Conservation of a Tropical Wet Semi-evergreen Forest Ecosystem by an Indigenous Community in the Bandarban Hill District of Bangladesh: The Role of Intervention |
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| Authors: | Md Danesh Miah Farid Uddin Ahmed |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, 4331, Bangladesh
2. Arannayk Foundation, Road-1, Block-F, Banani, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
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| Abstract: | Indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh had been conserving small patch of forests, commonly called village common forests (VCFs), especially for drinking water and non-timber forest produce. The size of VCFs has been decreasing, due to increasing population and conversion of forests for shifting cultivation. To restore the degraded forest resources and conserve the forest ecosystems in the VCF of the CHT, an intervention was undertaken in Bandarban, Bangladesh by Arannayk Foundation, an organization established jointly by the Government of Bangladesh and the United States of America. A training program on leadership, organizational development and alternative income generating activities was implemented to build the capacity of the members of the VCF management committee. The impact of the interventions was measured at the end of third year. Incomes of VCF-dependent communities were found to increase with resultant reduction of their dependence on VCFs. The intervention encouraged women’s participation in forest management and facilitated a written format of the constitution of the VCF management. The study identified that more training and awareness-raising activities are needed to ensure sustainability of the interventions. Mobilizing funds for the communities for sustainable alternative livelihoods was found effective. Appropriate compensation for conservation was found to make the restoration and conservation activities sustainable. |
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