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Forest Restoration and Rehabilitation in Bangladesh

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Forest Restoration and Rehabilitation in Bangladesh FOREST RESTORATION AND REHABILITATION IN BANGLADESH Mohammed Kamal Hossain7, M. Khairul Alam8, and Md. Danesh Miah9 1. General Information Bangladesh is a Unitary and Sovereign Republic known as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Bangladesh, extending over 14.83 million ha in the north-eastern part of South Asia, lies between 20034' and 26038' N latitude and 88001' and 92041' E longitude (Rashid, 2001). It shares boundary on the west, the north and the north-east side with India, in the Southeast with Myanmar, and the Bay of Bengal in the South. The country was under different Indian rulers till 1757. The British ruled over the country as part of Bengal under "British India" for about two centuries (1757 to 1947 AD). During 1947-1971, Pakistan governed the country as East Pakistan and it became an independent and a sovereign state in December 1971 with Dhaka as capital city. The official language spoken by all Bangladeshi is Bangla. 1.1 Geographic Information 1.1.1 Physiography Most of the country is located in the delta of three of the world’s major rivers. A few small tracts of higher land occur in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts regions. Maximum elevation is 1300 m on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. The south-western region consists of a large number of dead and cutoff rivers, the coastal part of which includes the famous Sundarbans mangrove forest. Within greater Sylhet and Mymensingh districts lie a number of depressed basins that get inundated by fresh water during the monsoon season and gradually dry out during the dry winter months. Except for small higher areas of old alluvium, rising to about 30 m, in the Northwest (Barind tract) and North Centre (Madhupur tract), the Ganges-Brahmaputra deltaic plain region is a flat surface of recent alluvium, having a gentle slope and generally with an elevation of less than 10 m above mean sea level (asl). In the Northeast (Sylhet) and Southeast (Chittagong hills) region, the hilly ridges run mainly north-south and form part of the mountain divide between Myanmar and India. It encompasses the southern and southwestern parts of the Sylhet area (including the valley plain of the Surma River) and the northern part of the Mymensingh area and has large number of lakes. The far north-east region has Sylhet hills that consist of a number of hillocks and hills ranging from 30 to 40 m in height. Similarly, the Southeast is dominated by the Chittagong Hills Tracts (CHTs) that has many hills, hillocks, valleys, and forests and is quite different in many aspects from other parts of the country. The coastal plain region of Bangladesh is partly sandy and saline. It varies in width from 1 to 15 km. The region has a number of offshore islands and one coral reef, St. Martin's Island. 7 Professor, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University, Bangladesh, email: [email protected], [email protected] 8 Chief Research Officer, Bangladesh Forest Research Institute, Chittagong, Bangladesh, email: [email protected] 9 Associate Professor, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University, Bangladesh; email: [email protected], [email protected] 21 ` 1.1.2. Soils Bangladesh has three broad types of soil, namely, Flood Plain Soils (79%), Brown Hill Soils (13%), and Terrace Soils (8%). Soil scientists further classify "Flood Plain Soils" of Bangladesh into 14 sub- types varying from calcareous to non-calcareous, acid basin to acid sulphate, grey to brown Piedmont, peat and Terai soils. The "Brown Hill Soils" are located in the hilly regions of Chittagong, CHTs, and Dhaka and Sylhet districts and vary from brown sandy loam to clay loam. The "Terrace Soils" exist in the "Barind" and "Madhupur" tracts of Bangladesh and consist of brown to grey clays and loams (Rashid, 2001). 1.1.3 River system The country has five major river systems: the Ganges or Padma and its deltaic streams, the Meghna and the Surma river systems, the Jamuna and its adjoining channels, the North Bengal rivers, and the rivers of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the adjoining plains. The Ganges River system is divided into two segments, the Ganges and the Padma. The Meghna River is the union of the Sylhet-Surma and Kusiyara rivers. The Jamuna and its adjoining channels span a large area from North Central Bangladesh to the Meghna River in the Southeast. The Tista is the most important water carrier of Northwestern Bangladesh that meets the Jamuna. The Feni, the Karnaphuli, the Sangu, and the Matamuhari are the four main rivers that constitute the river system of the CHTs and the adjoining plains of Bangladesh (Rashid, 1991). 