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A Present Scenario of Forest Resources in Bangladesh: A Compact Analysis ( part-four)

1.      Forest industries:

In general the following major categories of forest product-based industries are found in Bangladesh.

1. Sawmills             

2. Manufacture of wood products including furniture

3. Production of hardboards, particleboards, chipboards, etc.

4. Manufacture of pulp, paper, newsprint and paper products

5. Match factories

6. Manufacturing of packaging paper

7. Production of various products from wood, bamboo, cane, patipata14, etc. as handicrafts (cottage industries

Most of the forest product-based industries in Bangladesh used to be owned by the Government through corporations such as BFIDC and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). Recently (as of September 2007) the privatization commission is looking for buyers to sell out (Website of Privatization Commission) the following forest product-based industries.

1. Chittagong Board Mills, Chittagong

2. Chittagong Cabinet Manufacturing Unit, Chittagong

3. Chittagong Chemical Complex, Patenga, Chittagong

4. Dhaka Cabinet Manufacturing Unit, Dhaka

5. Eastern Wood Works

6. Fidco Furniture Complex, Chittagong.

7. Karnafuly Rayon & Chemicals Ltd., Kaptai, Rangamati

8. Karnaphuli Timber Extraction Unit

9. Khulna Cabinet Manufacturing Unit, Khulna

10. Khulna Hardboard Mills Ltd., Khulna

11. Khulna Newsprint Mills Ltd., Khulna

12. Lumber Processing Complex

13. North Bengal Paper Mills Ltd., Pakshi, Pabna

14. Particle Board Veneering Plant

15. Sangu Matamuhuri Timber Extraction Unit

16. Sangu Velly Timber Industries

17. Sylhet Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd., Sylhet

18. Wood Treating Unit, Chittagong

19. Wood Treating Unit, Khulna

 

3.      Some environmental issues related to the forestry:

Other environmental issues in Bangladesh that may have some impact on the forestry sector are described below.

11.1 Air pollution

Air pollution is a serious environmental problem in Bangladesh especially in four major cities namely Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi. The Carbon Monoxide concentration in Dhaka

air is about 11ppm whereas the standard is 9 ppm. Similarly the lead concentration in Dhaka Air is 4.63 ug/m3 ppm whereas the standard is 0.5 -1 ug/m3 ppm. The concentration of Sulfur Dioxide in Dhaka commercial and residential areas is 472.9 ug/m3 and 63.5 ug/m3 respectively, whereas the standard is 40-60 ug/m3. General awareness about air pollution has triggered tree planting by the public in and around their residences. There will be a demand for specialized species that can serve different situations better. This in the future may require the FD to look for or undertake research to identify specialized species of plants that are suitable to meet the context.

11.2.Water pollution

Water is considered polluted when its physical, chemical and microbiological state is altered from its natural state and it becomes unsuitable or less suitable for any safe use or consumption. The signs of water pollution are bad taste, odours, turbidity, etc. Besides these obvious signs, there are other kinds of pollution, which are not so visible. There are basically two types of pollution, namely natural and man-made. The common natural water pollution in Bangladesh is the presence of arsenic in ground water. The Government in the past had large scale programmes for sinking tube wells for supplying safe drinking water to rural people. Now these have turned out to be dangerous and are being painted red. The human engineered water pollution in Bangladesh is considerable such as waste water from urban areas released into rivers and streams; industrial wastes drained into the rivers and streams; the runoff from crop fields and tea gardens that is often heavily loaded with toxic components of insecticides, fertilizers used in excess, etc. Indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides, mostly in agricultural fields is a source of serious water pollution, especially for river and flood water. Polluted water adversely affects vegetation especially sensitive species such as Anisopter glabra, Alstonia scholaris, etc. Polluted water very seriously affects ground flora. Sometimes water loaded with industrial effluent very adversely affects the growth of the trees and even causes the death of many saplings. Since ground water in many of the areas of Bangladesh is arsenic impregnated, the present bias is for “Rain Water Harvest”. Emphasis is gradually increasing on surface water use. It is well APFSOS II: Bangladesh 73 speculated that this search for surface water, will lead to catchment management for water supply. Forestry is the key to catchment management. In future this is going to be an added dimension to the forestry sector. In the near future this water pollution problem is very likely to create a new demand for catchment management under the forestry sector.

