And Honey Hunting in Bangladesh Sundarbans

THE GIANT HONEY BEE (Apis dorsata) AND HONEY HUNTING IN SUNDARBANS RESERVED FORESTS OF BANGLADESH

Mohammad Osman Gani

Bangladesh Forest Department, Conservator of Forests, Khulna Circle, Bana Bhavan, Mahila College Road, Boyra, Khulna 9000, Bangladesh. Telephone - 088-41-760501. Fax – 088-41-760517. Email – [email protected]

Abstract: The Sundarbans Reserved Forest (SRF) is one of the largest contiguous mangrove forests of the world. The Bangladesh Forest Department since 1884 has managed the SRF. A number of forest products such as timber, fuelwood, leaves, grasses, fish, shells, honey and beeswax are harvested from Sundarbans where honey is considered an important non wood forest product. Here, giant honeybee is the principal honey producing species. Honey hunting from giant honeybee colonies has been practised for centuries in the Sundarbans mangrove forests. Around two thousands honey collectors work in the forest to collect honey and beeswax from giant honeybee colonies. About 200 tons of honey and 50 tons of beeswax are harvested annually under the supervision of Forest Department. The Sundarbans produces about 50 percent honey produced in Bangladesh.

The honey collectors are known as ‘Mouwali’ and they collect honey and beeswax every year mostly during the months of April, May and little in June. The major honey flow starts with the flowering of plants in the Sundarbans mangrove forest in mid-March and continues into June. There is an inward migration of giant bees from the countryside from January and outward migration from June. The Mouwalis collect ripe and unripe honey in a traditional way as they move in the dense swampy jungles. They harvest all colonies encountered as their return to same place is a hard work and hazardous too. Mouwalis kill a large numbers of bees while collecting honey due to the lack of training and awareness. There is a need to improve the security and safety of Mouwalis. An initiative is necessary to plant up honey and nectar bearing plant in the Sundarbans to increase the yield of honey.

Keyword: honey, wax, honeybee, Mouwali, Boat Licence Certificate, Sundarbans Reserved Forest

INTRODUCTION: The Sundarbans Reserved Forest is considered as a vast and rich mangrove forest of the world with an area of 10,000 km2, 60 percent of the forest within Bangladesh and 40 percent forest within India (Burgett, 2000). The Bangladesh Sundarbans is situated in the south-western part of the country from latitude 21037’ to 22030’ north and longitude 89002’ to 900 00’ east with a total area of 601,700 hectares. There are three sanctuaries located along the southern coast known as Sundarbans East, Sundarbans South and Sundarbans West sanctuaries covering an area of 1,39,700 hectares. UNESCO declared this area as a World Heritage site in the year 1997. The Bangladesh Sundarbans is divided into 3 zones on the basis of salinity. These are - fresh water zone (salinity 0 to 10 ppt), moderate saline zone (salinity 10 to 20 ppt) and extreme saline zone (20 to 28.76 ppt) (SWMC, 1998).

A number of products like timber, fuelwood, goalpata leaves, fish, fish fry, honey, wax, shells, grasses are collected from Sundarbans. Among them, honey is the most important product

