Co-management of Protected Areas (PA): A Paradigm Shift in PA Management

Abstract

Since 2004, initially the Nishorgo Support Project (NSP) and later Integrated Protected Area Co-management (IPAC) project in collaboration with Bangladesh forest department (FD) have been implementing protected areas (PA) co-management in Bangladesh that aimed to protect rapidly deteriorating forest biodiversity of the country. Drawing on data from the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), in this chapter we examined peoples’ dependency on forest resources of CWS, forest health conditions, functions of co-management structure at local level, and impact on forest conservation. Household and forest trail surveys show that local people are heavily dependent on CWS’s forests for own use and income. Local people clear forestland for betel leaf cultivation, sungrass production, and other agricultural practices. Forest vegetation survey recorded 93 tree species with a density of 239 trees/ha of which seven (07) exotic species contributed 60 %. Nearly 90 % trees belong to 5–15 cm dbh (diameter at breast height) producing a minimum biomass of 33.3 tree/ha. We observed a four-tier co-management governance structure at local level consisted of village conservation forums (VCF), peoples’ forums (PF), community patrol groups (CPG), and co-management committee (CMC) with each component having their own functions. We found a lack of coordination among local-level co-management structure, NSP, IPAC, and FD. Although CMC was empowered by a government order to perform PA management-related functions, NSP or IPAC took all managerial decisions. In official documents, there was existence of VCF, but we noticed no activities during baseline survey although later on they were involved in GIZ project. The gap between promises and actual provisions had created distrust between CPG and others (CMC, NSP, IPAC, and FD). However, CPG’s continuous patrolling reduced the incidence of illegal logging and the CWS is regaining its old forest growth. We recommend several policy implications for reducing misunderstandings among stakeholders and to ensure sustainability of PA co-management in CWS.