11.3. Degrading forests and shrinking green landscapes

Degrading forests and the shrinking of green landscapes has become a concern among the public.

This will have a positive impact on the forestry sector in the near future. This may be in the form of a public demand asking the Government to cater for more and more of such sites such as city parks, community parks, etc.

11.4. Exotic species

The present trend in plantations is for fast growing species which are mostly exotic. Species such as Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus spp, etc. are commonly used. Already planting of such exotic species is being questioned. During the last couple of years the FD has been criticized for raising pure plantations of single species, especially along the highways in Bangladesh. It is envisaged that this will grow still stronger and the FD may have to face serious criticisms if the existing trends continue. However participants under the Social Forestry Programme are interested in fast growing high yielding species. In the near future the FD will have to look for some sort of compromise limiting the use of fast growing high yielding exotic species in plantation establishment.

11.5. Outdoor recreation

With increased urbanization, outdoor recreation has become very popular. No doubt this change is bringing more and more revenue for the government but it has the impact of littering of parks and natural ecosystems. This will impact future forestry planning to increase recreation sites as well as to combat littering and pollution of these recreational sites.

11.6.Soil degradation

Overharvesting or depletion of vegetation is the root cause of soil degradation. It is established that the soils in most of the hill forests and Sal forest areas are degrading. Soil degradation is very serious in the case of USF lands in Chittagong Hill tracts. In future the forestry sector will have to address this issue.

11.7. Waste disposal

Since waste disposal can generate bio-gas it may have some impact on the forestry sector by reducing the pressure on fuel-wood. In rural areas bio-gas plants are gradually becoming popular. Some NGOs are promoting the establishment of small scale bio-gas plants by providing technical assistance and sometimes by extending small loans. Such endeavours being mostly in the rural areas have a direct impact on cutting back the demand on fuel-wood. Since these small scale biogas plants are closely associated with cow-dung and cattle, with the enhancing trend of house hold cattle rearing, there is every possibility that fodder demand will increase. In this situation fuelwood demand is expected to fall and in turn illegal collection fuel-wood from the forests especially from the Government forests may decline. With larger cattle populations the demand for forages especially from the adjoining Government forest will increase. This will have a definite impact on the forestry sector. Since this is an emerging phenomenon, it needs to be borne in mind while planning future forestry activities.

4.      Conclusions and Recommendations:

 Bangladesh is very rich with her diverse forest resources. But, both the in situ and ex situ programs to conserve, manage and use of forest resources are not adequate. Even, the existing conservation activities are not properly working. Hence, the conservation area should be increased significantly as well protection of the forest resources need to be more secured.  Database on the status of the forest resources in different forest types should be established and updated continuously.  Education and training of professionals and technicians in forest genetic resource conservation programs should be expanded. Curricula should be update according the needs of the society. More monetary allocation must be provided for all sorts of conservation programs through proper Government Institutes. In Bangladesh, the population pressure on forest resources is severe. Participatory approach with the local people must be considered in the conservation of forest resource.

A present Scenario of Forest Resources In Bangladesh: A Compact Analysis ( Part- three)

5. 2. Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests:

Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests are extended over Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet totaling an area of 6,70,000 hectare which is 4.54% of the total landmass of the country and 44% of national forest land. Depending on topography, soil and climate this area are categorized as i) Tropical wet evergreen forests and ii) Tropical semi-evergreen forests.

The hill forests are abundant with numerous plant as well as animal species. Some important flora are Garjan (Dipterocarpus spp.), Chapalish (Artocarpus chaplasha), Telsur (Hopea odorata), Tali (Palaquium polyanthrum), Kamdeb (Callophyllum polyanthum), Uriam (Mangifera sylvatica), Jarul (Legarstromia speciosa), Civit (Swintonia floribunda), Toon (Cedrela toona), Bandorhola (Duabanga grandiflora) etc. Moreover there are bamboo, cane, climbers and fern etc. in these forests.