Proceedings of the 37th International Apicultural Congress, 28 October – 1 November 2001, Durban, South Africa APIMONDIA 2001 To be referenced as: Proc. 37th Int. Apic. Congr., 28 Oct – 1 Nov 2001, Durban, South Africa ISBN: 0-620-27768-8 Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies Organised by: Conference Planners harvested from Sundarbans though it is considered as a minor product. There are three species of honeybees in the Sundarbans. They are Apis dorsata, Apis cerena and Apis florea. Honey and wax collection only utilises Apis dorsata. Sundri is the principal species of SRF and it is considered that the Sundarbans derived its name from this species. The SRF is divided into four Ranges viz. Satkhira, Khulna, Chandpai and Sharonkhola and 55 compartments.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF SUNDARBANS: The SRF is rich in biological diversity. There are 334 plant species in the Sundarbans, which include trees, shrubs, herbs, palms, climbers, grasses, reeds, epiphytes, lianas. It is known that there are 13 species of orchids in the Sundarbans. The important plant species of Sundarbans are Sundri (Heritiera fomes), Passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis), Dhundhul (Xylocarpus granatum), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), Baen (Avicennia officinalis), Kakra (Brugiera gymnorrhiza), Khalsi (Aegicerus corniculatum), Dakur (Cerbera odollum), Keora (Sonneratia apetala), Chaila (Sonneratia caseolaris), Goran (Ceriops decandra), Jhana Garjan (Rhizophora mucronata), Singra (Cynometra ramiflora), Kripa (Luminetzera racimosa), Bhola (Hibiscus tiliaceus), Hental (Phoenix paludosa), Goalpata (Nypa fruiticans), Hargoza (Acanthus ilicifolius). Most of the plants of Sundarbans flower from March to June. Also present is the Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), deer (Axis axis), barking deer (Munticus muntjuk), rhesus monkey (Macaca mulata), wild boar (Sas scrofa), otter (Luthra percipicilata), estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), turtle (Lapidochelys olivaceae) and rock python (Python molurus). Sundarbans is also rich in avifauna, reptiles, insect and fish population.

FOREST TYPES: The important vegetation of Sundarbans has been classified into a number of forest types for better management. The forest types are considered as an important tool for management. In the last inventory, Cannonizado and Hossain (1998) classified Sundarbans into 14 forest types besides plantations, sandbars and water bodies. These are Sundri, Sundri Gewa, Sundri Passur, Sundri Passur Kankra, Gewa, Gewa Mathal (coppice), Gewa Goran, Gewa Sundri, Goran, Goran Gewa, Passur Kankra, Passur Kankra Baen, Baen and Keora.

Pollen and Nectar Yielding plants: Zmarlicki (1994) reported that Khalsi, Baen, Sada Baen (Avicennia alba), Kankra, Goran, Gewa, Jhana Garjan, Keora, Chaila, Passur, Singra and Hargoza are considered as a good honey and nectar producing plants for Apis dorsata. He further stated that the honey flow in the Sundarbans continued for a period of 4 month from the month of March into the month of June. The nectar yielding plant may be divided into two categories. Plants may be termed as early honey and nectar producing plant and the other category may be termed as late honey and nectar producing species. Khalsi, Keora, Chaila, Passur, Kankra, Jhana Gorjan are early nectar and pollen producing plants. Kankra, Gewa, Baen, Hargoza are late nectar and pollen producing plants.

Khalsi is the first most and best nectar and pollen producing plant. The honey produced from Khalsi flower has a big demand and the honey is of very good quality with low moisture, good fragrance and taste and does not readily crystallise. A small part of Khalsi honey crop, in ripe as well as an unripe condition, is harvested, rather robbed, by Jele (fishermen) and Bawali (wood and leaf cutter) before regular collection by the Mouwali in the month of April. This practice is harmful for the bee hives and bee population.

MIGRATION OF HONEYBEES: Giant honeybees started migration into the SRF from the countryside at the end of the winter season that is from January when there are few flowering plants in the countryside. It is known that honey flow starts in the SRF from middle of March continued into June. The quality of honey is linked to the monsoon rainfall. The honey collected during the monsoon have higher moisture content which ferment with in a very short time and does not fetch a good price in the market. Normally honeys collected in the month of April and May are of good quality with low moisture content. The honeybees start their out-migration from the month of June to the countryside. The time between July to September is a difficult time for the bees as not many flowers are available in this time. During this time, the giant honeybees depend on coconut (Cocos nucifera) and other flowering plants. It has been observed that not all giant honeybees living in the peripheral zone north of SRF desert their colonies at the end of honey flow. One hive was observed in the peripheral zone near Sutarkhali Station in September.

HONEY HUNTING MEASURES: Honey is harvested according to the prescription given in the standing order of the Sundarbans by the Forest Department (Mitra, 1946). The initial honey hunting passes are issued to the Mouwalis on the 1st day of April for 30 - day session. And additional 30 - day session is allowed for May. Normally passes are issued for a period of one month. The numbers of Mouwalis under one pass vary from 4 to 8 according to the size of the boat. The Mouwalis should have the Boat License Certificate (BLC) which mean the boat of the Mouwlai is registered with the Sundarbans Forest Division for honey hunting. On the basis of the BLC, passes are issued from the Revenue Station. The Mouwalis have to pay revenue of honey, wax and BLC fees for obtaining pass before entering Sundarbans. The BLC fees are realised at the rate of Tk. 25.00 (US$ 0.45) per 100 maunds (1 maund = 40 kg) capacity.

