the medium category farmers own most of the palms (33%), a considerable portion (28.68%) of it is managed by the landless farmers, who earn a substantial livelihood from the palms. The farmers practice their own indigenous wisdom in every stage of the palm’s maintenance from planting through tapping for sap collection to the processing of products. If managed more scientifically on a sustainable basis with the collaboration of farmers’ indigenous knowledge, this familiar palm could be able to support the rural economy of the country to a great extent. Side by side, it would also be able to contribute to the richness of biodiversity in the region.

Biomass fuel use, burning technique and reasons for the denial of improved cooking stoves by Forest User Groups of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh

Use of biomass fuel in traditional cooking stoves (TCS) is a long-established practice that has incomplete combustion and generates substances with global warming potential (GWP). Improved cooking stoves (ICS) have been developed worldwide as an alternative household fuel burning device, as well as a climate change mitigation. A study was conducted among female Forest User Groups (FUGs) of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh, to assess the status of ICS disseminated by the Forest Department (FD) under the Nishorgo (2009) Support Project, along with the communitys biomass fuel consumption pattern. Wood consumption was highest (345 kg month−1 household−1) followed by agricultural residues (60 kg month−1 household−1), tree leaves (51 kg month−1 household−1) and cow dung (25 kg month−1 household−1). Neighbouring forests of the sanctuary was the core source for wood fuel, with little or no reduction in the extraction even after joining the FUG. Twenty-two species, both indigenous and introduced, were preferred as wood fuel. None of the respondents were found willing to use ICS although 43% owned one; either as a status symbol or to meet the conditions of the FD for membership in FUG. Seven negative features of the disseminated ICS were identified by households, which made them unwilling to use them further. Manufacturing faults may be responsible for some ICS demerits, while the FD failed to convince the community of the benefits. A proper examination of the disseminated ICS efficacy is crucial, with active involvement of community members. The Sustainable Energy Triangle Strategy (SETS) could be implemented for this purpose. Findings of the study are of immense importance in designing a strategy for the introduction of ICS into Bangladesh.

The role of women in traditional farming systems as practiced in homegardens: a case study in Sylhet Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh

Forests cover only 6 to 8 percent of the total land area of Bangladesh. While agricultural expansion continues to massively deplete the natural forests, a well-managed homegarden practice is vital for reversing the existing trend and promoting the ecological balance of the country. An understanding of the role of women in homegarden management within a traditional farming system is important in expanding and improving the practice. This paper seeks to explore the participation of women in homegarden management activities, understanding the impact of homegardens on womens income and livelihoods and assessing womens awareness of homegarden-oriented activities that support forest conservation. The study demonstrates a number of important conclusions: (1) women are mostly involved in homegarden management-related activities (2) women are interested in conserving homegardens because they obtain such substantial benefits as food security, income, health care, and environmental benefits (3) women were found to be aware of home-garden conservation and tuned to motivating husbands, children, and neighbors to conserve the agro-biodiversity of homegardens. Findings suggest that increased involvement of women in a broad range of homegarden management activities is not only beneficial for their own socio-economic well-being, but also imperative for sustaining the livelihoods of their communities and for preserving the agro-biodiversity in homegardens.

Use of plants in healthcare: a traditional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeastern Bangladesh

This study considered traditional ethno-medicinal practices of rural people of Feni district, Bangladesh, focusing on their utilization of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. Ninety households were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Plant resources are used to treat 26 different ailments ranging from simple cuts to diabetes. In total, 46 medicinal plants are as used, of which a third are trees. Homesteads are the primary source and few medicinal plants are cultivated. Aboveground plant parts are most used, particularly leaves. The diverse patterns of use of different medicinal plant parts shows the considerable indigenous knowledge of rural people and is generally widely available.

Comparative analysis of some selected macronutrients of soil in orange orchard and degraded forests in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

Status of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in three different depths (0–5 cm, 5–15 cm and 15–30 cm) on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by the Mro tribe of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those in degraded bush forests, through digging three profiles in each land use. The content of all the five nutrients was found to be higher in the soil of orange orchard than in the soil of forest. But the variation was not consistent for both the slopes. The content varied depth wise also, having the highest value in surface soil in case of both the land uses on both the slopes. A mean available K content was significantly higher in orange orchard than in forest on 55% slope, while it was lower on 35% slope. Surface soil contained the nutrients of K and Ca with the amount of 0.2905-mg·g−1 soil and 3.025-mg·g−1 soil respectively in the orchard, while 0.1934-mg·g−1 soil and 1.6083-mg·g−1 soil were respectively in the forest. Organic carbon and total nitrogen were found more or less similar in surface soil on both the land uses showing a slight difference. Available P was found only in orange orchard, and in forest it was too little in amount to detect by the spectrophotometer. The degraded forests were poor in nutrient content due to high rate of soil erosion, which would be possible to be improved by bringing it under tree cover as proved by the adaptation of orange orchard there.