These forests are brought under plantation programme since 1871. At present, plantation activities are being conducted under development projects. Some valuable plantation species are Teak (Tectona grandis), Gamar (Gmelina arborea), Mehogani (Swietenia spp), Chapalish (Artocarpus chaplasha), Jarul (Legarstromia speciosa), Koroi (Albizzia spp), Chikrassi (Chikrassia tabularis), Pynkado (Xylia dolabriformis), Kadam (Anthocephalus cadamba), Telsur (Hopea odorata) etc.

The latest forest inventory shows that a total of 23,93 million cubic meter forest products are available there. Among the mammals Elephant (Elephas maximus), monkey (Macaca mulatta), Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Barking Deer ( Muntiacus muntjak), Samvar (Cervus unicolor), and Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus). Among the reptiles King cobra (Ophiophagus hanna) Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator) and Bengal Monitor Lizard (Varanus bengalensis) are remarkable

5.3. Tropical moist deciduous Forests:

The Central and northern districts covering an area of 1,20,000 ha about 0.81% of total land mass of the country and 7.8% of the country’s forest land are bestowed with Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests. This forest is intermingled with the neighbouring settlements and fragmented into smaller patches. Sal (Shorea robusta) is the main species there with other associates like Koroi (Albizzia procera), Azuli (Dillenia pentagyna), Sonalu (Cassia fistula), Bohera (Terminalia belerica), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Kanchan (Bauhinia acuminata), Jarul (Lagerstroemia speciosa), Jam (Syzygium spp) etc.

A recent forest inventory encountered that 3.75 million cubic meter wood available in the sal forests. Presently participatory forestry programme are being implemented here under the social forestry initiatives. Among the mammals, Jackel (Canis aureus), Monkey (Macaca mulatta), Wild cat (Felis chaus) etc. are found there and among the reptiles Bengal Monitor Lizard (Varanus bengalensis) and common cobra are remarkable.

5.4. Village Forests:

Tree coverage in the village forests are 2,70,000 hectare which acts as the source of a remarkable portion of national demand of forest produces. The latest inventory exhibits that a total of 54.7 million cu m forest products are available in this village forests.

1.      Some different types of foresty:

6.1. Social Forestry

Social Forestry programs have been initiated with a view to meet the forest product requirements of local population and to reverse the process of ecological and climatic degradation through proper soil and water conservation and to improve the socio economic condition of the rural people.

Social Forestry programs have following objectives:

1. To meet the needs for fuel wood, small timber, bamboo, fodder and other minor forest produces on sustained basis.

2. To provide employment opportunities to the rural population.
3. To develop cottage industries in rural areas.
4. To utilize the available land to the best advantage according to its production capacity.
5. To provide efficient soil and water conservation.
6. To improve aesthetic value of the area and to meet the recreational needs of the population.

6.2. Agro Forestry

As a concept, Agroforestry is not new in forestry practice. Forest Department has been practicing this in the name of Taungya in the hill forest for last 100 years. But as a science for natural resource management, it is new. Agroforestry as the name implies is the practice of growing agriculture and forestry on the same land at same time to optimize the land utilization. In the plain land forest i.e. in Sal Forest, Forest Department is practicing this system for decades together on a participatory approach to replant the barren forestland and after harvest; a share will go to the participating members. This is a multipurpose approach to replant barren land with the help of participants and protect it by them to build up forest resources. At the end of the rotation, the shares of the harvested forest products are distributed to the participants in accordance to an agreement with the participants.  

This concept is doing well in the ‘Sal Forest’ of Dhaka, Tangail, Mymensing, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Dinajpur. New programs of agroforestry have been incorporated in the ADB aided Forestry Sector Project launched by the Forest Department. In this project 6450 hectare of new plantations will be raised on the degraded Sal Forest and another 5400 hectare will be raised on the harvested land of old Agroforestry plantations.

6.3. Participatory Forestry:

From last two decades there has been a gradual shift in the forest management approach adopted by Forest Department i.e from its traditional custodian role to a more participatory approach. Accordingly the provision of people’s participation in protecting the natural forest and afforesting the degraded and encroached forestland with benefit sharing mechanism has been developed and people’s participation has been ensured.

