Download National Forestry Policy, 2016 (Final Draft)

Government of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh
NATIONAL FORESTRY POLICY, 2016
(Final Draft)
Bangladesh Forest Department
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Please send your comments to
[email protected],
[email protected],
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National Forestry Policy, 2016 (Final Draft)
The forests of Bangladesh sustain the natural environment by providing supportive and regulatory
ecosystem functions and services to the people of the country. There are several recognizable
challenges, nevertheless, that affect current forestry sector performance. These may be partitioned
into (1) an institutional component, which is concerned with the strengthening of forestry sector
public institutions - including the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Bangladesh Forest
Department (BFD), the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI), the Bangladesh National
Herbarium (BNH) and the Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC) - as well
as the inadequate forest research and technical capacities; (2) an environmental component, which
encompasses concerns with deforestation and forest degradation, forestland encroachment, forest and
wetland ecosystems degradation, conversion of forest lands to non-forest uses, wildlife poaching and
trafficking, low forest productivity, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity; and (3) a
socioeconomic component, which incorporates considerations of increasing demands for forest
products and forestland, inadequate involvement of forest-dependent communities - including
women, youth and indigenous people - in participatory and collaborative forest management,
weakened forest governance, and the lack of effective communication and outreach to stakeholders,
including public decision makers, civil society and the private sector. The proximate drivers of these
various factors include population pressures; poverty; expanding cultivation, urbanization and
industrialization; the lack of appropriate institutional capacity and policies; and insufficient manpower
and investment for forest protection and development.
The relatively rapid loss of resilience in forest ecosystems as the result of the actions of these factors
has not only adversely affected natural resource dependent communities, but also has impacted soil
fertility; water quantity and quality; air quality; the carbon sequestration capacity of forests; the
maintenance of biodiversity, including wildlife; wetlands and fisheries. These impacts have reduced
the country's natural resources capital and increased concerns with emerging environmental issues,
particularly those associated with climate change, forestland conversion and the loss of biodiversity
and these must be addressed in the context of the country’s development through more effective
forestry sector planning and more rational prioritization of required remedial actions.
The vision of the National Forestry Policy is to:


Restore and maintain the country’s environmental integrity;
increase and stabilize its forest cover to at least 20% of the country's geographical
area;
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address in the most effective manner the emerging challenges associated with climate
change and the maintenance of sustainable flows of ecosystem goods and services;
increase the contributions of the country's forests to national income and the
enhancement of local employment and income opportunities; and
support efforts to secure food security and alleviate poverty by enhancing biodiversity
conservation through the sustainable management of forests, wildlife and other
ecosystems, including those of protected areas, social and community forests, coastal
forests of mangroves and charland plantations, wetlands, homesteads, and other tree
cover.
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
The principal objectives of the National Forestry Policy are to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Reduce forest degradation and halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and conserve
environmental services, biodiversity and wildlife, promote food and water security and
enhance community livelihoods to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Intensify efforts to ensure that 20% of the country's area is under forests and tree cover,
including 100% of state forests, 80% of hill land areas, 30% of terrain land areas, and 10%
of plain land areas, by 2035 through afforestation, reforestation, social forestry, and
ecological restoration and sustainable forest management programs involving the
government, conservation and natural resources management non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and the private sector in partnership with local communities.
Enhance forest resilience through the conservation of forests and biodiversity, arresting
forest fragmentation and degradation, establishing and linking forest corridors,
encouraging participatory afforestation with climate resilient species, and strengthening
forest resources patrolling activities by expanding the use of MIST and SMART monitoring
and reporting systems and linking their applications with the actions of rapid response
forest crime enforcement teams.
Strengthen biodiversity conservation by mitigating threats and drivers of forest
degradation and the loss of biodiversity and expanding and sustainably managing protected
area landscapes and wildlife, including forest corridors.
Increase contributions to revenue generation and the enhancement of local employment
and income opportunities through the establishment of sustainable and profitable forest
products enterprises, the development and expansion of nature- and culture-based tourism,
and the optimization of carbon credit and other related sources of conservation funding.
Promote innovative forms of collaborative, participatory forestry to increase forest
productivity with positive implications on climate change mitigation, poverty alleviation
and the equitable distribution of socioeconomic benefits to local communities.
