*
 

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

*

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

K Islam   , N Sato

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

Technical Reports


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

Corresponding author

 

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

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 79075
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 62245
Abstract Page Views: 3052
PDF Downloads: 12168
Citation/Reference Downloads: 85
XML Downloads: 1525

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 4285
Overall contacts: 79075
Avg. contacts per week: 129.18

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2012): 37
Average cites per year: 3.08

 

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

 
(1)
Ahmed FU (1999)
Summary of the social forestry programs of the Bangladesh Forest Department. The Bangladesh Agroforestry Newsletter 9: 1-2.
Gscholar
(2)
Ahmed MU (2008)
Underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Bangladesh. A report submitted to Global Forest Coalition (GFC), the Netherlands.
Gscholar
(3)
Akther S, Miah MD, Koike M (2010)
Domestic use of biomass fuel in the rural Meghna floodplain areas of Bangladesh. iForest 3: 144-149.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(4)
Alam M, Furukawa Y, Sarker SK, Ahmed R (2008)
Sustainability of Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in Bangladesh: past, present and future actions. International Forestry Review 10 (1): 29-37.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(5)
Ali M, Kabir MA, Hoque ATMR (2006)
People, policy and perpetuity: sustainability indicators of Bangladesh forestry. Electronic Green Journal 1 (24): Article 3.
Online | Gscholar
(6)
Angelsen A, Kaimowitz D (1999)
Rethinking the causes of deforestation: lessons from economic models. The World Bank Research Observer 14 (1): 73-98.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(7)
Banglapedia (2010)
National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Web Site
Online | Gscholar
(8)
BBS (2001)
Statistical year book of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Government of people’s Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gscholar
(9)
BBS (2007)
Statistical pocket book, Bangladesh.Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gscholar
(10)
Capistrano AD, Kiker CF (1995)
Macro-scale economics influences on tropical forest depletion. Ecological Economics 14: 21-29.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(11)
Cassel-Gintz M, Petschel-Held G (2001)
GIS-based assessment of the threat to world forests by patterns of non-sustainable civilization nature interaction. Journal of Environmental Management 59 (1): 279-298.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(12)
Contreras-Hermosilla A (2000)
The underlying causes of forest decline. Occasional Paper No. 30, CIFOR, Bangor, Indonesia.
Gscholar
(13)
FAO (1995)
Forest resources assessments 1990: Global Synthesis: FAO forestry paper, 124, Rome, Italy.
Gscholar
(14)
FAO (2000)
FRA 2000 forest resource of Bangladesh country report. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy.
Gscholar
(15)
FAO (2003)
State of world’s forest. Food and Agricultural organization, Rome, Italy.
Gscholar
(16)
FMP (1992)
Forest management. Forestry master plan. UNDP/FAO BGD 88/025.I, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gscholar
(17)
Gain P (2002)
The last forest of Bangladesh. Society for Environmental and Human Development (SEHD), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gscholar
(18)
Gain P (2005)
Bangladesher Biponno Bon. SEHD, Dhaka, Bangladesh. [in Bengali]
Gscholar
(19)
Gain P (2007)
Stolen forest. Society for Environmental and Human Development (SEHD), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gscholar
(20)
Geist HJ, Lambin EF (2002)
Proximate causes and underlying driving forces of tropical deforestation. Bioscience 52 (2): 143-150.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(21)
Gillis M (1988)
West Africa: resource management policies and the tropical forest. In: “Public policies and the misuse of forest resources” (Repetto R, Gillis M eds). Cambridge University press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 299-352.
Gscholar
(22)
GOB (2008)
Bangladesh: road network improvement and maintenance project II. Ministry of Communication Roads and Highways Department, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gscholar
(23)
GOB (2010)
Forest department official website. Government of people’s Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Online | Gscholar
(24)
Gorte RW, Sheikh PA (2010)