The revenue for honey and wax are supposed to be paid during surrender of pass at the Revenue Station where the honey and wax are weighed to assess the exact harvest. It was observed that the Mouwali used to transfer part of their harvest during their lengthy stays in the forest, which deprived the Government from the revenue. It was decided by Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarbans Division in the year 1992 to fix a quota of minimum honey harvest per Mouwali and revenue for the same is to be paid during the time of issuing pass. If the Mouwali harvest much more honey than the quota then they have to pay revenue for the excess harvest at the surrender of pass. A certificate is issued from the Revenue Station after surrendering the pass where the date of surrendering and payment of revenue for excess harvest is noted. It is known that the quota of honey and wax per Mouwali is 78 kg honey and 20 kg wax for a period of one month. The revenue per maund of honey and wax is Tk. 100.00 (US$ 1.57) and Tk. 150.00 (US$ 2.70) respectively.

The Mouwali carry fresh water, rice, pulses, cooking oil, kerosene oil, spices, some medicines like oral saline, anti dysentery, paracetamol and antacid tablets with them for a period of about 1 month. Normally they carry a cast net to catch fish for their daily consumption. They have to keep the pass and BLC with them during their stay in the Sundarbans. They have to show the pass and BLC when ever challenged by the inspecting officers. The honey is immediately sold to the purchaser that is the middlemen who then resale the honey to indigenous medicine companies (known as Tibbia, Unani, Ayurvedic, Kabiraji) and cigarette manufacturers.

Many of the Mouwalis are poor and they do not have enough capital to carry on the honey hunting operation. They receive the operating capital from the ‘Mahajans’ (rural money lander) at a high rate of interest. Some time they receive capital from the honey businessman on the condition that they will give honey in exchange of loan at a rate fixed during the time of taking loan which is often much lower than the market price. The Mouwali rarely receive the fair market price. Zmarlicki (1994) reported that the Mouwali receive about 20 percent of the market price from the ‘Dadondar’. They are local honey businessmen who advance money to the Mouwalis on the condition of buying the honey at a cheaper price, which is adjusted with loan. HONEY HUNTING METHOD:

Rituals followed by Mouwalis: The Mouwalis have to go through religious and cultural rituals for their safety before receiving pass from the forest Revenue Station. The Royal Bengal Tigers during the honey hunting season kill a number of Mouwalis every year. They are not permitted to carry any weapons inside the forest for their protection against the attack of wildlife. They normally wear amulets in the belief that the amulets will protect them against the attack of wildlife, which are normally given by local Moslem and Hindu saints or dervish or talismans. It is also known that religious priests (known as Pir in Moslem community) also give red scarves to the Mouwalis and Bawalis after recitation verses from the holy Quran. They believe that the scarves carry a spiritual message to save them against the attack of Bengal tiger. The red scarves are tied at the front part of the boat for the safety of Mouwali or Bawali. Sometime, the Mouwalis takes ‘Gunin’ with them in the forest for their safety. The ‘Gunins’ are spiritual persons who know ‘Mantra’ (hypnotic spell) for keeping tigers away from the Mouwalis. It is believed that they can drive tigers from one place to another place or they can close the mouth of tigers, so the tigers will not able to kill the Mouwalis.

Honey Hunting Procedure: The Mouwali after entering the forest and locating a giant honeybee colony, make torches from green goalpata leaves and some dry materials for smoking to drive the bees from the comb. Smoking removes most of the honeybees. The Mouwalis bring the torch very close to the comb to get rid of worker bees and as a result flames scorch the wings of a number of bees. The queens are often killed in this process of honey hunting reported by Zmarlicki (1994). This is one of the reasons of low productivity of honey in the Sundarbans mangrove forests. After the removal of bees from the hive, the Mouwalis cut the portion of honey from the hive with the help of a knife locally known as ‘dao’. The comb honey is placed in a woven basket made out of canes known as ‘Dhama’. A ‘Dhama’ can hold about 10 kg of honey comb. These are then brought to boat where the honey is squeezed by hand to separate the honey from the wax. The liquid honey is then stored in plastic barrel of about 150 litres for transportation. The Mouwalis also revisit the colonies after a period of one month or more depending on the size of the colony and flowering condition of nearby vegetation.

