Causes for Degradation to Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary and Its Restoration Strategy

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue V, May 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Causes for Degradation to Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary and Its Restoration Strategy

Md. Safiqur Rahman¹, Dr. A K M Obaydullah^2
1Regional Coordinator, Nature Conservation Management (NACOM), Dhaka, Bangladesh
²Instructor, URC, Primary and Mass Education Ministry, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract: – The purpose of the study is to identify the Causes for the Degradation to Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) and its restoration strategy. Besides this, the study also highlighted the issues in forest management and biodiversity conservation and identify the challenges for the CWS. This forest is seriously degraded and most parts of it are now denuded. Natural forest cover is confined in a few small pockets and represented by few scattered trees nearby the forest offices only. The forest is now dominated by herbs, shrubs and sun grass. Agricultural activities have also increased. Land encroachment has increased by 80% compared to 1970 level. This research study is descriptive-cum-empirical as well as suggestive in nature. The study is survey type. The present study has been included secondary resources consisting of books, newspapers, periodicals, articles from national and international level. Internet sources have been used for the research. Attempts have been made to include the latest information whenever available. At the same time primary data have been collected through interview with some officials and experts on the topic. Baseline data was collected from January to April in 2019. The study shows that highest about 80% HHs depend on forest fuel wood, bamboo and sun grass, followed by fruits (8%), cane (5%), bark of trees (2%), vegetables (5%). Besides, stone and sand also are collected from CWS. About 86% HHs informed that they collect it directly from forest and in 14% cases they purchase or collect it from others. Land encroachment leading to expansion of settlements and agriculture, tree poaching, hunting, collection of fuel wood, bamboo and cane, and other forest products are the major causes for the degradation of the forest and its resources. Poor forest management by FD, local deteriorating law and order situation, adverse role of the local influential people, operation of brickfield and sawmills, local unemployment and poverty are the major underlying factors that contribute to the forest degradation. Finally, it may be concluded that there is an urgent need to strengthen the local FD in the Sanctuary with adequate and skilled manpower with modern weapons and vehicles and to capacitate them in dealing with co-management of Protected Areas, establishment of a buffer sustainable resource use zone around the PA with provision for fuel wood plot, woodlot and other plantations required for house building purposes, appropriate, site specific and technically sound management. Action Plans should be developed with consultation of local people, betel leaf cultivation should be stopped within the sanctuary area, poor resource users should be identified and brought under AIG program with provision that they give up the unsustainable use of forest resources.

Keywords: Degradation, Protected Area, Wildlife Sanctuary, Resources, Biodiversity.

I. BACKGROUND

The Chunuti Wildlife Sanctuary is a tropical semi-evergreen forest in Bangladesh, situated at about 70 km south of Chittagong city on the west side of Chittagong–Cox’s Bazar Highway. The GPS locations for the sanctuary are 21040/ N and 92007/ E. The sanctuary embraces partly 7 unions (namely Chunuti, Adhunagar, Herbang, Puichari, Banskhali, Borohatia, Toitong) of Banskhali and Lohagara Upazila of Chittagong District and Chokoria Upazila of Cox’s Bazar District. Earlier, the sanctuary was under the jurisdiction of Chittagong (south) Forest Division, but in the recent past, it has been transferred to the newly created Wildlife and Nature Conservation Division of the Forest Department. Administratively, the sanctuary is divided 2 Forest ranges, Jaldi and Chunati, 7 Forest Beats (namely, Chunati, Herbang, Aziznagar, Jaldi, Puichari, Chambol and Napora) and further divided into 7 forest blocks. Chunati WS was formally established through a Gazette Notification in 1986 under the provision of Wildlife preservation Act. As per the Gazette Notification the Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 7763.94 ha or 19177 acres. There are 7 mouzas, divided into 15 villages and further divided into about 70% settlements (locally called para). Of the paras, about 48% is located inside and at the edge of the forest and the rest are located outside, but adjacent and nearby the forest. In the Chunati Range, there are about 7810 HHs and a population of approximately 50000.The sanctuary area is generally hilly to mountainous with shallow to deep gullies and gentle to steep slopes. The average elevation is 30.to 90 M. There are numerous creeks, which are clear with gravely, and stony beds, which traverse the area. The forest is covered by about 890 ha bush, 84 ha garjan forest, 13 ha small crown high forest, 11 ha open, 1458 ha plantation, 2761 scattered area and 9 ha water bodies.

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