TODAY’S LECTURE CONTENT…

THIS LECTURE WILL COVER…

1. Bangladesh Forest Resource

2. Rivers of Bangladesh

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 OVERVIEW: BANGLADESH FOREST

OVERVIEW…

• About 10.2% of the total land

is under forest cover.

• Estimated rate of
deforestation in natural
forests during 1990-95 was
8800 Hectare annually.

• Per capita forestland in

Bangladesh has shrunk to
0.022 Hectares considered
one of the lowest in the world.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 TYPES OF FORESTS

TYPES OF FORESTS…
State Forest Land (2.2 million hectares):
Reserved Forests:
Under the Forest Act 1927 managed by the Forest Department (1.3 million
hectares)

Unclassified State Forests (USF):

Administered by the Ministry of Land through local administration and not
under the Forest Act 1927 (0.9 million hectares)

Private Forest land (0.4 million hectares):

Village forests; tea estates; rubber plantation, etc.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 RESERVED FORESTS

RESERVED FORESTS…

Reserve forests managed by the Forest Department.

They are of following 3 types:

1. Tropical evergreen or semi-evergreen rain forests: eastern

districts of Chittagong; Cox’s bazar; Sylhet; and CHT.

2. Moist or dry deciduous forests (Sal ban in Madhupur).

3. Tidal mangrove forests: the Sundarbans; Chittagong and

Noakhali coastal belt.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 RESERVED FORESTS

TYPES OF RESERVED FORESTS…

Deciduous
9%

Evergreen
Evergreen Mangrove
Mangrove
50%
41% Deciduous

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 RESERVED FORESTS

PROTECTED
AREAS
INCLUDING
ECOPARKS,
SANCTUARIES,
NATIONAL PARK,
FOREST, ETC…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FOREST TYPES

TYPES (DETAIL CLASSIFICATION)…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 CHT FORESTS

CHT FORESTS…

CHT Forests are tropical evergreen or semi-evergreen rain forests.

They are of 3 types:

• Reserved Forests (24%)
• Protected Forests (1%)
• Unclassified State Forests (75%)

Deforestation, rubber and tobacco plantation and Jhuming are the

issues of concern of the area.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
Source: BWDB
 MANGROVE FORESTS

MANGROVE FORESTS…

Categorized as the “Reserved Forests,” the Sundarbans encompass an

area of 6,017 sq kms and two-thirds of the Sundarban are in
Bangladesh.

There are also some patches in the coastal areas of Chittagong and
Noakhali.

Top-dyeing, natural disaster, illegal felling of trees, poaching and loss of

biodiversity are the issues of concern.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 MADHUPUR FORESTS

MADHUPUR FORESTS…

• Moist or dry deciduous forest known as “Sal” forests in Madhupur

and north-eastern region of Dinajpur.
• Issues of concern are encroachment; illegal felling of trees; land use
change; banana; pineapple; and papaya plantation in the forest
land; loss of biodiversity and wildlife etc.
• Sal forests are gradually shrinking

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FOREST: PLAN AND POLICIES

PLAN AND POLICY…

– National Forestry Policy 1994.

– Forestry Master Plan (1995-2015):
the 20-year plan forges a long-term
strategy to guide forest-based
development in the country
systematically.
– Forest Department is mandated to
implement the policy and the Master
Plan.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FORESTRY POLICY 1994

EMPHASIS…

1. Bring 20% forest cover by 2015.

2. Afforestation of newly accreted charlands; denuded Unclassified

State Forests (USF).

3. Tree plantation in fallow and hinterland involving local UP and the

local government.

4. Priority protection of national parks; wildlife sanctuaries; and the

game reserves.

5. Afforestation of the USF in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 WILDLIFE PRESERVATION

STRATEGY…
Bangladesh Wildlife Preservation (Amendment) Act, 1973 recognized
18 Protected Areas (PAs) for conservation under the following three
categories:
1. Wildlife Sanctuary

2. National Park

3. Game Reserve

• In a Wildlife Sanctuary, no person can enter or reside without

permission. Cannot cultivate, damage or destroy, hunt, kill or
capture, introduce exotic species or domestic animal, cause fire or
pollute the water.

• In a National Park, no person can hunt, kill, capture wild life, cause
fire or pollute the waters. People may access for recreation,
education and research purposes.

