REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP), BANGKOK July-September 2009 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Regional Quarterly Bulletin on Wildlife and National Parks Management Vol. XXXVI : No. 3 Featuring Vol. XXIII: No. 3 Contents Protected area and efficacy for ecotourism development: A visitors’ valuation from Satchari NP, Bangladesh.........… 1 Wetland biodiversity in Nepal -- Status and strategy for sustainable management of resources................................ 8 Fuelwood dependence on forests by local communities and conservation efforts in Periyar Tiger Reserve...............12 A review of avian agro biodiversity of Sri Lanka with special reference to local wild relatives.............................. 21 Giant fruit bat roost in Karnataka, South India: A case for preservation as a heritage site...................................... 25 Dispersal of Prosopis juliflora seeds in the feces of REGIONAL OFFICE wildlife in the Banni grassland of Kachchh Desert.............. 31 FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC TIGERPAPER is a quarterly news bulletin dedicated to the exchange of information Financing the future -- What roles for carbon and relating to wildlife and national parks communities?................................................................. 1 management for the How do we measure forest degradation?............................ 7 Asia-Pacific Region. ISSN 1014 - 2789 RAP forestry staff movement.........................................… 8 Removing constraints to private investment in forestry......... 9 Pakistan’s participatory national forest program................... 11 Address. What are Asia-Pacific countries doing to improve forest law enforcement and governance (FLEG)?...................... 12 TIGERPAPER FAO uncovering links between bioenergy and food security FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Thailand..................................................................... 13 Maliwan Mansion, Phra Atit Road Asia-Pacific Forestry Chips and Clips................................. 14 Bangkok, 10200, Thailand CLIM-FO-L: Newsletter on Forests and Climate Change.... 15 Tel: (662) 697-4000 E-mail: [email protected] FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Calendar………………............ 16 Website: http://www.fao.org/world/ regional/rap/tigerpaper/tigerpaper.htm Editor: Janice Naewboonnien Advisor: P. Durst TIGERPAPER is dependent upon your free and voluntary The opinions expressed by the contributions in the form of articles, news items, and announcements in contributing authors are not the field of wildlife and nature conservation in the region. In order to necessarily those of FAO. The better serve the needs of our readers please write to us and send in the designations employed and the information you have or let us know if there is any information that you presentation of the material in the need. We appreciate receiving your letters and make all efforts to TIGERPAPER do not imply the respond. expression of any opinion on the part of FAO concerning the legal or Front cover: Background: A diverse ecosystem in Satchari NP; Left foreground: constitutional status of any country, Rhesus macaque; Right foreground: Female & infant Hoolock gibbon in Chalta territority or sea area, or the tree (Photos: Sarif Ahmed Mukul) delimitation of frontiers. Back cover: Left foreground: juvenile Hoolock gibbon; Right foreground: Hoolock gibbon family (Photos: Sarif Ahmed Mukul) Vol. 36: No. 3 July-September 2009 | Protected area an efficacy for ecotourism development area Protected | PROTECTED AREA AN EFFICACY FOR ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT: A VISITORS’ VALUATION FROM SATCHARI NATIONAL PARK, BANGLADESH by Sayma Akhter, Md. Parvez Rana and Md. Shawkat Islam Sohel Introduction areas. Different kinds of protected areas (e.g., national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, game reserves, rotected areas (PAs) now cover more than 12% eco-parks) provide opportunities to see wildlife and Pof the world’s land area. These protected areas undisturbed nature, which is rated as a very important are on the front line in the campaign to conserve reason for visiting PAs (Goodwin, 1996). PAs are biodiversity, as well as to promote ecotourism on becoming more popular destinations for both national the planet Earth (Chape et al., 2003; Hales, 1989). and international wildlife tourists. In addition, the Tourism use of PAs basically involves traveling to economic benefits derived from tourism can be discover and learn about wild environments. The observed in different PAs. Protected area-based eco- importance of nature in attracting tourists is tourism can give rise to economic benefits for local significant, and the natural resources and cultural communities as well as for the