Quality of Sundarban’s Honey: Mouwalis harvest both ripe and unripe honey from the colonies they find. They do not take the chance of harvesting any hive at a later date. The Mouwalis live in the boat and they have to face tigers on the ground and dacoits (bandits) in the river. The Mouwali mixed all kinds of honey collected in one trip along with large quantities of wax, debris of plants, ashes and sometime dead honeybees and even larvae of honeybees. The honey collected in this way contains 20 to 30 percent moisture, as a result honey ferment in a very short time.

Presently honey is sold in the market at a price of Tk. 200.00 (US$ 3.5) only per kg. The honey is little cheaper in the rural areas close to the Sundarbans, which is about half of the aforesaid price. The Mouwali strain the collected honey with the help of a piece of cloth to remove the extraneous materials. A local company located in Khulna known as South Bengal Food Products markets honey in glass bottles for an amount of 100 and 200 gram where the cost is doubled of the raw honey sold in the market (Burgett, 2000). Besides this, there are other entrepreneurs, who also market honey after straining and bottling. These honeys are sold in the market in the name of Sundarbans.

PRODUCTION OF HONEY FROM SUNDARBANS: The production of honey and wax is shown in Figure 1. It is seen that the production of honey varies from 86 m tons to 321 m tons. Similarly the production of wax varies from 22 m tons to 69 m tons. It is known from the Forest Department that on an average Tk. 398,012 (US$ 7107) and Tk. 92000.0 (US$ 1643) is earned as revenue in each year from honey and wax respectively. This figure does not give the real value as the Forest Department has fixed a quota of 78 kg honey and 20 kg wax per Mouwali per month for revenue purposes. Moreover, there is robbing of honey by the Jele and Bawalis from the forest, which does not come into the production figure. Anyway, this production can be increased many fold if certain scientific measure could be introduced under the able guidance of an apiculturist. Honey is not harvested from the wildlife sanctuaries. It is also known that on an average 2000 Mouwali enter the forest for honey hunting. It is known that each Mouwali can earn about Tk. 5000 (US$ 89) to 10000 (US$ 179) in one season.

350

300

250

200

Honey Wax 150

100 - Production of Honey and Wax in M.Tons->

0 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 ------Years------>

Figure 1: Production of honey and wax in Sundarbans* (*Source: Sundarbans Division)

Relation of Honey production with Forest Types: The major honey is produced in the Satkhira Range of the Sundarbans Division located in the extreme saline zone in the west and gradually decreases toward east where the salinity gradually changes to fresh water. It was also observed that no honey is harvested from the forest of Chandpai Range, which is located in the moderate saline zone in the east. Moreover, honey production takes place for a longer duration from April to June in the extreme saline zone of Satkhira Range where as honey production takes place in the month of April in the fresh water zone of Sharonkhola Range. There is a remarkable change in the forest types between the west and the east. In the west, there is presence early and late pollen and nectar producing plants where as in the east there are only early pollen and nectar producing plants.

Maximum honey is produced in Satkhira Range, which is dominated by Khalsi, Goran, Passur, Gewa and Sundri. Another major production area is from the forest of Khulna Range close to the Satkhira Range, which is dominated by same species, existing in the Satkhira Range. It is clearly understood that Goran and Gewa dominant forest types are highly productive for honey production. The forests of eastern part of Khulna Range have fresh water supply and are dominated by Sundri where virtually no honey is produced. It is very interesting to note that Sundri dominate in the Chandpai Range due to its location in the fresh to moderate saline water zone where honey is not produced. Honey is also produced in the Sharonkhola Range, which is mostly located in the fresh water zone. Here the honey is produced due to presence of Keora and Goran types of forest. Here the honey flows for a short duration. The relation between forest types and honey production along with the duration of production is shown in Figure 2.