• Game Reserve is for protection of wildlife where capturing of wild

animals is illegal.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

LOCATIONS…

1. Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuary

2. Sundarbans South Wildlife Sanctuary
3. Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary
5. Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary
6. Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary
7. Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary
8. Hazarikhil Wildlife Sanctuary

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 NATIONAL PARK

LOCATIONS…

1. Modhupur National Park

2. Bhawal National Park
3. Himchhari National Park
4. Lawachhara National Park
5. Ramsagar National Park
6. Kaptai National Park
7. Nijhoom Dwip National Park
8. Medha Kachopia National Park
9. Satchhari National park

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 GAME RESERVES

LOCATIONS…

Teknaf Game Reserve

Teknaf Game Reserve is situated in Teknaf at the

south-eastern corner of Bangladesh.

It spreads in 5 Unions of Teknaf Upazila of Cox's

Bazar district; these Unions are: Baharchara,
Hnila, Subran, Teknaf and Whykheong.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 CONTRIBUTION OF FORESTRY

GRAPHICAL PRESENTATION…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FOREST FINANCING IN BANGLADESH

FINANCING…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FOREST FINANCING IN BANGLADESH

FINANCING…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FOREST FINANCING IN BANGLADESH

FINANCING…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 ECOLOGICALLY CRITICAL AREAS

UNDER ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION ACT 1995…

1. Strip of 10 km outside the Sundarbans Reserved Forests

2. Sea front of Cox’s bazar and Teknaf
3. St Martin’s Island
4. Sonadia Island (Cox’s bazar)
5. Tangua Haor (Sunamganj)
6. Hakaluki Haor (Moulavi bazar)
7. Marjat Baor (Jhenaidaha)
8. Gulshan Lake (Dhaka)

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 FOREST PRODUCTS

FOREST PRODUCTS…

1. Wood
2. Leaves for thatching for dwellings
3. Honey
4. Fuel wood
5. Bamboo
6. Fish
7. Sun-grasses
8. Wax and cane
9. Crab
10. Stone
11. Sand
12. Medicinal Plant, etc.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOREST

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS…

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 RIVERS OF BANGLADESH

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 RIVERS OF BANGLADESH

BACKGROUND…

Bangladesh is a land of rivers. There

are more than 700 rivers and their
tributaries crisscross the country
constituting a water way of total
length around 24,140km.

The principal rivers of Bangladesh are

the Padma, the Meghna, the Jamuna,
the Buriganga, the Karnaphuli, the
Tista and many others.

Most of these rivers rise from the

Himalayas and fall into the Bay of
Bengal.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 IMPORTANCE OF RIVERS

IMPORTANCE…
• Agriculture
• Food and Livelihood
• Transport
• Trade & Commerce
• Electricity
• Tourism
• Art & Literature

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 PRESENT SITUATION OF RIVERS

PRESENT SITUATION…

Though we have a lot of rivers, many

rivers have almost lost its appeal &
beauty.

Buriganga is the first in this list. It

became a sewage canal.

There are some other rivers like the

Padma, the Karnaphuli, the
Sheetalakha are getting polluted day
by day because of industrial reasons.

Siltation is one of the major problem

in Bangladesh rivers that ended up
with floods during rainy season.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 PARTS OF RIVER

PARTS OF RIVER…
Tributary : a stream flowing into or joining
a larger stream.
Ganga
Distributary : numerous stream branches
into which a river divides where it reaches
its delta.
Upstream : moves toward headwater (up
the regional slope of erosion).
Downstream : moves toward mouth of
river (delta).
Delta : a large, roughly triangular body of
sediment deposited at the mouth of a river.
Meander : a broad, looping bend in a
river .
Braided : river is divided into multiple
Bay of Bengal
channels by alluvial islands. Braided rivers
tend to have steeper gradients.
Department of Environmental Science and Management
Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 THREATS

THREATS…
River bank erosion
Flood
Displacement of settlements
River degradation
Siltation
Traditional Navigation Method
Accidents
Hindrance in Road Network development
Problem in East West communication

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 TRANS-BOUNDARY RIVERS

CHALLENGES…

• A total of 57 major rivers of Bangladesh have entered the country.

• 54 rivers are from India and 3 rivers are from Myanmar.
• These 57 rivers have many tributaries and distributaries which
contribute in forming almost 230 rivers in Bangladesh.
• Hydrologically, Bangladesh has a long duration of dry period which
remains almost 7 to 8 months in a year.
• These trans-boundary rivers are very significant in agriculture,
navigation, ground water contribution, fisheries resources of
Bangladesh.
• More than twenty five rivers face one or more upstream diversion
basically in dry months.
• For this reason, abundant water during monsoon and water scarcity
during non-monsoon months cause year round water related
socioeconomic and environmental problems for Bangladesh.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 TRANS-BOUNDARY RIVERS

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University
 Thanks

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203
North South University