Mohammed Jashimuddin

The competitiveness of the phytosociological attributes of the protected areas in Bangladesh with that in the other tropical countries

ABSTRACT Many forest reserves in Bangladesh have been converted to protected areas (PAs) to conserve the forests resources from further depletion. This study has investigated if such initiatives have improved the state of biodiversity of these PAs amid tremendous anthropogenic pressure on forest resources. We have assessed the phytosociological attributes of the PAs in the country through a case study at Kaptai National Park (KNP) and compared the attributes with those of the adjacent areas and of the tropical forests across the world. We have identified 52 species belonging to 45 genera and 28 families. The most dominant species in KNP was Dipterocarpus spp. and the adjacent area was dominated by Tectona grandis. Unexpectedly, the Shannon-Wiener index of KNP has dropped down from 2.98 in 2000 to 0.90 in 2014. However, in terms of relative density, relative dominance, and relative frequency, KNP was better than the adjacent areas. In contrast, the mean Shannon-Wiener index in KNP (0.90) was smaller than that in the tropical countries (2.99). We recommend strengthening effective comanagement of PAs and enabling nonforestry income generation activities for the forest-dependent people so that the biodiversity of the PAs can be enriched while people’s livelihoods are ensured.

Transformation Strategy for Managing Coupled Socio-Ecological Systems: Case Studies from Bangladesh and the Philippines

This study demonstrates the potential of transformation strategy (an approach that emphasizes strengthening interdependence among social and ecological systems) to rehabilitate degraded land by examining two cases in Bangladesh and one in the Philippines. The study considers the benefits obtained from forests and forest-related activities in the form of income and energy sources as key parameters to link the social system (local people) with the ecological system (forest). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of data on land use and socio-economic changes indicates that the transformation strategy improved both the wellbeing of local people and forest cover. In the case of the Philippines, social and ecological linkages were found to be strong, with local people rehabilitating the degraded land while also obtaining a high proportion of their total income from the activity. For the two Bangladesh cases, however, the level of dependency on the forest for livelihood declined as local people used their income from the forest and forest-related activities for diversification to non-forest activities.

Phytosociological characteristics and diversity of trees in a comanaged protected area of Bangladesh: Implications for conservation

ABSTRACT The Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), a degraded protected area in southeastern Bangladesh, had been under comanagement since 2004. This study examined phytosociological characteristics and diversity of trees in CWS and discussed villagers’ opinions on the impact of comanagement on forest conservation. Following a stratified and systematic sampling 140 circular plots, 17.84-m radius each, were laid out in seven forest beats for the assessment of phytosociological characteristics and tree diversity. Several key-informant interviews and 15 focus group discussions were held to explore the impact of comanagement on forest conservation and on villagers’ livelihood. A total of 93 tree species were identified having a diameter at breast height (dbh) of ≥ 5 cm in 36 plant families. The dominant species were Acacia auriculiformis, Dipterocarpus turbinatus, Ficus hispida, and Tectona grandis. The average density of trees was 239 trees/ha of which 60% was composed of planted exotic species. Nearly 90% trees were belonging to 5- to 15-cm dbh class and the Shannon-Wiener index was 3.15. The comanagement governance had brought positive changes in forest conservation. However, to sustain the engagement of poor villagers in the comanagement and conservation of degraded CWS, more collective efforts are needed to support their living.

Conservation of a river for biodiversity and ecosystem services: the case of the Halda – the unique river of Chittagong, Bangladesh

