Social Forestry Conditions on the Teknaf Peninsula

Abstract

This chapter discusses the conditions of social forestry (SF) in the Teknaf and Shilkhali ranges in 2013, 10 years after the SF scheme was first implemented in Teknaf. Field-based surveys and interviews were conducted in September 2013 and in March 2014, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was analyzed based on satellite imagery produced in 2010. The correlation matrix was used to describe the relationship between these factors. We found that active tree felling occurred in 70.3% of SFs up to 2013. In eight SFs in which Acacia species had been planted, thinning management deviated from the prescribed SF regulations. Thinning was done properly in 11 SFs, and five SFs with broad-leaved species and seven cleared SFs were identified. These results were mapped, revealing differences in current conditions of the SFs, as well as local measurement requirements. The findings will facilitate SF conservation in the study area.