Restore and sustainably manage degraded and other marginal areas, including coastal areas
and wetlands, under climate resilient, participatory afforestation, reforestation,
rehabilitation and ecological restoration processes to increase carbon sequestration
consistent with the production and distribution of co-benefits that contribute to meeting
local community requirements.
Launch and sustain a country-wide conservation movement by encouraging, especially,
women, youth and indigenous people to promote climate resilient private tree growing and
forge innovative conservation partnerships with the private sector, civil society and
conservation and natural resources management NGOs to forestall forestland
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encroachment, impede deforestation and forest degradation, and control wildlife poaching
and trafficking.
9. Ensure compliance with the requirements of relevant international agreements,
conventions, and protocols to which the Government of Bangladesh is a signatory and
establish appropriate enabling conditions to access international funds made available
under those agreements, conventions, and protocols.
10. Monitor the state of forest, biodiversity and ecosystem services to provide relevant
management and decision-making information required by the government and its
departments and agencies, as well as by other stakeholders, through increasing manpower
and the institutional strengthening of forestry research and analytical capacities and
monitor the status of local community forest users and resource uses.
National Forestry Policy Statements
1. Efforts will be intensified to restore and maintain the environmental integrity and structure and
functions of the country's forests by increasing the forest cover to at least 20% of the country's
geographical area to address emerging challenges associated with climate change and biodiversity
conservation.
2. The country’s forest ecosystems will be managed in a sustainable manner and its public forests will
provide access to forest dependent communities to meet their socio-ecological and subsistence
requirements to the extent that those do not impair fulfillment of the resource requirements of future
generations.
3. The forestry sector will operate in a manner in which the optimal balance between the uses of the
country's forests as revenue earning assets and their conservation and protection to maintain
ecological integrity and biodiversity will be achieved and the sustainable provision of the
environmental services of forests will be ensured.
4. The prevailing ban on clear felling in state natural forests will continue indefinitely, but sustainable
forest management practices, including cleaning, coppicing, thinning and other silvicultural
operations, will regularly occur to encourage natural regeneration that supports forest ecosystem
restoration and rehabilitation according to approved management plans.
5. Protected Area landscapes and wildlife corridors that provide priority habitats for wildlife
management and biodiversity will be conserved, expanded and sustainably managed and the
Protected Area network will be strengthened by expanding it to 20% of the state forest area by 2035
in all of the bio-geographical zones of the country.
6. The ex situ and in situ conservation of biodiversity will be promoted through the expansion and
sustainable management of zoological and botanical gardens, arboretums and other related categories
of protected areas.
7. Land-based public development initiatives, including infrastructure planning and implementation,
will be required to incorporate appropriate initial environmental investigations and environmental
impact assessments to avoid the fragmentation of wildlife and biodiversity habitats and minimize
environmental damage.
8. Forestry research facilities will be upgraded to conserve germplasm, and biosafety standards will
be established to minimize impacts of invasive alien species and genetically modified organisms.
9. The co-management of state forests and protected areas in association with stakeholders, especially
indigenous communities, will be promoted to ensure the sustainability of conservation efforts.
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10. The threats and drivers of forestland and biodiversity loss will be distinguished and mitigated by
strengthening enforcement of provisions of wildlife and forest Acts and Rules and by forging
meaningful collaboration with relevant agencies and stakeholders, including local governments, the
private sector and local communities.
11. The extent of illegally traded wildlife will be reduced and national and international commitment
and collaboration will be expanded and strengthened to deter wildlife poaching and trafficking.
12.There will be a Wildlife and Nature Conservation Wing with an operational crime control unit and
international cooperation unit established in the Forest Department.
13. Environmentally sound and socio-economically inclusive nature-based tourism will be promoted
in a manner that recognizes and responds to the limits imposed through natural carrying capacities.
14. Nature-based tourism facilities and visitor management compatible with nature conservation will
be developed to contribute to the welfare of indigenous communities through the provision of natureand cultural-based employment opportunities that increase incomes of forest dependent communities
and maintain the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems.
15. International conventions, treaties and protocols signed by the Government of Bangladesh will be
adhered to and appropriate institutional arrangements will be established to ensure compliance with
those agreement's reporting requirements.