The ADB funded Community Forestry Project implemented in the seven northern districts from 1981 to 1987 paved the foundation of Participatory forestry in Bangladesh. Following this other ADB funded project named ‘Thana afforestation and nursery development project’, ‘Green Belt project’ were implemented and now ‘Forestry sector project’ is being implemented throughout the country. Major components of this project are: Woodlot, Agro forestry and Strip plantations etc

2.      Protected areas of Bangladesh:

Protected Area Covers 10.72% of Total Forest Area. Protected Areas include Wildlife Sanctuary, National Park and Game Reserve. Their definitions in the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order, 1973 (henceforth Wildlife Order) is as follows:

Wildlife Sanctuary means an area closed to hunting, shooting or trapping of wild animals and declared as such under Article 23 by the government as undisturbed breeding ground primarily for the protection of wildlife inclusive of all natural resources such as vegetation soil and water.

National Park means comparatively large areas of outstanding scenic and natural beauty with the primary object of protection and preservation of scenery, flora and fauna in the natural state to which access for public recreation and education and research may be allowed. Game Reserve means an area declared by the government as such for the protection of wildlife and increase in the population of important species wherein capturing of wild animals shall be unlawful.

3.      Forest Products:

NWFP (Non Wood Forest Products): Some of the important non-wood forest products are listed below: -

8.1. Bamboo  (Melocanna baccifera, Bambusa tulda etc.): Plays a very crucial role in our rural economy and is a singular essential material for construction of temporary house / shelter for the rural people, especially for the hilly tribal people.

8.2. Sungrass  (Imperata spp.): The most common roofing / thatching material for temporary low -cost housing in the villages and forest terrain's of Bangladesh.

8.3.Cane (Calamus viminalis,Calamus guruba):Used for domestic purposes by the rural people, but more so, for sophisticated furniture making & luxury souvenir articles.

8.4.Pati Pata / Murta (Clinogynae dichotoma): This is an excellent material for floor-mats (Pati), which is extensively used by the poor villagers and also as a luxury item for the rich people. This is also exported by the cottage industries as a finished product.

8.5.Gol-Pata (Nypa fruticans):  This is a very popular and essential thatching / roofing material for poor people, around Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts and fetches handsome revenue for the Forest Department.

8.6.Leaves, Bark & Fruits"Kurus pata'':  Holarrhena antidysenterica is very popular for medicinal use. Horitaki (Terminalia chebula), Amlaki (Phyllanthus emblica), Bohera (Terminalia belerica) popularly called "Trifala" (Myrabolum) are used as medicine in the country.

8.7.Honey: Used as food, drink, beverage and also as a medicine in the country.

8.8. Shells, Conch-Shells, oysters etc: Considerable quantity of shells, oysters, conchshells are collected by local inhabitants, as a means of livelihood in the coastal forest-belts, like Cox's Bazar, Teknaf, Moheshkhali, Barisal, Patuakhali, Sundarbans etc. These are highly priced by tourists as souvenir articles and as such may be exported.

8.9. Fish Resources:  In rivers flowing inside forest areas like Sundarbans, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet (as well as in the coastal belts and offshore islands under the jurisdiction of Forest Department) considerable quantity of different types of fish (both sweet-water and saline fish) are harvested by local fishermen, for which the Forest Department earns revenue.

Continued...........

Present Scenario of Forest Resources In Bangladesh: A compact Analysis ( Part-two)

4.1. 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 1872 and the Sundarban Forest Division was created in 1879. In those days, forests were managed primarily for revenue collection under the control of the 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 the forest managers to manage forests 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 an annual basis.

4.2. Present Forest Management The present forest management is almost totally different from the past one in respect of its objectives and philosophy. Present forest management objectives are not only to produce timber only but also to provide clean air, clean water, 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 the living standard of the people residing in the vicinity of the forests.

4.3. Present Management objectives Present forest management is primarily guided by the Forestry Master Plan (FMP) completed in 1993 with assistance from ADB, UNDP, and FAO. The objectives of present forest management are adopted following FMP and these are:

enhancing environment preservation and conservation introducing rational forest land use increasing public participation and benefit from the forest creating forests on marginal and private land institutional strengthening improving management practices Improving efficient resource utilization.