40 April May June 30

Average Honey Production in M. Tons 20

0 S, SG, G, GS, K, Ke, S, SG, GS, Candpai S, SG, GS, GGn, Khulna SG, GS, GGn, Gn, GnG, Sharonkhola Satkhira Dominant Forest Types of Four Ranges Figure 2: Production of Honey under Different Forest Types B-Baen, G-Gewa, Gn-Goran, K-Kankra, Ke-Keora, P-Passur, S-Sundri,

KILLING OF MAUWALI BY TIGERS: A number of Bawali, Jele, Mouwali are killed by Bengal tiger every year when they enter the forest for harvesting of forest produce. The Forest Department records the death where the victim entered the forest with legal documents. If someone illegally in the forest is killed by tiger then the Forest Department will not record it into their registers. The killing of Mouwali, Bawali, Jele by Bengal tiger is shown in Figure 3. On average 4 Mouwalis are killed every year during honey hunting season. It is known that in Indian Sundarbans, Mouwalis are to be insured for the risk of honey collection before obtaining pass.

4% 11%

Nipa Collector 14% Honey Collector Fuel wood Collector Phonex Collector 3% Ceriops Collector 50% 2% Fishermen Others/Labour 16%

Figure 3: Percent Bawali and Mouwali killed by tigers

RECOMMENDATIONS: • The honey hunting in Sundarbans starts on the 1st April of every year, and the opening of the honey hunting season is not necessarily connected with the most ideal time for honey harvesting. As a result, it is recommended that the honey hunting time may be determined after the survey of the colonies to assess the ripeness of honey by an apiculturist. On the basis of the report, pass will be issued and honey hunting will be continued.

• Presently Mouwalis used to roam the entire forest in search of hives for honey hunting. They are not provided with Forest Department personnel for their security and to control the honey hunting operation. If the group is large say more than 50 then a patrol boat along with staff may be deployed to look after the honey hunting operation. They along with the whole group will move the forest and assign area for harvesting to the Mouwalis for certain time period. It is expected that this kind of arrangement may reduce the killing of honeybees and harvesting of unripe honey. Moreover, the real figure on harvest would be available. Sometime, the Mouwalis do adulteration honey by mixing saline water form the rivers that can also be stopped from the close supervision of Forest Department staffs during honey hunting operation.

• Generally, Sundarbans honey is consumed without processing. As a result, there are wastage of large quantities of honey for bitter taste and discoloration due to fermentation after storage for a short period of time. There is an urgent need of processing of Sundarbans honey before sale in the market or for personal consumption. In the Indian part of Sundarbans, West Bengal Forest Industries Development Corporation purchases the honey from the Mouwalis at a fair price through the local Forest Department offices. It is compulsory for the Mouwali to sale honey to West Bengal Forest Industries Development Corporation through Forest Department. The honey is then sent to the processing plant and then marketed by them. The processing is essentially required to minimises the wastage of honey and to develop the quality honey through blending and minimising the moisture. Bangladesh Forest Department can take similar initiatives for processing and marketing quality honey.

• The traditional method of honey hunting is harmful for the giant honeybee colonies, which in fact hampers sustainable honey production. It has been observed practically that the smoke used by the honey hunters to kill a number of bees along with queen. There is need to improve the smoking operation in order to minimise the damage to the colonies. It is known that sometime Mouwali used green leaves of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) plant that is chewed in their mouth and spitted on the hives, which drives the bees completely from the hive. There is a need of detail investigation on this issue.

• Fresh water sources in the Sundarbans are very limited as a result, a large number of giant honeybees are killed due to thirst. A number of ponds may be dug in different places, which will supply fresh water to the bees as well as to the wildlife.

• The Mouwalis are not aware of the loss suffered to the honeybees during honey hunting. There is a need to train the Mouwalis before the beginning of the honey hunting season. This will help them to identify the ripe and unripe honey and the hygienic way of collecting and storing honey to avoid fermentation. The training will build up awareness to minimise the loss suffered by the bees due to killing from smoking. There is a need to introduce insurance policy for the security of Mouwalis.

