Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An overview on the protected area system for forest conservation in Bangladesh

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Journal of Forestry Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A total of 19 protected areas (PAs) have been established in Bangladesh representing all the four forest types of the country. Apart from being the repository of biological diversity, these PAs serve as the source of subsistence livelihoods to the local communities. While all the PAs are managed by the state Forest Department (FD), with a view to ensure sustainability, a recent approach of co-management has been initiated in five PAs as a pilot project with an aid of development partners incorporating stakeholders’ participation. Along with demonstrating a number of upbeat impacts, the initiatives exert some constraints which need to be addressed properly to ensure the success of participatory approach and enhance the ongoing conservation scheme. This paper reviews the published works, government and project documents to analyze the present status of PAs and suggest recommendations accordingly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Appiah M, Blay D, Damnyag L, Dwomoh FK, Pappinen A, Luukkanen O. 2008. Dependence on forest resources and tropical deforestation in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainablity, doi: 10.1007/s10668-9125-0.

  • Arnold JEM, Bird P. 1999. Forests and the poverty-environment nexus. Brussels: Paper presented in the UNDP/EC Expert Workshop on Poverty and the Environment on January 20–21, 1999.

  • Ashley C, Carney D. 1999. Sustainable livelihoods: Lessons from early experience. London: Department for International Development (DFID).

    Google Scholar 

  • Aziz MA. 2008. Co-management of protected areas without local knowledge and participation: A case study of Lawachara National Park. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 27–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aziz N, Haque E, Thompson P, DeCosse PJ, Collis WJ. 2004. Using participatory bird counts to assess protected area (PA) management impacts: A proposal and design for Bangladesh. Dhaka: Nishorgo Support Project (NSP), Bangladesh Forest Department.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F. 2004. Rethinking community-based conservation. Conservation Biology, 18: 621–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BCAS (Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies). 2008. Bangladesh state of the environment report 2001. Dhaka: BCAS. Available at www.bcas.net/publication/SoE/SoE_index.htm, Last visited 26 Oct 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • BFD (Bangladesh Forest Department). 2008. Bangladesh Forest Department. Dhaka: Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of Bangladesh. Available at http://www.bforest.gov.bd, Last visited 2 Jul 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borrini-Feyerabend G. 1996. Collaborative management of protected areas: Tailoring the approach to the context. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chape S, Blyth S, Fish L, Fox P, Spalding M. 2003. 2003 United Nations list of protected areas. Gland, Switzerland: The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeCosse PJ. 2006. The role of Alternative Income Generation (AIG) activities in Nishorgo’s strategy for conservation of protected areas (PAs). USAID Contract No. 388-C-00-03-00050-00, Dhaka: Nishorgo Support Project (NSP), Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of Bangladesh. Available at http://www.nishorgo.org/reference_center.asp, Last visited 8 Sept 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudley N, Kalemani JM, Cohen S, Sotlton S, Barber CV, Gidda SB. 2005. Towards effective protected area systems. An action guide to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity Program of Work on Protected Areas. Technical Series No. 18. Montreal: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupuy B, Maitre HF, Amsallem I. 1999. Tropical forest management techniques: A review of the sustainability of forest management practices in tropical countries. Working Paper No. FAO/FPIRS/04. FAO Forestry Policy and Planning Division. Rome: Italy.

  • FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2007. State of the world’s forests 2007. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Rome, Italy: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith FB. 1998. Tropical rainforest: A wider perspective. United Kingdom: Chapman and Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoque ME. 2008. Evaluating co-management as a tool for the reduction of poverty and inequality in Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 99–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hossain MAA. 2008. Constraints in policy and legislation with respect to the performance of co-management initiatives at Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 57–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iftekhar MS. 2006. Forestry in Bangladesh: An overview. Journal of Forestry, 104(3): 148–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • IIRR (International Institute of Rural Reconstruction). 1996. Recording and using indigenous knowledge: A manual. Cavite, Philippines: International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

    Google Scholar 

  • Islam MA. 2004. Biodiversity. In: Islam S. (ed.), Banglapedia: The national encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Dhaka: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (The World Conservation Union). 1994. Guidelines for protected areas management categories. Gland, Switzerland: The World Conservation Union (IUCN).

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (The World Conservation Union). 2000. Red list of threatened animals of Bangladesh. Dhaka, Bangladesh: The World Conservation Union (IUCN).

    Google Scholar 

  • Karim QMN. 2008. Can alternative income generating activities reduce dependency on protected areas? Evidence from Teknaf Game Reserve. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 213–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan MS, Rahman MM, Ali MA. 2001. Red data book of vascular plants of Bangladesh. Dhaka: Bangladesh National Herbarium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan MASA, Uddin MB, Uddin MS, Chowdhury MSH, Mukul SA. 2007. Distribution and status of forests in the tropics: Bangladesh perspective. Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Science, 44(2): 145–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai Q. 2003. Community participation in the management of nature reserves: Experiences and lessons from China. Unasylva, 54: 51–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahmood ARJ. 2008. Assessment of human well-being under comanagement initiatives in Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 121–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews E. 2001. Understanding the forest resources assessment 2000. WRI Forest Briefing No. 1. Washington, DC: USA.