4.4. Recent Improvement in Management Practices: Inventories of all major forest formations in the country except the forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were carried out. This has provided the necessary database for using quantitative information for writing more comprehensive management plans for different forests. Small units of the uniform crop have been identified and information on these units was recorded with the help of computer-based Resources Information Management System (RIMS) unit in FD. The inventory and associated activities have made long-desired information on the status, growth, and yield of forests in the country available. It has been possible to develop volume and yield functions for all major plantation species and volume functions for major species in natural forests. This has made it possible to regulate the yield for a long period of time. A new working plan format has been devised to make it possible for the use of the available information in future management plans. An annual plan of operation is included as part of the management plan. This is basically a detailed plan of operation within the forest division and is prepared by the Divisional Forest Officer. In recent years there has been a substantial shift in the emphasis in Forestry and Forest Management from maximizing yield towards maximizing sustainability through increased participation of local population, conserving biodiversity, and maintaining forestry services. .The present management systems are evolved from the past ones through various modifications in order to incorporate present objectives of forest management. Some new forest management systems are also added to address new concept in forest management such as agroforestry, homestead plantation, strip plantation, participatory forestry on the encroached forest, mangrove afforestation on newly accreted land in the coastal area, conservation area management to preserve wildlife habitat and biodiversity.

4.5 Resource Information Management System: Bangladesh Forest Department initiated the Resource Information Management System (RIMS) during 1984-85 under the auspices of IDA funded Second Forestry Project. The main objective of the RIMS was to produce reports and maps relevant to all aspects of the management plan, silvicultural prescriptions, and to provide information on present and predicted yields from relevant operations. This was designed as an aid to intensive forest resource management of all Forest Divisions through management plans and also in perspective planning in forestry. Thus the RIMS is a two-way information system. The raw data are supplied to the computer from the field divisions. The processed information is sent back to the field Divisions from the RIMS Unit. After performing operations, the data on the new situations are fed to the computer for updating the database. Along with the technological development, RIMS Unit adopted Geographical Information System (GIS), a computer-based data management, mapping, and analyzing system of spatial information. Forest Department integrated GIS with the existing RIMS under the World Bank-financed Forest Resources Management Project (FRMP) in the mid-’90s. RIMS/GIS unit now is bestowed with modern GIS set up with the state of the art and technology, software, computers, plotters, digitizers, and experienced personnel as well.

1.      Type of Forests in Bangladesh:

Types of Forest: There are four types of forests, which have been managed, are as follows: -
1. Mangrove Forests
2.Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests
3.Tropical moist deciduous Forests
4.Village Forest

5. 1. Mangrove forest:

i. Natural Mangrove Forests

The largest single tract of natural mangrove forest is the Sundarban. It consists of a total of 6,01,700 hectare which is 4.07% of total land mass of the country and 40% of total forest land.

Sundarban harbors 334 species of trees, shrubs and epyphites and 269 species of wild animals. World renowned Royal Bengal Tiger is the magnificent animal of the Sundarban. 1,39,700 hectare forest land of Sundarban is declared as World Heritage Site where three wildlife sanctuaries viz.Sundarban East, Sundarban West and Sundarban South wildlife sanctuaries are located. The forest inventory of 1998 exhibits that there are 12.26 million cubic meter timber is available from the species of Sundri (Heritiera fomes), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), Keora (Sonneratia apetala), Baen (Avecennia officinalis), Dhundul (Xylocarpus granatum), Passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis) etc with 15cm and above diameter.

Sundri is the most important tree species in the Sundarban which is distributed over 73% of the reserve. Extent of Sundri is followed by Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), Baen (Avecinnia offcecinalis), Passur (Xylocarpur mekongensis), Keora (Sonneratia apetala) etc. There are some other non-wood forest products like Golpata (Nypa fruticans), honey, wax, fish, crab etc which are also of high value.

Sundarban is a unique habitat for a number of wildlife. Among them some mammals are Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), Monkey (Macaca mulatta), Indian Fishing cat (Felis viverrina), Indian Otter (Lutra perspicillata), Spotted Deer (Axis axis) etc. Reptiles like Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator), Rock Python (Python molurus) and Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) etc. are found in the Sundarban.

ii. Mangrove Plantation

Mangrove afforestation along the entire southern coastal frontier is an innovation of foresters. During 1960-61, Government undertook afforestation programme along the shore land of coastal districts. This initiative got mementum from 1980-81 with the aid of development partners and afforestation programs are extended over foreshore islands, embankments and along the open coasts.