• There is a need to synchronise timber and fuelwood harvesting especially Goran fuelwood harvesting with the flowering. The Goran fuelwood harvesting operation is supposed to be completed by March before flowering. Normally Goran fuelwood harvesting operation starts from December and continued up to April, sometime May even. This is also an important reason of low honey production.

• Honey and pollen producing plants may be planted up in the suitable places. Zmarlicki (1994) identified Khulsi, Goran and Keora, which may be planted up in suitable areas for increased pollen and honey production. In the raised suitable areas of sanctuaries, Zizyphus (Zizyphus jujuba) and Drum stick (Moringa oleifera) may be planted up for honey production in odd part of the year.

CONCLUSION: The Sundarbans Reserved Forests is a large source of honey, which is produced by giant honeybees. The honey has hunted by the Mouwalis in a traditional fashion for centuries. There is a need to improve the honey hunting process along with the increased security and safety of Mouwalis. Mouwalis are to be trained to make them aware of the lifecycle of bees, quality of honey and smoking of beehives. The forest management practice is to be matched up with the flowering of nectar and pollen producing plants. It is expected that these measures will be helpful for sustainable honey production from the Sundarbans mangrove forest.

References: Burgett, Michel. 2000. Bee keeping and Development. The Journal for Sustainable Beekeeping. September/October 2000. Number 56. pp. 6-7. Troy. Monmouth. NP25 4AB. United Kingdom.

Canonizado, J. A. and Hossain, Akbar 1998. Integrated Forest Management for the Sundarbans Reserved Forest. Mandala Agricultural Development Corporation and Forest Department. Ministry of Environment and Forests. Dhaka. Bangladesh.

Mitra, S. N. 1946. Standing Orders (In force since June 1943). Sundarbans Division, Directorate of Forests, Bengal. Bengal Government Branch Press, Darjeeling.

Surface Water Modelling Centre (SWMC). 1998. Map showing Salinity Range in Sundarbans Forest Area. Dhaka. Bangladesh.

Zmarlicki, C. B. 1994. Integrated Resource Development of the Sundarbans Reserved Forests. Draft Final report on the Development of Apiculture. FAO.BGD/84/056. Rome.

THE GIANT HONEY BEE (Apis dorsata) AND HONEY HUNTING IN SUNDARBANS RESERVED FORESTS OF BANGLADESH

Mohammad Osman Gani

1. Name : MOHAMMAD OSMAN GANI 2. Nationality : Bangladeshi 3. Date of Birth : 1st January, 1953 4. Place of Birth Comilla, Bangladesh 5. Marital Status : Married - Father of 2 kids. One son and one daughter 6. Educational Background : M. Sc. in Soil Science from Dhaka University in the year 1977. M. Sc. in Forestry from Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar, Pakistan in the year 1979. M. F. from Yale University in the year 1987. 7. Service Background : Joined Bangladesh Forest Department as Assistant Conservator of Forests in the year 1977. Worked for 17 years in the Mangrove Afforestation Programme in the Coastal Afforestation Division located in the south of Bangladesh. He has experience of establishing more than 50,000 hectares mangrove plantations. Working as Conservator of Forests of Sundarbans Circle since 1998. 8. Publications : Published a number of articles in national and international journal in Bangla and English in Mangrove Forestry and Wildlife. He also wrote some articles on Social Forestry too. He has 18 publications in his credit. 9. Academic Qualification : Educational Location Major fields of study Qualifications obtained Year of Institution study from to University of Dhaka, Major: Soil Science B. Sc. (Honours) 1970 1974 Dhaka Bangladesh Minor: Botany & Chemistry University of Dhaka, Soil Fertility and Plant M. Sc. 1974 1976 Dhaka Bangladesh Nutrition (Thesis Group) Institute of Dhaka, Statistics: Theory and Certificate in Ancillary January Decem Statistical Bangladesh Practical Statistics , 1975 ber, Research and 1975 Training, University of Dhaka Pakistan Forest Peshawar, Forestry M. Sc. 1977 1979 Institute, Pakistan University of Peshawar Yale University New Haven, Forestry M. F. 1985 1987 Connecticut, USA 10. Language Efficiency: Language Reading Writing Speaking English Excellent Excellent Excellent Bangla Excellent Excellent Excellent Hindi - - Good

