Problems and Prospects of Implementing

Social Forestry in Bangladesh

Submitted To

Dr. A. Z. M. Manzoor RashId

Professor, DFES, SUST

Submitted By

Reg. No. 2017631013

Session: 2017-18

Department of Forestry & Environmental Science

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.
 Problems and prospects of Implementing Social
Forestry in Bangladesh

Social Forestry
Social Forestry, forestry that aims to ensure the economic, environmental, and social benefits to
the people. Especially the rural and those living in poverty by including the beneficiaries from
the planning stage to the harvest stage. The purpose of social forestry is for the 'poor of the
countryside' and not just the 'tree'. This support not only ensures that trees are planted and
healthy but also ensures that tree planters receive adequate nutrition to live in dignity. FAO has
described social forestry as 'any situation which intimately involves local people in a forestry
activity'. It excludes large industrial forests and other forestry species that contribute only to
employment and wages but also includes forest industry activities and community services to
promote and support forestry activities at the community level.

History of Social Forestry

The term social forestry first came to light in 1976 reported by the National Agriculture
Commission of India, in which the program was used to encourage those who relied on fuel and
other forest products to do their own thing - to "reduce the burden on productive forests" (GOI
1976). It has been suggested that the term be adopted as referring to programs “specifically
aimed at influencing the social actor capable of making this expansion” (Cernea 1989).
However, it is clear that many people think from the "public" label that the term refers to
activities with a large social function. This definition can be seen as a focus on the sharing of the
needs of the poor found in many project documents, as well as a strong response to the
emergence of tree investments in other forestry programs.

Social Forestry in Bangladesh

The history of Bangladesh's forestry is linked to the institutional approach to forestry extension
services in the Department of Forestry. During 1962-63, two forest extension divisions were
split, one in Rajshahi and the other in Dhaka and a tree planting day began on June 1. Since the
establishment of the forest extension section for growing and distributing seedlings, a gradual
expansion of activities has taken place. The tree-planting campaign was initially a day-long one
that lasted a week, then a month, then three months.
Bangladesh's forestry project was taken over by businessmen such as Mahbubul Alam Chashi,
Mohammad Eunus, and Abdul Alim. From 1979 various Social Forestry programs were
introduced in the country to ensure the social and economic development of the rural poor,
employment opportunities in rural areas. Like:
1. Community Forestry Development Project
2. Betagi-Pomora Community Forestry Project
3. Thana Afforestation and Nursery development Project
4. Expanded Social Forestry Project
5. Forestry Sector Project
6. Coastal Greenbelt Project
7. Coastal Bank Rehabilitation Project
8. Rehabilitated Zumia Family Development and Security Camp Project

Prospect and advantages of Social forestry

❖ Environmental advantages:
1. Trees helps to keep the environment cool and increase precipitation
2. Trees play a vital role in the removal of carbon from the environment. Trees use carbon
dioxide as they grow and thus remove it from the environment.
3. An acre of trees is enough to produce enough oxygen for up to 18 people. Trees also absorb
gas pollutants that adversely affect human health by creating conditions such as asthma and
difficulty breathing.
4. Trees absorb noise energy which reduces noise pollution. In addition, the sound of trees
emanating from branches and leaves helps to hide man-made noises and reduces negative noise.
5. The decaying leaves of the trees helps to create a layer of organic matter in the soil that
enriches the soil fertility.

❖ Economic advantages:
1. Increase food production, firewood, fodder, fertilizer and wood which release pressure from
forest.
2. Due to continuous production it helps to increase farm income levels.
3. It helps rural people to become interested in small-scale home-based industries.
4. Proper training can teach people the efficient use of wastelands.
5. It reduces the crop failure percentage. On the other hand, the percentage is high in single
cropping or monoculture system.
❖ Social advantages:
1. Social forestry help to create inviting and cool places for relaxation and recreation such as
parks and playgrounds.
2. Trees also encourage contact with neighbors by providing places where people regularly meet.
3. Trees also add color and delight to the neighbors as the seasons change.

❖ Ecological advantages:
1. Planting of trees in vacant lands helps to increase biodiversity. As the trees grow, the nature of
the habitat will change.
2. In social forestry, trees and their associated vegetation serve as a source of food and shelter for
a variety of animals and birds
3. As the biodiversity grows a natural habitat grows for all populations. That helps to increase the
number of populations and creates ecosystem.

Problems in Implementation
• Due to a lack of knowledge among people and negative responses with regard to the social
forestry system it is hard to introduce people to a new project.
• Lack of proper marketing prevents people from new technology.
• Low survival rate in many traditional forestry projects.
• Public selection and participation are not as expectant due to poverty and illiterate.
• Illegal logging from forest projects.
• Lack of land resources to be included in the social forestry system.
• Social forestry was not widely used, that way it failed to create mass awareness in many places
• Corruption and negligence in the community forest system
• Availability of resources for the poor and landless affects participation.
• Social conflicts between group members discourage local people.
• Insufficient details in the cost-benefit analysis of the project cause insecurities among general
farmers.
How to overcome these problems
To overcome these problems and to implement social forestry projects we have to face some
challenges:

❖ Socio economic challenges:

1. Forest department must help people below the poverty level. They must help them with land
and money to join the plan.
2. In a village or any kind of rural area the population is huge. We can’t involve all of them in a
project. Or the opposite things can happen. The vast population may not be interested in a
project. The department has to handle these things technically.
3. The accessibility with the local and central institutions is a problem. The communicating way
must be acceptable for the local people.
4. The department must have to work with legal and policy. Otherwise, the local people might
lose their faith in the department.
❖ Institutional challenges:
1. The forestry personnel have to be oriented and properly planned.
2. The department has to train manpower frequently and have to supply them when needed.
3. The budget release must have to be time to time delivery.
4. The department has to provide good quality seedlings.
5. Due to overpopulation the number of lands is reducing. So, the department has to take action
on the roadside plantation and homestead plantation.
❖ Legal and policy challenges:
1. The department has to make sure that political influence must not have to affect the project.
2. The processing of legal agreements must be simplified.
References:
1. http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Social_Forestry
2. http://www.fao.org/3/u5610e/u5610e04.htm#:~:text=The%20term%20social%20forestry%2
0first,lighten%20the%20burden%20on%20production
3. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/benefits-types-social-forestry.php
4. Reckoning Social Forestry in Bangladesh by Muhammed et. al. published in Forestry; 78(4),
2005
5. Adler, E. (2001). Forest communities, community forests: A collection of case studies of
community forestry. J. Kusel (Ed.). Forest Community Research.
6. Anonymous (2017). The center for people and forests. Advancing Sustainable Development
Goal 5 on gender equality through community forestry in Asia. Annual Report, RECOFTC
2015-2016.
7. Chowdhury, S. A. (2004). Participation in forestry: A study of peoples participation on the
social forestry policy in Bangladesh: Myth or reality? (Master's thesis, The University of
Bergen).
8. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Community+forestry+in+Bangladesh-
a+case+study+of+Betagi-
Pomra+community+forestry+model&author=Islam%2C+S.S.&publication_year=1998
9. Course materials and lecture presentation slides