Deforestation, land conversion and illegal logging in Bangladesh: the case of the Sal (Shorea robusta) forests

doi:10.3832/ifor0578-005

Deforestation, land conversion and illegal logging in Bangladesh: the case of the Sal (Shorea robusta) forests

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 5, Issue 3, Pages 171-178 (2012)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor0578-005
Published: Jun 25, 2012 - Copyright © 2012 SISEF

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Bangladesh, with a forest cover estimated at 17.08% of all land surface area, has experienced massive degradation of its natural resources and a considerable change in its land cover. While deforestation in Bangladesh is obviously a complex issue, one important aspect emerges from previous research findings in explaining deforestation: industrialization. This study focuses on the causes of deforestation in Bangladesh, particularly in tropical moist deciduous Sal forests, using multi levels factor analysis framework. Data were collected through questionnaire surveys, formal and informal discussions with local people, expert interviews and literature reviews. The main findings of deforestation framework show that illegal logging and forest land conversion were the ultimate causes of Sal forests deforestation in Bangladesh. Illegal logging is a complex phenomenon and is being patronized by a local syndicate, functioning from behind the scenes. On the other hand, land conversion into different commercial activities has direct influence on national policy and the predisposing conditions of this country. Therefore, the immediate task of the nation would be to stop illegal logging and land conversion of Sal forests. This can be done by involving all relevant stakeholders in the form of effective forest policy formulation and execution of strict environmental protection law.

Keywords

Sal Forests, Deforestation, Land Tenure, Forest Policy, Corruptions

Authors’ address

(1)

Graduate School of Bioresources and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Hakozaki, Higashi, 812-8581 Fukuoka (Japan)

Corresponding author

K Islam
kamrulbau@yahoo.com

Citation

Islam K, Sato N (2012). Deforestation, land conversion and illegal logging in Bangladesh: the case of the Sal (Shorea robusta) forests. iForest 5: 171-178. - doi: 10.3832/ifor0578-005

Academic Editor

Renzo Motta

Paper history

Received: Jan 27, 2011
Accepted: Apr 12, 2012

First online: Jun 25, 2012
Publication Date: Jun 29, 2012
Publication Time: 2.47 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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