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Perceptions of biodiversity, environmental services, and conservation of planted mangroves: a case study on Nijhum Dwip Island, Bangladesh

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Abstract

Restoration of mangroves is often considered a way to minimize losses incurred from their decline and to provide additional services to coastal communities. However, the success of restoration programs is often focused on biological or ecological criteria. The situation is no exception in Bangladesh, which houses the world’s largest mangrove plantations. This study has been undertaken in a south-central estuarine island (Nijhum Dwip) of the Bangladesh coast and aims to understand societal perception on the achievements of a plantation program. Through 110 household interviews and seven group discussions, an assessment was conducted of peoples’ perception about major flora and fauna of the mangrove ecosystem, benefits derived from the forest, present condition of the forest, causes of degradation, and ways to improve the situation. Around one-fourth of the respondents mentioned that they were highly dependent on the ecosystem. The most important perceived benefits were: provision of raw materials, prevention against natural disasters, climate regulation and soil retention. However, the majority (>80%) of the respondents perceived the ecosystem to be degrading. Encroachment and illicit felling were identified as the main causes of such degradation. In order to arrest the continued degradation allowed by conventional forest management flaws, adaptive co-management has been recommended to conserve this ecosystem in a more equitable way.

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Acknowledgements

The paper is part of thesis of the first author submitted for the partial fulfillment of the Master of Science in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management in the University of Oxford in 2006 (Iftekhar 2006). The Stockholm Environment Institute, Oxford Office (SEI) and the Char Development and Settlement Project (Phase III) of Ministry of Water Resources, Government of Bangladesh provided financial and logistic support to this work. Bangladesh Forest Department gave necessary permission to carry out the work. The people of Nijhum Dwip were very much supportive throughout the study. Extensive cooperation has been received from Mr. Hasan Sayed, Mr. Ferdouse and rest of the CDSP team in Noakhali. Mr. Keon de Wilde of CDSP III facilitated the project from the beginning and Dr. M. Rafiqul Islam of Program Development Office—Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (PDO-ICZMP) Project acted as the external adviser to this project. Cooperation has been received from Mr. Shekhar Ranjan Biswas of IUCN-Bangladesh and Mr. Wasiul Islam of Khulna University, Bangladesh. Ms. Tara Zamin of Oxford University Centre for the Environment (OUCE) proofread the final draft and made it readable. Prof Rob Whittaker of OUCE supervised the project and provided much needed encouragement. The first author wishes to express his sincere gratitude to all of them.

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  1. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    M. S. Iftekhar

  2. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Oxford Office, Suite 193, 266 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 7DL, UK

    T. Takama

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  1. M. S. Iftekhar
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Correspondence to M. S. Iftekhar.

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Iftekhar, M.S., Takama, T. Perceptions of biodiversity, environmental services, and conservation of planted mangroves: a case study on Nijhum Dwip Island, Bangladesh. Wetlands Ecol Manage 16, 119–137 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-007-9060-8

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