  • Mbuvi D, Boon E. 2008. The livelihood potential of non-wood forest products: The case of Mbooni Division in Makueni District, Kenya. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-008-9163-2.

  • Mittermeier RA, Myers N, Thomsen JB, Defonseca GA, Olivieri S. 1998. Biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas: approaches to setting conservation priorities. Conservation Biology, 12: 516–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muhammed N, Koike M, Sajjaduzzaman M, Sophanarith K. 2005. Reckoning social forestry in Bangladesh: Policy and plan versus implementation. Forestry, 78(4): 373–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muhammned N, Koike M, Haque F. 2008a. Forest policy and sustainable forest management in Bangladesh: An analysis from national and international perspectives. New Forests, 36: 201–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muhammed N, Koike M, Haque F, Miah MD. 2008b. Quantitative assessment of people-oriented forestry in Bangladesh: A case study in the Tangail forest division. Journal of Environmental Management, 88: 83–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mukul SA. 2007. Biodiversity conservation strategies in Bangladesh: The state of protected areas. Tigerpaper, 34(3): 28–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukul SA, Quazi SA. 2007. Communities in conservation: Changing paradigm of protected area management and enhanced conservation in the northeastern hill region of Bangladesh. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Paper presented in the International Conference on the Future of Forests in Asia and the Pacific: Outlook for 2020 held on October 16–18 2007.

  • Mukul SA, Uddin MB, Uddin MS, Khan MASA, Marzan B. 2008. Protected areas of Bangladesh: Current status and efficacy for biodiversity conservation. Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Science, 45(2): 59–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mustafa MM, Hall JB, Teklehaimanot Z. 2002. Indigenous management techniques of Bangladesh homegardens. International Tree Crop Journal, 10(3): 215–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishat A, Biswas SR. 2005. Community-based restoration of degraded tropical hill forests: Experiences from Krykhong Para, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. Bulletin of the National Institute of Ecology, 16: 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishorgo. 2007. Impact at Nishorgo protected areas. Available at http://www.nishorgo.org/photo_gallery_page/page08_impact_at_nishorgo1.html, Last visited 23 Oct 2008.

  • Nishorgo. 2008. Nishorgo: Bangladesh’s protected area management program. Dhaka: Bangladesh Forest Department. Available at http://www.nishorgo.org, Last visited 20 Aug 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quazi SA, Bushley BR, Miles WB. 2008. Introduction: Participation and the collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rahman MM. 2004. Forest resources of Bangladesh with reference to conservation of biodiversity and wildlife in particular for poverty alleviation. In: Sim HC, Appanah S, Youn YC (eds.), Proceedings of the workshop on Forests for poverty reduction: Opportunities with clean development mechanism, environmental services and biodiversity. Bangkok: FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP), pp. 139–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rana MA, Toshikuni N Muhammed N. 2007. Impact of participatory forest management (PFM) on socio-economic development in Bangladesh: A case study in the Madhupur Sal Forest. Journal of Forest Economics, 53(1): 46–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao K. 1997. Regional Action Plan for PA’s. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy BCS. 2008. Fuel wood, alternative energy and forest user groups in Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 81–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawhney P, Kobayashi M, Takahashi M, King PN, Mori H. 2007. Participation of civil society in management of natural resources. International Review for Environmental Strategies, 7(1): 117–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schelhas J, Sherman RE, Fehey TJ, Lassoie JP. 2002. Linking community and national park development: A case from the Dominican Republic. Natural Resources Forum, 26: 140–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shewly SB. 2008. The role of women in co-management at Lawachara National Park. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 275–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skutsch MM. 2000. Conflict management and participation in community forestry. Agroforestry Systems, 48: 189–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Subhani R. 2008. Impacts of co-management activities on women members of forest user groups in Satchari National Park. In: Fox J, Bushley BR, Dutt S, Quazi SA (eds.), Connecting communities and conservation: Collaborative management of protected areas in Bangladesh. USA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pp. 231–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • USAID (United States Aids for International Development). 2005. Conservation of tropical forests and biological diversity in Bangladesh. FAA Section 118/119 Analysis.

  • Vergara N. 1997. Wood materials from non-forest areas. Rome and Bangkok: Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study Working Paper No. APFSOS/WP/19. Forestry Policy and Planning Division and Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Policy Laboratory, Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 8304 Minamiminowa-Mura, 399-4598, Nagano-Ken, Japan

    Mohammad Shaheed Hossain Chowdhury & Masao Koike

Authors
  1. Mohammad Shaheed Hossain Chowdhury
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masao Koike
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masao Koike.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chowdhury, M.S.H., Koike, M. An overview on the protected area system for forest conservation in Bangladesh. Journal of Forestry Research 21, 111–118 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-010-0019-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-010-0019-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation