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RJ3STORATION OF VEGETATION. AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT I 1 OF TfLE WETLADS AND WATERSHEDS I OF HML HAOR BASIN AND TU.G-BANGSUI FLOODPLAIN -'T ?Lt.,3.4 uFebruary, ZOO 1 RESTORATION OF VEGETATION 1N THE WETLANDS AND WATERSHEDS OF HAIL HA0k BASIN, AND TURAG - BONGSHI FLOODPLAIN Consultant Report By: Ali Akbar Bhuiyan Management of Aquatic ecosystem through Community Husbandry (MACH) Table of contents Acronyms ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Executive Summary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Overview of the Hail Haor wetlands and watcrshcds ... ... ... Wetland: Principal vegetation ... ... ... ... ... ... Watershed: Historical perspectives and present starus ... ... ... Review of the MACH project restoration plans ... ... ... ... Riparian plantation along chara bank ... ... ... ... ... Wetland plantation in Hail Haor ... ... ... ... ... Vetiver nursery ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Caritas Roadside plantation program ... ... ... ... ... Swarupkati nursery plants ... ... ... ... ... ... Beneficiary agreement for roadside plantation not yet cxccutcd ... ... Wetland and watershed land tenure and land use ... .., ... ... Hail Haor Watershed: land tenure and land use ... ... ... ... Hail Haor wetland: tenurial status and land usc .. ... ... ... Analysis of problems and opportunities ...... ... ... ... Plan for restoration of watershed and wetland vcgctation ... ... ... Rationale for intervention ,.. ... ... ... ... ... Prescribed plantation models ... ... ... ... ... ... Planned watershed restoration in~ervcnlions..... ... ... ... Plantation Technique ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Plantation maintenance and managenlent ... ... ... ... Nursery establishment progranl ... ... ... ... ... ... Turag-Bongshi floodplain wetland and watershed restoration program ... Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Historical background and current status ... ... ... ... Landscape pattern of -1-urag-Hongshi Iloodplain ... ... Review ofMokosh Ilcel project or MAC'l I progranl ... ... ... Boali khal floodplain management program ... ... ... ... Turag-Bongshi watershed management ...... ... ... ... Recommended intervention for Turag-l3ongshi walcrshed ... ... Plantation model ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Plantation technique ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Wetland seedling non-availability problc~nand nursery raising program ... Participatory watershed and wetland nianap,emcnt approach ... ... Rationale ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... 8.2 Project participants and participatory management approach ... ... ... 50 8.3 Project implementation and managerncnt commitlees ... ... ... ... 52 8.4 Community monitoring ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 54 8.5 Gender considerations ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 54 8.6 Conservation education and infor~naliondisscnlinalion ... ... ... ... 54 8.7 Policy advocacy ... ... ... ... , ... ... ... 55 9.0 Gcneral Recomrnendalions ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 55 9.1 Foretry professional stanto perform plantation activilics ... ... ... 56 9.2 Training of NGO staff and project participants in nursery and plantation activities ... 56 9.3 Development of Mokosh bccl as a model aquatic ecosystem site ... ... ... 56 A guide for nursery development ... Nursery introduction ... ... ... Rationale for nursery establishment ... Selection ofnursery site: site criteria ... Preparation and layout of nursery ... Preparation of seed bed and transplant bed Preparation of potted seedling beds ... Protective fencing around nursery site ... Seed and seed technology ... ... Raising ofpotted seedlings ... ... Care and maintenance ofseedlings ... Grading ofseedlings ... ... ... Prevention and control of pests and diseases Appendices Appendix-I: Terms of Reference of the consultant Appendix-2: List of Charas draining into Hail Haor Appendix-3: List ofobserved dry-season plant spccics in tiail Haor Appendix-4 List ofobserved wet-season plant spccies in Hail tlaor Appendix-5 Land use status ofgovernment reserved forests Appendix-6 Benefit-sharing agreement formal for roadside plantation Appendix-7 Benefit-sharing agreement format for watershud and wetland plantations ACRONYMS AC Land Assistant Commissioner of Land BCAS Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies CNRS Center for Natural Resource Studies DAE Department of Agricultural Extension DoF Depanmenl of Fisheries ERD Economic Relations Division of the Minislry of Finance FD Forest Department FY Fiscal Year GIs Geographical Information System GOD Government of Bangladesh HFL Highest Flood Level LGED Local Government Engineering Department MACH Management of Aquatic ecosystem through Community Husbandry MolT1, Minislry of