11. Seminars and Workshops Attended: 7 12. Teaching and Trainer Experience: i) Participated as a resource person in a Training program on "Nursery and Plantation Technique" for NGO Managers, Supervisors and Field workers from June 21 to June 24, 1997 at Bangladesh Forest Academy, Chittagong ii) Organized National Training Workshop on the "Application of Indigenous Technology and Knowledge for Watershed Management in Bangladesh" from November 30 to December 3, 1997 at Bangladesh Forest Academy, Chittagong sponsored by Participatory Watershed Management Training Program in Asia (PWMTA) Program, Netherlands/FAO(UN), GCP/RAS/161/NET. Kathmandu, Nepal. iii) Organized National Workshop on the "Participatory Watershed Management for Policy Makers" on September14, 1998 sponsored by sponsored by Participatory watershed management Training in Asia (PWMTA) Program, Netherlands FAO(UN), GCP/RAS/161/NET. Kathmandu, Nepal. iv) Organized Training Program for "Grass Root Level Framer's Leader for Participatory Watershed Management" at Khulna ( March 7 to March 8, 1999) and Barisal (March 21 to March 22, 1999) sponsored by Participatory Watershed Management Training in Asia (PWMTA) Program. Netherlands. FAO(UN)GCP/RAS/161/NET. Kathmandu, Nepal. 80 persons were trained up under this program. v) Organized Training for Assistant Conservator of Forests of Environment Management Division and Forest Management Plan Division at Khulna from August 8 to August 10, 1999 to increase their efficiency and organization capability. vi) Taught Silviculture, Social Forestry and Accounting to the Diploma in Forestry program at the Bangladesh Forest School, Chittagong in the year 1997 and 1998 while working as Director, Bangladesh Forest Academy, Chittagong. vii) Prepared short and in-service training curriculum both for the fresh recruits and also for the senior level professionals. 12. Employment Record : Dates Employed Titles of Posts Short description of activities 25-10-1978 to 1-10-1979 Assistant Conservator of Forests, Responsible for forest management, administration and revenue Chittagong Forest Division, realisation Bangladesh 2-10-1979 to 19-2 -1983 Assistant Conservator of Forests, Involved in mangrove silvicultural research like preparation of Plantation Trial Unit, Barisal, research plan, laying out sample plots, data collection and data Bangladesh analysis and establishment of experimental mangrove plantation in coastal areas of Bangladesh. 20-02-1983 to 17-8-1985 Divisional Forest Officer, Plantation In addition to mangrove silvicultural research I was responsible for Trial Unit, Barisal, Bangladesh general administration and budget to run the division. 01-01-1989 to 05-1-1993 Divisional Forest Officer, Coastal Responsible for large scale establishment of coastal mangrove Afforestation Division, Noakhali, plantation and it's maintenance and management of older plantation. Bangladesh Also involved in the social forestry program in the country side marginal land for poverty alleviation and rural development. 06-12-1993 to 26-4-1994 Divisional Forest Officer. Responsible for fixing up environmental criteria and standard in the Environment Management Division, logging areas in the hill forests. Chittagong, Bangladesh 27-04-1994 to 21-11-1995 Divisional Forest Officer. Coastal Responsible for large scale establishment of coastal mangrove Afforestation Division, Patuakhali, plantation and it's maintenance and management of older plantation. Bangladesh Also involved in the social forestry program in the country side marginal land for poverty alleviation and rural development. 22-11-1995 to 30-7-1997 Conservator of Forests, Coastal Responsible for planning, budget, supervision and administration of Circle, Dhaka, Bangladesh forest circle which is consisting of several forest divisions. 31-07-1997 to 21-7-1998 Director. Forest Academy, Conducted Diploma and In-service training program Chittagong, Bangladesh 22-07-1998 up to present Conservator of Forests. Khulna Responsible for planning, budget, supervision and administration of Circle, Khulna, Bangladesh circle which is consisting of several forest divisions. Also responsible as a chief of the operational circle for the implementation of Biodiversity Conservation for the Sundarbans Reserve Forest Project 13. Publications: 8