16. Climate resilient afforestation and reforestation will be prioritized on unused public lands and
degraded forestlands and the scope of those activities will be expanded to encompass ecological
restoration and the rehabilitation of degraded forest ecosystems in diversified landscapes for
biodiversity conservation in partnership with forest dependent communities, especially indigenous
communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
17. The use of an integrated watershed management approach with the participation of local
communities, as well as indigenous communities, will be promoted and implemented in hill and
undulating forests, especially in headwater reserved forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
18. The critical forest and wetland ecosystems in the Sundarbans, Chittagong Hills Tract and Coastal
Greenbelt will be restored, consolidated, and conserved to buffer the adverse impacts of climate
change-induced natural disasters, including cyclones, storms, floods and landslides.
19. Massive afforestation efforts in deforested state forestland, the denuded hill areas of unclassified
state forests, newly accreted inland chars and char lands of coastal areas, as well as on lands
surrounding roads, rails, dams, and khas tanks, will be expanded with the collaboration of local
communities, the private sector, and natural resource management and conservation NGOs.
20. The climate resilience of forest ecosystems will be enhanced by conserving forests and biodiversity
and arresting forest fragmentation and degradation to ensure climate resilient aspects of forests,
ecosystems, and local communities.
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21. State forests will not be converted to non-forestry uses without prior approval from the Prime
Minister’s office with proper vetting through the office of the Honorable President of Bangladesh.
22. The impacts on forests of climate change will be assessed and a responsive afforestation strategy
will be developed that incorporates appropriate silvicultural practices and selection of species.
23. The rising disparity separating the supply of, and demand for, timber and non-timber forest
products will be reduced by expanding the area and increasing the productivity of plantations,
including those established through the private sector and on homestead lands.
24. Forest-based, labor-intensive, value added enterprises, including those associated with the
processing of imported timber into furniture and souvenirs for export markets, will be promoted and
incentivized.
25. Forest-based industries will be encouraged to use state of the art technologies and a business
enterprise approach to produce and/or procure raw materials for meeting production requirements
by collaborating with the private sector and individual homestead farmers.
26. Support will be provided to women, youth and indigenous communities to establish forest-based
cottage and small-scale enterprises with investments in employment-enhancing non-timber forest
product-based livelihood technologies that add product value and generate income and increased local
employment opportunities.
27. The institutional roles and responsibilities of the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute and the
Bangladesh National Herbarium will be reviewed and research programs of the BFRI and public and
private universities with forestry and environmental science programs will be strengthened.
28. The Resources Information Management System (RIMS) will be upgraded through the
establishment of a new wing on Forest Resources Assessment and Monitoring with adequate skilled
staffing that will be responsible for forest resources-related data collection, documentation and
dissemination, planning and conducting periodic analyses of forest cover and forest resources
inventories, and resource monitoring.
29. Training facilities of the Forest Training Academy, Forest Development and Training Center, and
Forest Science and Technology Institutes will be restructured and enhanced by increasing the numbers
of qualified and skilled faculty members and ensuring the provision of adequate budgets and sufficient
logistic support.
30. The financing of conservation through payments for ecosystem services and the establishment of
forest carbon credits will be strengthened by developing a national REDD+ program.
31. Laws, rules, regulations and administrative orders pertaining to the forestry sector will be
amended and, if required, new laws and rules will be promulgated in consonance with national goals
and priorities and national forestry policy objectives.
32. Strict enforcement of acts, rules, regulations and administrative orders pertaining to forests,
wildlife and biodiversity conservation will be ensured by substantially strengthening the institutional
capacity and increasing the manpower of the Forest Department and enhancing collaboration with law
enforcement agencies.
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33. Government policies regarding recruitment, posting and management of professional cadre and
non-cadre foresters, forest scientists and public forest industry staff will be directed to providing
appropriate incentives to increase motivation and enhance professional competence required to
assume increasing responsibilities with human resources planning conducted in every public agency
active in the forestry sector.
34. The recognition of community conservation areas such as mauza/pada van and other forest,
wildlife and biodiversity conservation initiatives of indigenous communities will be ensured.
ANNEXES
Annex 1
1. PREAMBLE
1.1 Article 18A of the Bangladesh Constitution states that “The state shall endeavor to protect and
improve the environment and to preserve and safeguard the natural resources, biodiversity,
wetlands, forests and wildlife for the present and future citizens.”