ABSTRACT The Halda is the only tidal freshwater river in the world where major Indian carps spawn naturally. The river also serves as a source of drinking and irrigation water, a fishing ground and a means of water transportation. We investigated the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Halda in the context of the conservation of this river in cooperation with river-dependent community and challenges thereof. The primary and secondary field data have been collected from relevant government and non-governmental organizations using both structured and semi-structured questionnaires. According to our calculations, the total economic worth of benefits derived from provisioning services of the Halda was approximately BDT (Bangladesh Taka) 1753 million. Irrigation and drinking water were the major contributors with BDT 1333 and 122 million, respectively. Carp spawning has lower primary economic worth (BDT 10 million) but it has a much bigger impact, as it supplies fish fries to the whole country. The river supports temporary and permanent livelihood for egg and fry collectors (approximately 2000), fishermen (approximately 350), boatmen (approximately 250), boat building and mending (approximately 150), sand quarrying (approximately 760), which creates a cumulative worth of BDT 283 million. The sustained flow of provisioning service from the Halda explains the willingness to contribute money (54 million) and time (average 6.6 hours/month) by local communities for conserving this river. Half of the respondents, though illiterate, have shown genuine concern about the future of the river. The sustainable flow of services and enhancement in their economic output require conservation and scientific management of the Halda. The community willingness and its dependence, as unearthed by our research, provides compelling ground for community-based conservation and management of the river. Future conservation projects and management plans for this river should involve local communities to avail their willingness to conserve this river while sustaining their livelihood through enhancement of economic output from it.

Introduction, Aims, and Outline

This chapter presents the background of the inception of community-based forest management (CBFM) in tropical countries, and in particular Bangladesh. It also sets the aim(s) of this book. The CBFM programs have been promoted in many countries as an innovative and potential approach to improved forest management and conservation strategies with a comprehensive blend of ecological and socioeconomic objectives. Many countries have now developed, or are in the process of developing, changes to national policies and legislation that institutionalize the CBFM. The government of Bangladesh has also put emphasize on the CBFM since the early 1980s and a number of forestry projects have been implemented with the participation of local community having both success and failure in intended project outcomes. In this book, we aim to shed light on evolution of the CBFM in Bangladesh and critically evaluate the performance of various CBFM practices. Stress is given on how to sustain the CBFM and integrate these into (i) carbon forestry projects (e.g., REDD+) for meeting the triple benefits of forest management: poverty reduction, forest conservation, and climate change mitigation; (ii) mutual rotating fund for creating alternative income generation opportunities so that dependency on forests is reduced and (iii) corporate social responsibility activities of corporate agencies so that they provide funding for environmental conservation and social development. These strategies might facilitate sustainability of CBFM in Bangladesh. So far our knowledge goes, there is no such book publication available in Bangladesh. Therefore, we believe that this publication would fill this gap and be useful for scholars, policy makers, and students as a reference book.

Toward Sustainability of Community-Based Forest Management

This chapter illustrates a comparative scenario of four CBFM interventions in terms of socioeconomy, forest attributes , and legal, social, management, and resource system-related characteristics. Socioeconomic attributes reveal that villagers in respective area depend on forest resources (fuelwood, bamboo, timber, leaves, sungrass, vegetable) for cooking energy, house construction materials, food, and household income. Both VCF and Chunati PA are rich in plant species composition (consisting of more than 90 species), but tree density is highest in Betagi–Pomra CF (1164 trees/ha). Individual land ownership in Betagi–Pomra CF encouraged villagers to plant fast-growing and high-yielding tree species. Individual ownership , users’ management rights, well-defined boundary , small resource system , and social equality ensure relatively more sustainable management of forests in Betagi–Pomra CF, VCF, and AF projects than that of Chunati PA. Some policy implications are suggested for sustainability of various CBFM approaches, and recommendations are made to incorporate REDD+ schemes , introducing mutual rotating fund and collaboration of corporate agencies in CBFM.

The Village Common Forest (VCF): Community-Driven Forest Conservation in Chittagong Hill Tracts

This chapter describes the historical background of village common forest (VCF) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and, then drawing on empirical data from Komolchari VCF, examines peoples’ dependency, indigenous management, and forest health. Although public forests have been degraded seriously, the indigenous people in the CHT have been managing VCF sustainably for at least 200 years. It was found that not only members of the VCF, but also neighbors depend on VCF’s resources for fuelwood, bamboo, timber, vegetables, wild fruits, vines, or medicinal plants. The VCF is a vital source of water supply and a storehouse of local biodiversity. The vegetation study identified 94 plant species with a mean density of 587 tree/ha and a mean aboveground biomass of 453 tree/ha. The VCF has been managed by informal indigenous rules. All villagers have equal access to resources and equally contribute to the protection and development of VCF. However, population pressure combined with improved marketing facilities, over exploitation, personal greed, and tenure insecurity is exerting pressure on VCF. Recognizing the traditional and customary resource rights of the indigenous communities, acknowledging resource management system, providing tenure security, encouraging communities through legal and financial incentives, and at the same time upholding the spirit of CHT Peace Accord 1997 could be important policy tools for the sustainability of VCF in the CHT.