nation. (Hales, 1989; heritage represent a competitive advantage for many Goodwin, 1996; Wells et al., 1992; Western & 11 Vol. 36: No. 3 July-September 2009 | Wright, 1994; Ghimire & Pimbert, 1997; Hannah, Study site 1992; GOI, 1994; Fiallo & Jacabson, 1995; Ite, 1996; Mehta & Kellert, 1998; Rao, 1996; Lindberg Satchari National Park is a recent addition to the & Enriquez, 1994; Walpole & Goodwin, 2000; protected areas of Bangladesh and was notified in Walpole et al., 2001). Nature-based or forest-based 2006. The park was established in the year 2005 tourism is a key category of eco-tourism, which is to protect and preserve the remaining patch of one of the fastest growing sectors in the world natural forests within the forest of Raghunandan (Landell-Mills & Porras, 2002). However, in Hill Reserve. The area of the park is about 242.82 Bangladesh, this promising sector is poorly utilized. ha (600 acres) which comprises the forests of It has been reported that less than 10,000 foreign Raghunandan Hills Reserve within the Satchari visitors visited Bangladesh in 1992; domestic Range (NSP, 2006a). Administratively, Satchari tourism, on the other hand, appears to be a strongly National Park is located in Chunarughat Upazilla flourishing sector of the market (Vantomme et al., of Habigonj District and situated nearly 130 km 2002). northeast of Dhaka, and about 60 km southwest of Srimongol. The forests of the park originally Protected areas have long played a significant role supported indigenous types of vegetation cover as tourist attractions in many countries (Butler & comprised of tropical evergreen to semi-evergreen Protected area an efficacy for ecotourism development area Protected Boyd, 2000). The landscapes, flora and fauna, as forests. Currently, the forest has turned to a | well as the cultural elements, continue to attract secondary forest because of the substantial tourists (Cebalos-Lascurain, 1993). Eco-tourism alteration of the original forest, except for 200 ha has become a management strategy for many of natural forest. The park falls under the bio- protected areas. There are numerous opportunities ecological Zone-9b, with the broad zone “Sylhet for ecotourism in protected areas which also Hills” (Nishat et al., 2002). The soil texture in generate revenue (e.g., user fees, entranced fees general is sandy loam to silty clay and more acidic and donations), create employment, reinforce the than the adjoining ecological zones (Choudhury et justification for protected areas, contribute to al., 2004). The area of the national park is healthier economies, and promote environmental undulating, with slopes and hillocks ranging from education and improved conservation efforts 10-50 m scattered in the forest. The forest is (Borrie et al., 1998; Drumm & Moore, 2005). drained by a number of small, sandy-bedded Presently, there are 19 notified protected areas in streams, all of which dry out following the end of Bangladesh (11 national parks, 7 wildlife the rainy season in October-November. The total sanctuaries and 1 game reserve) (NSP. 2006b). annual average rainfall of the area is 4,162 mm. Compared to other regions of the world, this figure July is the wettest month, having an average of is still very poor. The PAs of Bangladesh cover about 1,250 mm of rain, while December is the nearly 1.7% of the total landmass of the country, driest month with no, or very little, rainfall. May which is the second lowest per capita area under and October are the hottest months (average PAs in any country (Sharma et al., 2005). As the maximum temperature around 32°C), while tourism industry is quickly becoming one of the January is the coldest month, when the minimum most profitable industries in developing countries, temperature drops to about 12°C. The relative the Government of Bangladesh should give humidity is about 74% during December and over emphasis to increasing the number of protected 90% during July-August (BBS/UNDP, 2005). areas for ecotourism development. PAs have become a new tool to promote environmentally Methods and culturally friendly tourism, but there is little reliable or published information available To collect data and information, an opinion poll regarding the tourism potential of the PAs of was conducted in the study area because most Bangladesh. Thus, the present study was recreation seekers like to visit these eco-tourism conducted in Satchari National Park of Bangladesh spots. The visitor’s survey method was conducted to understand the importance of PAs in ecotourism to determine the value of outdoor recreation. Thirty development. respondents were interviewed, representing different socio-economic and occupational groups. 2 Vol. 36: No. 3 July-September 2009 | The selection of respondents was done randomly According to the interviews, about 36.67% of the an efficacy