1.2 The National Forestry Policy establishes broad principles and strategies designed to guide
public and private actions, including those of local communities, the private sector, civil society
organizations and conservation and natural resources management NGOs, that contribute to the
maintenance of the country's forest ecosystems.
1.3 The Government of Bangladesh promulgated a revised National Forestry Policy in 1994 in
response to the recommendations of the country's initial Forestry Master Plan. In the intervening
period since the development of that National Forestry Policy, however, several important issues
and perspectives have emerged at the national and international levels, including the
establishment of Millennium, as well as Sustainable, Development Goals; ongoing climate change
negotiations that have occasioned the acceptance of the Intended Nationally Determined
Contributions (INDC) mechanism for establishing national commitments to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions after 2020 through the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change ; a perceptible shift toward participatory and collaborative
forestry; increased appreciation of the importance of forest ecosystem functions and services; and
the emergence of a sound conceptual structure for the development of a 'green' economy that
would encompass low emission land use systems, private sector and community participation in
sustainable forest management, expanded forest certification, reduced incidences of wildlife
poaching and other forest-related crimes, and the use of modern technologies.
1.4 While state forests have experienced considerable deforestation and forest degradation in
intervening years, homestead forests have expanded both in area, as well as in the mix of tree
species that is planted. The production of an updated and revised National Forestry Policy is,
therefore, incumbent to address current and emerging conservation challenges affecting,
especially, state forests, including those associated with climate change, the loss of biodiversity
and the importance of ensuring the sustainable management of forest ecosystems to provide the
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goods and services that contribute through local communities to national socioeconomic
development.
1.5 The underlying principles of the National Forestry Policy emphasize sustainable forest
management with co-benefits derived through biodiversity conservation; the mitigation of the
impacts of climate change and resulting community well-being; integrated forest management,
including landscape and ecosystem approaches that encompass forests and sustainable forest
management practices, with improved forest governance and expanded use of modern
technologies; innovative forest management practices derived on the basis of relevant applied
research and field evidence; conservation partnerships with communities and the private sector
based on socioeconomic equity and gender equality; and strengthened political and civil society
commitment, collaboration and enforcement to ensure forest and wildlife conservation and
protection.
1.6 The National Forestry Policy recognizes that peoples' lives and livelihoods depend on healthy
and vigorous regenerating forests and protected areas and durable socio-ecological and economic
development are not possible unless forest ecosystems are conserved and the services that those
ecosystems provide are properly recognized and valued. The National Forestry Policy seeks to
stimulate conservation partnerships involving, especially, local communities and the private
sector, to support sustainable forest management.
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Annex 2
2.CONTEXT
2.1 Bangladesh extends over an area of 147,570 square km. It is bounded by India in the west, north
and east; Myanmar in the southeast; and the Bay of Bengal in the south. The country, which is located
between 20o34’ and 26o38’ north latitude and 88o01’ and 92o41’ east longitude, is a low-lying active
delta, traversed by numerous branches and tributaries of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers.
The country has approximately 2.6 million hectares of forest that account for 17.62% of the country’s
area, but only 10.84% of its land area is under the management of the Bangladesh Forest Department.
2.2 The principal aim of the National Forestry Policy of 1994 was to achieve 20% of the country's area
under forests by 2015 by controlling deforestation and forest degradation through social afforestation
and reforestation programs on public and private unused lands. That aim was not achieved, however,
since several important recommendations were unable to be implemented. This revised National
Forestry Policy of 2016 has been formulated in consultations with various groups of stakeholders and
it is consistent with national development planning goals and the broader perspective of relevant
international conventions, treaties, and protocols to which Bangladesh is signatory.
2.3 Consistency with the Government of Bangladesh's planning framework, including with respect to
its national perspective plan, and harmonization with relevant sectoral policies and plans, is an
important prerequisite for effective forest policy development and implementation. The Bangladesh
Perspective Plan (2010-21), which adheres to the Government of Bangladesh Vision 2021, was
articulated in the Sixth Five Year Plan (2011-15) and included in the current Seventh Five Year Plan
(2016-20). That Vision encompasses a development scenario in which the country's population has a
higher standard of living, is better educated, has expanded access to social justice, and lives under a
more equitable socioeconomic environment in which sustainable development is ensured through
more effective protection from the various vagaries of climate change and natural disasters.
