Forest management in Bangladesh

Forest management in Bangladesh

Forest Resources are the important economy of Bangladesh. It is renewable resources which can provides timber, pulp, pole, fuel wood, food, medicine, and habitat for wildlife and primary base for biodiversity. It can also provides oxygen, controls or reduces the intensity of the cyclones and tidal surges in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, influences the rainfall, and sustained water yield in the river systems etc. Moreover these, forest are also used for hunting, and nature based tourism. Now a day, eco-tourism is the more attractive type of tourism, which could be an alternative mechanism for environmentally sustainable development without depleting the forest resources and its habitat and biodiversity. Considering all these, forest and consequently forest management is getting importance in the world with the passage of time. There are two types of Forest Management in Bangladesh.

1.  Past Forest Management

2.  Present Forest Management

Past Forest Management: Scientific forest management in this sub-continent was started during British rule by the appointment of Sir D. Brandis as the Inspector General of Forest in 1865. A separate forest department was created for Bengal in 1876. Chittagong Forest Division was the first division created in Bangladesh by British ruler in 872 and the Sundarban Forest Division was created in 1879. In those days, forests were managed primarily for revenue collection under the control of Revenue Department. Only valuable trees were extracted from the forest to get more revenue, Keeping in mind the importance of forest, a forest management plan or work plan is prepared for each forest division. This management plan guides forest manager to manage forest or to perform day-to-day work in the forest. This plan spells out where to cut trees, how much to cut and what to plant to cover up the cleared up forest etc. on annual basis.

Present Forest Management: There is a fundamental difference between past and present forest management in Bangladesh. It depends on its objectives and philosophy. Present forest management objectives are not only to produce timber only but also to provide clean air, clean water, and healthy habitat for wildlife and to act as a major source of biodiversity and nature-based tourism. The present philosophy of forest management is to involve people in the management and create an environment so that people can feel that they have also some stakes on trees growing on the forestland and to improve living standard of the people residing in the vicinity of the forests.

Present Management objectives: Through the assistances of ADB, UNDP and FAO, Present forest management plan is established under the guidance of Forestry Master Plan (FMP) in 1993. The objectives of present forest management are the following:

1.To enhance environment preservation and conservation.

2.To introduce rational forestland use.

3.To increase public participation and benefit from the forest.

4.To create forests on marginal and private lands.

5.To setup institutional strengthening.

6.To improve management practices.

7.To Improve efficient resource utilization.