1.1.4. Climate Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate. There are basically four seasons in a year: winter (December-February), summer (March-May), monsoon (June-September) and autumn (October- November). The average temperature across the country usually ranges between 110C and 290C in winter months and between 210C and 340C during summer months. Annual rainfall varies from 160 cm to 200 cm in the west, 200 cm to 400 cm in the Southeast and 250 cm to 400 cm in the Northeast (Rashid, 1991). 1.2 Demography Bangladesh, a small coastal country of South Asia, is the eighth most populous country in the world with an estimated population of about 140 million with a growth rate of 1.43%. The population density of Bangladesh is 941 per km2 (Bangladesh Economic Review, 2006) which is one of the highest in the world. In 1947, the density was only 306 per km2 and the demand for forest produces as well as land for settlement was very little. In 1971, the density increased to 510 per km2 and the demand for forest products as well as land for settlement increased by 67%. At present, the density is 941 per km2 and compared to the 1947 baseline, the demand for forest products as well as land for settlement increased by 189%. There is also an estimation that the population will reach to 177.3 million by 2025 and 210.8 million by 2050 (Davidson, 2000). Around 75% of the people live in rural areas of which 60% depend on agriculture for their livelihood. 1.3 Economic and Livelihood Situation Bangladesh has an agrarian economy with 21.77% of GDP coming from the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2004). Major agricultural products are rice, jute, wheat, potato, pulses, tobacco, tea, and sugarcane. The country is the largest exporter of jute and jute products in the world. Readymade garments occupy the topmost position among the exportable items. Tea, frozen shrimps, fish, leather goods, flowers and vegetables, ceramic-ware and handicrafts are also major export commodities. Bangladesh has undergone a major shift in its economic philosophy and management in recent years. The government is working towards upgrading the living standard of the people by meeting their basic 22 needs and is determined to ensure health for all within the shortest possible time. Considerable progress has been achieved in Bangladesh in the fields of health and family welfare. Primary health care has been expanded throughout the country. Infant mortality rates have come down dramatically. The annual GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate of the country is 5.33 and per capita GDP is US$ 410. The GDP growth in the agriculture and forestry sectors is Tk 4600.3 million (1 US$= 68 Taka) (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2004). Contribution of Forestry to the National Economy Forestry has manifold contributions towards the welfare of mankind. The multiple use of forest resources has been recognized from the advent of civilization. The forestry sector contributes about 1.79% of the total GDP of Bangladesh. This does not reflect the true contribution of this sector. The rural population uses fuelwood and other minor forest products practically free of cost. Forest and tree resources also play an important role in protecting watersheds, irrigation and hydraulic structures, also in keeping the rivers and ports navigable. They also play key roles in protecting the coastal areas from natural calamities. The role of forest in protecting the environment from pollution and its contribution towards biodiversity is immense (www.bforests.gov.bd). The participatory social forestry contributes towards rural poverty reduction significantly. In the last 3 years, out of total sale proceeds of timber and fuelwood about 308 million taka (1US$ = 68 Taka) has been distributed to 23,561 participants. Social Forestry Rules have been framed to provide the legal basis for a benefit sharing system. Tree farming funds have been created from the 10% of the sale proceeds to create new resources on the same pieces of land involving the same participants, to ensure sustainability. TFF operating committees have been established involving local government and Local Community Organizations (LCO). Apart from the sale proceeds, participants also get money from the Forest Department for their labor input into plantation activities. They also get periodic income from agriculture crops grown between trees both in forest and marginal land. The participants also enjoy the thinning and pruning outputs in many areas which also contribute to improving the livelihoods of the participants (PFN, 2005). Employment Generation In 2001-2002, about 2% of the total manpower of the country was engaged in the forestry sector. Many people benefited directly from forestry-related activities e.g. in the wood based industry, saw milling, furniture making, establishing and operating private nurseries, logging, and in afforestation programs. Besides this, in the Sundarban region, millions of people depend on the mangrove forest for their livelihood (e.g. mawali, bawali, fishermen, etc.). Fuelood and Non-wood Forest Products Fuelwood is the major wood product required today in Bangladesh.
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