2.4 The principal development priorities of the Bangladesh Perspective Plan distilled from that Vision
include: ensuring broad-based growth and reducing poverty; promoting effective governance and
sound institutions; creating a caring society; addressing concerns with globalization and regional
cooperation; ensuring energy security to spur development and increase societal welfare; establishing
sound infrastructure and managing urban challenges; mitigating the impacts of climate change; and
promoting an innovative, knowledge-based society. Increasing the accountability and transparency
associated with public forest management is emphasized in the Perspective Plan, as is the
strengthening of the Sundarbans and the Coastal Greenbelt.
2.5 The formulation of an implementable National Forestry Policy is a matter of utmost importance to
Bangladesh since it has important implications affecting the ecological integrity of the nation's forest
ecosystems, the mitigation of the impacts of climate change, the maintenance of food security, and the
alleviation of poverty. Forestry policy development and implementation in Bangladesh is a multisectoral undertaking that involves several ministries and agencies responsible for land use and natural
resources management and those ministries and agencies have expressed through their sector
strategies and programs their commitment to achieve the country's overarching goals of biodiversity
conservation, poverty alleviation, and climate change impact mitigation and adaptation.
Annex 3
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3. PURPOSE
3.1 Forest ecosystems are vital ecological and socioeconomic assets to be conserved for the
wellbeing of present and future generations. The most secure basis for forest and biodiversity
conservation is to ensure that forest dependent people, in particular, and the nation, in general,
have access to more quality goods and services as the result of forest conservation than would be
available under conditions of increased deforestation and forest degradation. The country's
expanding population and conflicting land use pressures necessitate a balanced forestry sector
strategy that responds to international commitments, national development paradigms, and
environmental imperatives, as well as to local socioeconomic requirements.
3.2 The National Forestry Policy addresses biodiversity conservation and climate change impact
mitigation and adaptation through the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and the
participation in that management of local communities, the private sector, civil society
organizations and conservation and natural resources management NGOs. It incorporates forests
as an essential component of sustainable socioeconomic development and aims to control
deforestation and forest degradation and strengthen the climate resilience of the country's forest
ecosystems, plant and animal species, and local communities.
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Annex 4
4. STRATEGIES AND CONCEPTS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL
FORESTRY POLICY
The strategies and concepts associated with the implementation of the National Forestry
Policy are organized to emphasize the importance of the following nine subjects:
4.1 Sustainable Forest Management
4.1.1 Sustainable forest management provides the over-arching theme that unites each of the
elements of the National Forestry Policy and, as such, integrated management planning and
implementation in forests and protected areas will be used to ensure sustainable natural
resources management, including the sustainable management of water and soil resources.
This integrated approach to management will be accomplished through forest conservation
and ecological restoration, and the use of modern forest technologies and innovative and
collaborative management practices.
4,1,2 Terrestrial and aquatic forest ecosystems will be managed sustainably as national public
goods that provide positive climate change- and socioeconomic-related benefits and
resources for meeting local community requirements for timber, fuelwood, non-timber forest
products, water and soil, and employment in nature-based tourism programs. The sustainable
management of forest ecosystems will support the maintenance of essential ecosystem
functions and services required to preserve and increase agricultural productivity to ensure
national food security.
4.1,3 Forest landscapes, including degraded forestlands, as well as non-forestland areas, that
are considered to be most vulnerable to climate change and undermine local community
livelihoods will be restored and sustained by using an integrated systems approach that
reestablishes biodiversity in landscapes and watersheds. Surface and below-ground water
yields will be augmented through forest conservation and ecological restoration by applying
modern forest science practices, appropriate technologies, and innovative learning
procedures. Efficient and sustainable increases in forest productivity will be achieved on these
lands by using certified seeds, providing quality seedlings, and applying silvicultural 'best
practices.'
4.1.4 Forest dependent communities will participate in labor-intensive income generation and
poverty alleviation forestry programs, including those associated with the joint protection,
regeneration, and conservation of forests and protected areas, wetlands, and wildlife.
4,1,5 Conflict-amenable, climate resilient and conservation-linked livelihood development
programs will be promoted by strengthening forest and protected area governance and
supporting the efforts of forest dependent communities to enhance livelihoods and achieve
required levels of financial sustainability.
4,1,6 The effectiveness of established livelihood strategies will be assessed to strengthen
linkages between enhanced local community livelihoods, increased community engagement
in forest conservation practices, and resultant reductions in community dependence on forest
resources.
