Residents' participation in management proves crucial

Participation and cooperation of poor people, depending on forest resources for livelihood, in managing and protecting country's reserve forests have proven more effective.

Excellent results have been achieved through co-management of forests by the forest dependent locals, and officials in the south eastern part of the country whereas the traditional management system involving only officials have failed earlier, said people involved in the co-management of reserve forest.

The main objective of the co-management system is to develop a friendly bond between community people and the authorities in order to conserve flora and fauna in forest resources.

Visiting different reserved forest areas in south-eastern parts, this BSS correspondent found that co-management system is functioning successfully and it is playing an important role in expanding forest coverage.

Divisional Forest Officer of Cox's Bazar South Forest Zone Md Ali Kabir said around 2,5000 hectares of land in seven reserved forest areas in Cox's Bazar district have been brought under the system. The co-management programme was introduced in 2004.

Nearly 10,000 hectares of land in the Inani reserved forest are situated in Cox's Bazar district, Kabir said, adding that 42 percent of the natural forests have been destroyed between 1995 and 2003 by cutting trees and hill rampantly, and killing wildlife for establishing illegal infrastructures.

With the slogan of "Forest Saves Us, We Save Forest", in 2009, the forest department along with Arannayk Foundation launched co-management system in the Inani reserved forest for conservation of its biodiversity.

Now Inanai forest has been enriched with various species of trees and wildlife as the forest department had planted a huge number of saplings in the past couple of years, Kabir added.

Assistant forest conservator, Chittagong zone, Abdur Rahman said three reserved forest areas -- Chunati, Dhaupukaria and Hajarikhal -- in the Chittagong forest zone have been brought under the programme.

There are nearly 12,000 hectares of land in Dhaupukaria reserved forest under Rangunia upazila, he added. There are 7,764 hectares of land in Chunati reserved forest in three upazilas - Lohagora and Chakaria under Chittagong district and Bandarban Sadar upazila.

Different non-government organisations is also implementing co-management programme in reserved forest areas, he added.

WINROCK International along with different partner organisations is implementing the Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihood Programme (CREL) to conserve biodiversity in Chunati reserved forest area, Rahman said, adding that Chunati forest has also been included in the co-management programme under CREL.

An official of CREL programme said as many as 1,600 forest- dependent households in Borohatiya union parishad under Lohagora upazila have been brought under alternative livelihood programme. They have given loan facilities under revolving fund as livelihood supports, he added.

Amena Begum of Chupinagar village in the union parishad said, "We were dependent on Chunati forest for feeding our family. Now we are running our family through different agricultural practices as we have received Tk 10,000 loan under revolving fund."

All forest-dependent people surrounding Chunati forest are involved in alternative livelihood activities through CREL programme, forest department officials added.