Deforestation and climate change. CRS report.
Online | Gscholar
(25)
Green KM (1981)
Preliminary observation on the ecology and behavior of the capped Langur, Presbytis pileatus, in the Madhupur forest of Bangladesh. International Journal of Primatology 2: 131-151.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(26)
Hossain MK (2005)
Conversion of dipterocarp-dominat natural forests to short rotation plantations- an unrecoverable threat to the native dipterocarps in Bangladesh. APAFRI, Malaysia.
Gscholar
(27)
Islam N (2005)
Environmental issue in Bangladesh: an overview. Pakistan Journal of Social Science 3: 671-679.
Online | Gscholar
(28)
Khan JP, McDonald JA (1995)
Third world debt and tropical deforestation. Ecological Economics 12: 107-123.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(29)
Khan MASA, Uddin MB, Uddin MS, Chowdhury MSH, Mukul SA (2007)
Distribution and status of forests in the tropics: Bangladesh perspective. Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences 44: 145-153.
Online | Gscholar
(30)
Khan NA (1998)
A political economy of forest resource use: Case studies of social forestry in Bangladesh. Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Aldershot.
Gscholar
(31)
Martin J (1999)
Population, poverty and vulnerability: mitigation the effect of natural disasters.
Online | Gscholar
(32)
Mena CF (2001)
Deforestation in the Napo Basin: socio-economic factors, metrics, and patterns. M.Sc. Dissertation, Environmental Studies Department, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
Gscholar
(33)
Muhammed N, Koike M, Haque F, Miah MD (2008)
Quantitative assessment of people oriented forestry in Bangladesh: a case study from Tangail forest division. Journal of Environmental Management 88 (1): 83-92.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(34)
Muhammed N, Koike M, Sajjaduzzaman M (2005)
A study on land tenure complexities of Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in Bangladesh. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology 7 (2): 318-320.
Gscholar
(35)
Munasinghe M (1993)
Environmental economics and biodiversity management in developing countries. Ambio 22: 126-135.
Online | Gscholar
(36)
Pant MM (1990)
Forest resources management. Field document No. 2, UNDP/FAO GBD/85/ 011, Institute of forestry, Chittagong University and FAO, Rome, Italy.
Gscholar
(37)
Rahman M (2010)
Boner adibashider shonge nia bon rakha (Bengali). A report on national news paper “Protom Alo”.
Online | Gscholar
(38)
Repetto R (1988)
Needed: new policy goals. American Forests 94: 58-64.
Gscholar
(39)
Rowe B, Sharma NP (1992)
Deforestation: problems, causes, and concerns. In: “Managing the world’s forest” (Sharma NP ed). Kendal/Hunt publishing, Iowa, USA.
Gscholar
(40)
Safa MS (2004)
The effect of participatory forest management on the livelihood of the settlers in a rehabilitation program of degraded forest in Bangladesh. Small-scale Forest Economics, Management and Policy 3 (2): 223-238.
Online | Gscholar
(41)
Salam MA, Noguchi T (2005)
On sustainable development of social forestry in Bangladesh: Experience from Sal (Shorea robusta) forests. Environment, Development and Sustainability 7: 209-227.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(42)
Salam MA, Noguchi T (1998)
Factors influencing the loss of forest cover in Bangladesh: an analysis from socio-economic and demographic perspectives. Journal of Forestry Research 3: 145-150.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(43)
Shafik N (1994)
Macroeconomics causes of deforestation: barking up the wrong tree? In: “The causes of tropical deforestation: the economic and statistical analysis of factors giving rise to the loss of tropical forests” (Brown K, Pearce DW eds). University College London Press, London, UK.
Gscholar
(44)
Tucker M (1999)
Can solar cooking save the forest? Ecological Economics 31:77-89.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(45)
Turner IM (1996)
Species loss in fragments of tropical rain forest: a review of the evidence. Journal of Applied Ecology 33(2): 200-209.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(46)
Wunder S (2000)
The economics of deforestation: the example of Ecuador. MacMillan and St. Martin Press, St. Anthony’s College, London, UK, pp. 262.
Gscholar
(47)
WWF (1998)
Living Planet Report 1998: overconsumption is driving the rapid decline of the world’s natural environments. WWF, Gland, Switzerland.
Gscholar
(48)
Zikri M (2009)
An econometric model for deforestation in Indonesia. Working paper in Economics and Development Studies No. 200903, Department of Economics, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia.
Gscholar
 

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info