This study considered traditional ethno-medicinal practices of rural people of Feni district, Bangladesh, focusing on their utilization of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. Ninety households were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire. Plant resources are used to treat 26 different ailments ranging from simple cuts to diabetes. In total, 46 medicinal plants are as used, of which a third are trees. Homesteads are the primary source and few medicinal plants are cultivated. Aboveground plant parts are most used, particularly leaves. The diverse patterns of use of different medicinal plant parts shows the considerable indigenous knowledge of rural people and is generally widely available.

A study was conducted in Madhupur sal forest of Tangail, Bangladesh to identify the suitable agroforestry practices of the area.Considering the ecological aspects of different agroforestry practices 10 sample plots (10 m × 10 m) from each land uses were taken, including natural forest to get a comparative scenario. The study showed that among the different agroforestry practices, Margalef and ShannonWeiner index values are the maximum for pineapple agroforestry and lower for banana agroforestry, and Evenness index value is the maximum for lemon agroforestry. Determination of tree biomass in different land uses revealed that it is highest (3 078.6 kg/100 m 2 ) in natural forest followed by pineapple agroforestry, lemon agroforestry and banana agroforestry. Soil pH, moisture content, organic matter, organic carbon, phosphorus and total nitrogen showed statistically significant variation while bulk density, particle density, sulphur and potassium did not show any statistically significant variation among the land uses. Soil fertility status showed that pineapple agroforestry is more fertile than rest of other land uses. The Net Present Value (NPV) indicated that banana agroforestry is financially more profitable than other two systems, while the BenefitCost ratio (BCR) is higher in pineapple agroforestry (4.21 in participatory agroforestry and 3.35 in privately managed land). Even though banana agroforestry gives higher NPV, capital required for this practice is much higher. The findings suggest that pineapple agroforestry has a tendency towards becoming ecologically and economically more sound than other two practices as it has better ecological attributes and required comparatively low investment.

Abstract:Competing interests in land for agriculture and commodity production in tropical human-dominated landscapes make forests and biodiversity conservation particularly challenging. Establishment of protected areas in this regard is not functioning as expected due to exclusive ecological focus and poor recognition of local people's traditional forest use and dependence. In recent years, multifunctional land-use systems such as agroforestry have widely been promoted as an efficient land-use in such circumstances, although their conservation effectiveness remains poorly investigated. We undertake a rapid biodiversity survey to understand the conservation value of four contrasting forms of local land-use, namely: betel leaf (Piper betle) agroforestry; lemon (Citrus limon) agroforestry; pineapple (Ananas comosus) agroforestry; and, shifting cultivation-fallow managed largely by the indigenous communities in and around a highly diverse forest protected area of Bangladesh. We measure the alpha and beta diversity of plants, birds, and mammals in these multifunctional land-uses, as well as in the old-growth secondary forest in the area. Our study finds local land-use critical in conserving biodiversity in the area, with comparable biodiversity benefits as those of the old-growth secondary forest. In Bangladesh, where population pressure and rural people's dependence on forests are common, multifunctional land-uses in areas of high conservation priority could potentially be used to bridge the gap between conservation and commodity production, ensuring that the ecological integrity of such landscapes will be altered as little as possible.

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Abstract:The tea industry of Bangladesh is one of the most important foreign exchange earner and source of income. Sylhet, the northeastern divisional city of Bangladesh, is the major tea-producing region of the country. For this reason the study area was selected in Sylhet district to assess the pattern and causes of fluctuation on tea leaf production in selected tea Estates and the impact of micro-climate change on the productivity of tea leaf. The yield of tea is greatly influenced by microclimatic parameter of a region especially rainfall, temperature. Scanty rainfall causes irreparable losses because irrigation is seldom used on tea plantations. On the other hand, heavy rains erode top soil and wash away fertilizers and other chemicals. An analysis of the results of field experiments with weather data shows that increase highest tea leaf production per hectare lies on 4000mm to 4600mm rainfall. Heavy or scanty or delayed rainfall adversely affected the growth and yield of tea. It is observed that tea leaf production is slightly increased with increase in total annual rainfall. The temperature and humidity have no direct effect on tea leaf production. It may largely depend on soil quality and solar radiation. Loobacherra tea estate produces high amount (1838.70 kg) of tea leaf per unit area, on the other hand, Lackatoorah tea estate produce lowest amount (682.31 kg) of tea leaf. Further study is needed to identify the cause of variation of tea leaf production in different tea estate. Awareness should be rise on micro-climate change amongst the planter, estates and worker groups for the maximum production of tea leaf.