Community development through collaborative management of protected areas: evidence from Bangladesh with a case of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary

Community involvement in protected area management is a relatively new practice in Bangladesh, initiated with the dual purpose of limiting forest degradation and enhancing community development. In this article, we focused on the latter, presenting the results of a community survey in and around Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, where collaborative management has been underway since 2004. A total of 302 members of the forest user groups (FUGs) were randomly selected and interviewed (23% of whom were female). Informants reported a satisfactory level of socio-economic development in the community since the initiation of the new management strategy. Two activities included in the collaborative management strategy- the provision of training for alternative income generating (AIG) activities and the allotment of available vacant lands for agriculture- significantly increased the communitys annual income. Empowerment and improved social dignity of female participants was an additional outcome of the collaborative management approach. Community members also identified numerous shortcomings of the collaborative management project including failure to provide AIG training options that truly met the needs of the community, inequity in the distribution of training, and absence of pro-people manners of the local Co-management Committee toward community members. These shortcomings need to be addressed before the full potential of this, or any other participatory program of protected area management in Bangladesh can be realized.

Evaluation of land-use pattern change in West Bhanugach Reserved Forest, Bangladesh, using remote sensing and GIS techniques

A study was conducted to investigate the land-use pattern change over a period of 18 years (1988–2006) by using remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies, in the West Bhanugach Reserved Forest, a hill forest, in Sylhet Forest Division of Bangladesh. The images were processed using ERDAS Imagine software. Both supervised and unsupervised approaches were applied and ground control points were collected using a GPS. Maps were prepared using GIS software. Results showed that vegetation cover drastically decreased from the year 1988 to 1996 (1 826 ha to 1 714.85 ha), but increased gradually from the year 1996 to 2006 (1 714.85 ha to 1 847.83 ha) due to the initiation of co-management practice involving local communities. Change in bare land was inversely proportionate to the amount of vegetation cover changes unless any other land-uses were converted into bare land. The area of water bodies increased from the year 1988 to 1996 (307.67 ha to 379.53 ha), but decreased from the year 1996 to 1997, then remained invariabile from the year 1997 to 2006. Some recommendations were also made for applying the RS and GIS techniques to study the land-use pattern change in the Bhanugach Reserved Forest and to create a GIS data base for the study area.

Community attitudes toward forest conservation programs through collaborative protected area management in Bangladesh

Abstract The formulation of conservation policies with options for creating protected areas is significantly influenced by the social factors of the surrounding communities. Therefore, indigenous knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the local communities need to be explored during the planning and implementation stages of conservation projects. A government-initiated experiment in co-management was conducted in the Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh. This paper analyzes the attitudes toward conservation by members of local communities living in and around the wildlife sanctuary. Training incentives on alternative income-generating (AIG) activities and allotment of agricultural lands were distributed among the Forest User Groups. It is of interest to policy makers and resource managers whether this technique leads to improved attitudes on the part of local people. Although there were different attitudes toward protected areas and conservation, overall, a favorable attitude of the respondents was observed. The opinions of respondents also varied based on factors such as village position, village dependency level on forest resources, ethnicity and gender. Increase in annual income resulting from the augmented skills by trainings on AIG activities and getting agricultural lands leased from the Forest Department contributed significantly to the variation in respondents’ conservation attitudes. It is suggested that eliminating inequity and inequality in incentive distribution, discovering and launching training on more need-based livelihood activities, and liberalizing the restriction of resource extraction from the protected area by fixing the harvesting limit would encourage the community to be more cordially and actively involved in the conservation efforts of the sanctuary.

Towards exploration of plant-based ethno-medicinal knowledge of rural community: basis for biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh

Because lack of data impedes the assessment of the conservation of medicinal plants, ethno-medicinal studies are important to fill this gap. This study considered the traditional use of plants for health care by the rural communities in two forested and non-forested regions of Bangladesh. A total of 230 respondents were interviewed accompanied by field observation and voucher specimen collection. Altogether, 68 species of medicinal plants belonging to 38 families distributing over 58 genera were recorded, of which 22 species were common in both regions. Trees were the most commonly utilized growth form and leaves were the most commonly used plant part. Forests and homesteads were the major sources of medicinal plants in forested and non-forested regions, respectively. High use versatility (Relative Importance >1) was represented by 14 species; Emblica officinale L. and Allium sativum L. were the most versatile species. Forty-one individual ailments were treated with the medicinal plants recorded. The ailment categories ‘respiratory problems’ and ‘sexual problems’ received the highest score from the calculation of informants’ consensus factor (Fic) in forested and non-forested regions, respectively. The findings could contribute in the pharmaceutical sector by directing further investigation of bio-active compounds in medicinal plants. Secondly, results could inform the clues for conservation strategies of forest resources in that region.