l'isherics ant1 i.ivcstoxk MoI, Ministry of Land MP Muriate of Potash NGO Non-Government Organization RIMS Resource Information and Management System RRA Rapid Rural Appraisal RMC Resource Managemenr Committee TSP Triple Super Phosphate UNO Upazila Nirbahi Officer UP Union Porishod USAII) United Slates Ager~cyTor IIIIC~II;I~~OIW~I>L.VC~OI)IIIC.III ZMC Zonal Managemenr Committee 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Restoration of vegetation in the watersheds of Hail Haor basin and Turag-Bongshi floodplain is an extended program of the MACH project. The original MACH project was developed to demonstrate the viability of a community approach to natural resource management and habitat conservation over an entire floodplain. Activities envisaged under the original project were limited to wetland arcas. The activities included floodplain resource development, community organization and supplemental income-generation, and monitoring. While deciding pro;eel i~~tcrvcnlionsand forrntilaling program plans, it became apparent from community discussio~~sthat inlproper l;irld use in lllc watersheds outside the wetland seriously threatened sustainability of the envisaged wctlt~ncl development programs. The magnitude or the problem and the threat thcy posed ncccssitated adoptior~ or demonstration vegetation restoration programs in the watershed. 2. Scope of Vegetation Restoration Activities Two distinctive tree plantation venues were identified for vegetation restoration program. These are: (i).Demonstration watersheds and riparian zones of at least two active charas draining to Haor and Beels. and (ii).Peripheral shallow water zones of tlaors and bee!.^ where MACtI is working, and also forelands ofdyke structures in Ifaor and Bee1 situations. MAC11 will work wilh and ~notivatcthe owners of watershed and stream hank lands, especially the pineapple and lemon gardeners to practice contour farming methods and adopt appropriate soil and water cnnservaliori measures. 3. Plantation Models: Site specific plantation models recommended in this report are as follows: a. Riparian Vc~efofionResforofion Model I. Upver reaches of chura sections: This includes the hilly terrain of watershed in the uppcr porlion of the catchment . Kestoratior~measures involve both new planting on denuded terrain and protection with enrichment planting in degraded situations. Minirnuni width or the new vegetation belt on eithcr bank of the strean1 optinlally would be 100n1. Spccies suitnhlc I'or restoration program arc typically hilly species of indigenous as wcll as domeslica~edexotic origin. List of recommcndcd species has been provirlecl ibr in scction 6.2.1 .. 11. Middle reach of chara sections: Soil and terrain conditions of the middle reaches are almost similar to the upper reaches except that the ground elevation is comparatively lower and slope gradients milder. Middle reach areas are more intensively cultivated with orchards, tea and other agricultural crops. Optimal IOOm wide restoration plantation establishment on bank top may pose practical diFliculty in many locations. 111 problcn~aticsituatio~~s, plnntatio~~ width may be reduced from IOOm to the realistically available widths but not below 20m (I chain). List of recommended species has been shown in section 6.2.1. .. 111. Lower Reaches ofCharu Sections: This section generally passes through flat terrain which is intensively cultivated and contains human habitation on the chara banks before the chara finally meets the Haor basin. During heavy rainfall. flmdwalcr onen spills over thc cllara bank. Species that can withstand temporary or long duration submersion should be thc choice. The list of recommended species are included in section 6.2.1. Because of high intensity cultivation of strearnbank flatlands, anainment of20m wide tree plantation belt would be -I1 difficult except when charas pass through khas lands. However, maintaining close liaison wi+ Resource Management Committee ( RMC), the stripwidth he ad~oinillglandowners should be established. The plantation depth should in no case be less than 4-5 rows. Alternatively, efforts should be made to cover maximum plantation length with bamboo (see Bamboo plantation model below). iv. Bamboo Plantation Model alona the Chara Bank: Bamboo is the best as riparian vegctatioh from a soil conservation and bank stability stand point. Because of its numerous fibrouk rools, bamboo clu~~~pslirmly l~oldsoil mass wi~h<landir~gerosive sco~~ringaction of str~ilm flows. The economic justification of ravoring h:1111ho0is thal lllc return rro111hanlhoo is n~uch higller and quicker wl~cnco~nparc~l to linihcr spccics. l3:1111l)ooSII<)IIILI Il~i~rck~rc hc. ;I priori~k spccics for chor[r l,a~ik planting unless cnnstr;~incrlhy supply 1>11)1:inli11gslr>ck. v. Chum slo~e-[~~~~~~fi.m~gd_~_I:('lrcrrc~ slope .\t;~bilizalio~i ii~c;~surrs i~~cl~~dc pli~l~ti~~g (4' reeds and grasses on the slopc in its upper half (indicated in the