Since 1965-66 upto 2012-2013, 1,96,000 hectare of mangrove plantations have been raised under a number of coastal afforestation projects. The present net area of mangrove plantation is 132,000 hectare after losing some area due to natural calamities.

Contoinued.......

Present Scenario of Forest resources in Bangladesh: A Compact Analysis (Part-one)

1.      Introduction:

Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign state since December 1971. It has about 157.22052 million people (2014) that is 2.19% of worlds total and growing at about 2.1% per annum with about 80% of them living in rural areas in 59, 990 villages having an average household size of 5.3 persons. The overall literacy rate is 32.4% but the literacy rate of women is about 50% of men. The population density is very high and situated in the northeastern part of South Asia between 20° 34' and 26° 38' north latitude and between 88° 01' and 92° 41' east longitude. It lies in the active delta of three major rivers viz Padma, Meghna and Jamuna and their numerous tributaries. The country covers an area of 1,47,570 sq.km and bounded by India from the west, north, and most of east. Myanmar lies on the southeastern edge and bay of Bengal on the south.

Forest Resources are renewable resources which can provide timber, pulp, pole, fuelwood, food, medicine, and habitat for wildlife and primary base for biodiversity A small tract of higher land occurs in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) regions. The southwestern region consists of a large number of dead and cut-off rivers. The coastal part of Bangladesh includes the famous Sundarbans Mangrove Forest. A number of depressed basins are found in the district of greater Mymensingh and Sylhet which are inundated by fresh water during the monsoon that gradually dries out during the dry winter season. These depressed basins are known as ‘Haor’. The climate of Bangladesh is sub-tropical and monsoon rainfall varies from 1200-3500mm. Rice is the major cereal crop while jute, sugarcane, and tea are the main cash crops. Other important crops are wheat, tobacco, pulses, vegetables, and tree fruits. Garments, raw and manufactured jute goods tea, fish and hides and skins are the chief exports. Bangladesh is noted for its estuarine environment, yet less than 10% of its total water flow originates from its own catchments, and rest comes from India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Normally, 20% of the country gets flooded during the monsoon period.

Bangladesh has a border on the west, north, and east with India, on the southeast with Myanmar, and The Bay of Bengal is to the south. Geologically, Bangladesh is a part of the Bengal Basin, one of the largest geosynclinals in the world. The Basin is bordered on the north by the steep Tertiary Himalayas; on the northeast and east by the late Tertiary Shillong Plateau, the Tripura hills of lesser elevation, and the Naga-Lusaiolded belt; and in the west by the moderately high, ancient Chotanagpur plateau. The southern fringe of the basin is not distinct, but geophysical evidence indicates it is open towards the Bay of Bengal for a considerable distance. The formation and growth of the Bengal Basin is directly related to the origin and morphology of the Indo-Gangetic trough, which itself is overlaid and filled by sediments thousands of meters thick (Rahman, 1994). The broad geological features of the Bengal Basin and its prominent tectonic elements are Indian platform, Bengal foredeep, ArakanYoma folded system, and the Sub-Himalayan Foredeep. Other features are Rangpur Saddle, Dinajpur slope, Bogra slope, Hinge Zone, Barisal High, and Troughs of Sylhet, Faridpur and Hatiya, etc. The floor of the Bengal Basin consists of quaternary sediments deposited by the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna rivers, known together as the GBM river system, and their numerous tributaries and distributaries. The sediments are washed down from highlands on three sides of the Basin, particularly from the Himalayas, where the slopes are steeper and the rocks less consolidated.