The CBFM in Bangladesh: A Historical Background

This chapter describes the evolution of CBFM in Bangladesh. Although Bangladesh forest has a history of more than 100 years of scientific forest management, CBFM is a recent intervention. In Bangladesh, this approach has been evolved from a policy emphasis over commercial production toward a more people-centric model designed to support the conservation of forest resources. First introduced in the late 1970s, community forestry, a form of CBFM, has proven a successful model for reforestation, afforestation, and diversifying economic opportunities in rural communities. The 1994 Forest Policy, the Forest (Amendment) Act of 2000, and the 2004 Social Forestry Rules are considered milestone achievements for the implementation of CBFM in Bangladesh. The CBFM has succeeded in reducing distrust and conflict between forestry officials and local people, encroachment on forest lands, and the deforestation rate. But, program implementation has faced roadblocks that stem from a top-down bureaucratic approach and poor governance system.

Co-management of Protected Areas (PA): A Paradigm Shift in PA Management

Since 2004, initially the Nishorgo Support Project (NSP) and later Integrated Protected Area Co-management (IPAC) project in collaboration with Bangladesh forest department (FD) have been implementing protected areas (PA) co-management in Bangladesh that aimed to protect rapidly deteriorating forest biodiversity of the country. Drawing on data from the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), in this chapter we examined peoples’ dependency on forest resources of CWS, forest health conditions, functions of co-management structure at local level, and impact on forest conservation. Household and forest trail surveys show that local people are heavily dependent on CWS’s forests for own use and income. Local people clear forestland for betel leaf cultivation, sungrass production, and other agricultural practices. Forest vegetation survey recorded 93 tree species with a density of 239 trees/ha of which seven (07) exotic species contributed 60 %. Nearly 90 % trees belong to 5–15 cm dbh (diameter at breast height) producing a minimum biomass of 33.3 tree/ha. We observed a four-tier co-management governance structure at local level consisted of village conservation forums (VCF), peoples’ forums (PF), community patrol groups (CPG), and co-management committee (CMC) with each component having their own functions. We found a lack of coordination among local-level co-management structure, NSP, IPAC, and FD. Although CMC was empowered by a government order to perform PA management-related functions, NSP or IPAC took all managerial decisions. In official documents, there was existence of VCF, but we noticed no activities during baseline survey although later on they were involved in GIZ project. The gap between promises and actual provisions had created distrust between CPG and others (CMC, NSP, IPAC, and FD). However, CPG’s continuous patrolling reduced the incidence of illegal logging and the CWS is regaining its old forest growth. We recommend several policy implications for reducing misunderstandings among stakeholders and to ensure sustainability of PA co-management in CWS.

Betagi–Pomra Community Forestry (CF): 35 Years of Pioneer CBFM in Bangladesh

It is about 35 years that the Betagi–Pomra CF had been implemented. In this chapter, we investigated the impact of Betagi–Pomra CF on livelihoods of participants by employing DFID’s sustainable livelihood framework. Respondents were asked to recall and provide data at the beginning of the project (hereafter BP) and at the time of interview, at present (hereafter AP). A SWOT analysis was conducted, through group discussion, to explore the possible impacts of five livelihood capitals if we suppose to introduce REDD+ activities in these sites. Analysis of BP and AP data shows significant positive changes in all livelihood capitals due to the CF activities. The degraded forests have now been converted into plantations. One of the potential threats that might jeopardize the goals of CF in the project sites is the continuous fragmentation of land. Fragmentation of allocated CF plots due to population growth and division of family seems a serious menace for the sustainability of CF. Regular monitoring by the FD staff members and, if necessary, review of agreement might be helpful to prevent land fragmentation.