Community Forestry for Sustainable Forest Management: Experiences from Bangladesh and Policy Recommendations

Abstract

Abstract:This study follows the introduction of community forestry in Bangladesh and uses secondary information sources to analyze its effectiveness as a means of fostering sustainable forest management. We found that current forest management practices in Bangladesh have evolved from an emphasis primarily on production to a more people-centric model designed to support the conservation of forest resources. Bangladesh has succeeded in reducing distrust and conflict between forestry officials and local farmers, encroachment on government lands, and the deforestation rate. But, program implementation has faced roadblocks that stem from a top-down bureaucratic approach and poor governance system. A number of NGO's are also working to promote community forestry with notable success, despite shortcomings that include strong profit motive, poor coordination with government bodies, lack of transparency, and non-uniform benefit sharing mechanisms. However, a traditional community-based forest management model known as village common forests (VCF) practiced by indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) may be a useful guide for policymakers looking for ways to support sustainable forest management that involves local people.

Payments for Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Mangrove Forest Management in Bangladesh

“…It further states: "Denuded and encroached Government forest lands will be identified and brought under afforestation program with people"s participation on benefit sharing approach…". 89 While social forestry related projects have led to better quality of life of the participants, 90 some of these projects are dogged with criticisms regarding a lack of local stakeholder consultation in planning and management of forest resources along with donor-driven agendas, weak local level institutions and a top-down policy approach. 91 Some sectoral laws in Bangladesh require the participation of people in decision making and include provisions on environmental impact assessment (EIA).…”

Protected Area Versus People Conflict and a Co-Management Programme: A Case Study from the Dhudpukuria-Dhopachari Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh

“…Such projects have been undertaken in Bangladesh over the last several decades and implemented in areas outside the reserved and protected forests to reduce biotic pressure on state forests, and provide gainful employment to an unemployed and underemployed workforce. However, the desired effects of community based conservation approaches have often been found to be temporary or minimal due to lack of devolution or decentralization, as found in many other studies (Holmes, 2003;Jashimuddin & Inoue, 2012). The success of community-based conservation is hindered by factors such as inadequate benefits and unequal distribution (Songorwa, 1999), undelivered promises and unrealized expectations (Gadd, 2005), limited or absent participation of communities in decision-making for resource management (Parry & Campbell, 1992), problematic, untested and unjustified assumptions (Kideghesho, Røskaft, & Kaltenborn, 2007), failure to respect local communities' interests (Songorwa, 1999), a lack of political commitment (Songorwa, 2004), or impractical critical links between development and conservation (Songorwa, Buhrs, & Hughey, 2000).…”

“…Moreover, a Tree Farming Fund (TFF) has been established to provide a sustainable revenue stream for community forestry projects, although implementation of such program faced roadblocks that stem from a top-down bureaucratic approach and poor governance system (Jashimuddin & Inoue, 2012). Large-scale social and community forestry projects (e.g., the Forestry Sector Project, the Sundarban Biodiversity Conservation Project, the Nishorgo Support Programme, and Climate-Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods Program) are supported by donors (i.e., the Asian Development Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).…”

Collective management of natural resources in a vulnerable environment: case studies from coastal Bangladesh

“…The policy guidelines for the SFP prescribe a bottom-up approach but, in practice, rural communities become "stakeholders" with limited participation in policy formulation or implementation (Muhammed et al 2005). Further problems include participant selection criteria (Islam and Sato 2010), negative attitudes of Forest Department officers towards community capabilities (Jashimuddin and Inoue 2012), and widespread corruption and poor governance in the forestry sector as a whole (Muhammed et al 2008). …”

“…Social forestry formed a major component of the Sundarban Biodiversity Conservation Project (SBCP) funded by the Asian Development Bank and other donors in the early 2000s. However, despite considerable funding for the SFP, it has performed very poorly in terms of both implementation and outcomes (Chowdhury 2004;Muhammed et al 2008;Jashimuddin and Inoue 2012).…”