Over 92 percent of the annual runoff generated in the GBM catchment area flows through Bangladesh, although it comprises only about 7 percent of the total catchment (Coleman, 1969). The whole country consists of mainly low and flat land, except for the hilly regions in the northeast and southeast. Bangladesh has a comparatively low natural resource base, but a high growth rate of population, with almost half of the population below fifteen years of age. Most of the people are among the poorest in the world and depend mainly on the natural resource base for their livelihood. But now the resource base is under serious threat, as many natural resources are either being overexploited or used sub-optimally. Besides the effects of anthropogenic stresses, the low 'land-man' ratio in the country is often further threatened by natural hazards. Thus, for the survival of Bangladesh's dense population, it is essential to have environmental planning and management that conserves and sustains the ecosystems that support their livelihoods. The high population density, low economic growth, lack of institutional infrastructure, an intensive dependence on agriculture and agricultural products, geographical settings, and various other factors, all contribute to making the country weak in its economic development and quality of life

2.      Land & Forest Areas:

 Of the total area of Bangladesh, agricultural land makes up 65% of its geographic surface, forest lands account for almost 17%, while urban areas are 8% of the area. Water and other land use account for the remaining 10%. The total forestland includes classified and unclassified state lands and homestead forests and tea/rubber gardens. In the case of private forests, the data represent the tree-covered areas.

Of the 2.52 million hectares Forest Land, Forest Department manages 1.52 million hectares which include Reserved, Protected and Acquired forest, and Mangrove forest on the newly accreted land in estuaries of major rivers. The remaining 0.73 million hectares of land designated as Unclassed State Forest (USF) are under the control of the Ministry of Land. Village forests (homestead land) form the most productive tree resource base in the country and accounts for 0.27 million hectare

                                               Table: Forest areas in Bangladesh:

  3.      Forest Departments:

The Ministry of Environment and Forests was formed in 1989, both the departments were transferred to this new Ministry. The DoE has been placed under the MoEF as its technical wing and is statutorily responsible for the implementation of the Environment Conservation Act, 1995.

Besides these two departments, MoEF controls the Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC), Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) and Bangladesh National Herbarium (BNH). The Ministry of Environment & Forests is the nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central Government, for the planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the implementation of environmental and forestry programmes. MoEF oversees all environmental matters in the country and is a permanent member of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

Apart from two major departments, i.e., Department of Environment and Department of Forest, working under this ministry, there are three others

3.1.BFRI

Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) was established in 1955 and mandated to provide research support to the Forestry sub-sector of the country, including Forest Department, Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation, NGO and other private enterprises. BFRI's research activities aim to develop appropriate technologies to maintain sustainable productivity of forest land and of forest industries without resource depletion.

3.2. Bangladesh National Herbarium (BNR)

Bangladesh National Herbarium is a plant survey, collection, identification and conservation organization. It documents the plant biological diversity of the country and its collections are accessible samples of natural population. The collection of the herbarium is a national property that goes down to the posterity through generation for hundreds of years and work as reference materials on the flora of the country. The National Herbarium serves as repository of technical information on plant genetic resources and advises the Government on technical aspects of question dealt with by the herbarium. It also provides direction required in the implementation of policies laid down by the Government in relation to plant biodiversity conservation.

3.3. BFIDC

Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC) is mandated to rubber plantation, processing and to extract timber from inaccessible Forest areas. After sawing, seasoning and treatments, these timbers are used in wood based industries for production of quality furniture, electric poles, anchor logs, cross arms, railway slippers, doors & windows, woodtex, tea chest and plywood etc. In addition to this, BFIDC have been raising Rubber plantation in the district of greater chittagong, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Tangail since 1961 in order to increase the productivity of the fellow forest land through producing row rubber in the country. BFIDC so far has raised 32,625 acres of started plantation in its 15 (fifteen) Rubber Estates in greater Chittagong, Sylhet, Tangail and Mymensingh districts and 10 (ten) acres experimental rubber plantation in Barind tract (Rangpur distict ) to test the viability of rubber plantation. Besides, about 33,000 acres rubber plantation has been raised in private sector with technical assistance of BFIDC.

4.      Forest Management:

Forest is a very important renewable resource in Bangladesh. It provides materials like timber, pulp, pole, fuel wood, food, medicine, habitat for wildlife and primary base for biodiversity. It 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. Besides these, forest is also used for hunting, and nature based tourism. Now a days, eco-tourism is the preferred type of tourism and it is widely believed that eco-tourism 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 with the passage of time.