4.1.7 Those organizations that participate in the co-management of forests will be involved in
designing and implementing conservation-linked livelihood programs for which active
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support will be sought from international development partners and local conservation and
natural resources management NGOs and other civil society organizations.
4.1.8 Every state forest, over time, is expected to be managed under an approved management
plan with sufficient support personnel, technical capacities and budget resources. The Forest
Department will initiate this process by establishing appropriate technical guidelines and
prescribed methodologies that facilitate the development, implementation, and monitoring of
integrated forest management plans.
4.2 Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation
4.2.1 Biodiversity resources and conservation will be aligned to national development goals
and integrated into the country’s development planning processes. The conservation of
priority biodiversity sites, plant and animal species, and genetic diversity will be supported to
ensure the country’s wellbeing by mitigating the adverse impacts of natural disasters.
4.2.2 The co-management of protected areas will ensure the sustainability of protected area
conservation and wellbeing of forest-dependent communities, including the protection of the
intellectual property rights of local communities.
4.2.3 The management of marine and coastal protected areas will be strengthened to
contribute to the mitigation of natural disasters and other threats affecting marine and coastal
environments and coastal communities
4.2.4 The occurrence, habitats, foraging behavior, and home ranges of landmark wildlife
species will be an important factor in delineating and declaring new protected areas and/or
re-gazetting existing ones.
4.2.5 Biodiversity conservation activities will not inadvertently exacerbate or create social
conflicts with local communities, but will rather promote social, institutional and climate
resilience. Human-wildlife conflicts in and around protected areas and other state forests will
be minimized by the adoption of a collaborative management approach and the introduction
of appropriate negotiation tools and techniques that support participatory biodiversity
conservation practices.
4.2.6 Protected areas comprised of gazetted forest areas and neighboring state forests,
including wetlands, will be demarcated into core zones and buffer zones on the basis of the
results of biodiversity assessments and forest management objectives to provide a meaningful
spatial framework to ensure the sustainable management of protected areas with the highest
conservation values and maintain the maximum possible area under forest cover. Interface
landscape zones will be established, as well, to secure the sustainable management of
adjoining forests and wetlands, provide for the adaptation of local communities to climate
change, and reduce disaster risks. Fragile areas, including Ecological Critical Areas, will be
incorporated into established interface landscape zones.
4.3 International Conventions, Treaties and Protocols
4.3.1 The inherent synergies that are associated with participation in international
conventions, treaties, and protocols will be established and expanded. The government will
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implement the climate change adaptation and mitigation actions reported in the Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) to ensure compliance with the technical requirements and
environmental and social safeguards associated with Reduced Deforestation and Forest
Degradation (REDD+) and other forest carbon and climate change-related international
programs. This will increase opportunities to secure international financing that will increase
investments throughout the forestry sector.
4.4 Climate Resilient Forestry
4.4.1 Public and private tree nurseries that use 'best' practices will be accredited and the
selection of native or mixed species to be planted will be selected to match site-specific
suitability requirements. Social forestry, afforestation, reforestation, the development of
medicinal plantations, timber harvesting and marketing from production forests established
under the social forestry program, agroforestry practices, and ecological restoration will be
promoted on unused public and private lands. Silvi-horticultural practices that emphasize the
use of fruit-bearing tree species will be encouraged to supplement the nutritional levels of the
rural poor, especially indigenous communities, women, and children.
4.4.2 Forest ecosystem-based natural disaster mitigation and risk reduction programs,
including coastal embankments stabilization with the participatory establishment of
plantations of climate resilient shrub and tree species through enrichment planting and
assisted natural regeneration, will be promoted and social and environmental safeguards,
including the rights of indigenous communities expressed through 'free, prior and informed
consent,' will be mainstreamed.
4.4.3 Coastal afforestation and mangrove regeneration will be prioritized as an adaptation
response in recognition of the prevailing high risks and vulnerabilities of coastal communities.
Newly accreted charlands will be stabilized through the establishment of plantations of
pioneer species such as Keora and Baen and subsequent progression through recognized
successional stages, as well as through the introduction of appropriate soil conservation
practices. Those coastal areas in which plantations are established by the Forest Department
will not be leased out for non-forestry purposes. Coastal zone management practices will be
promoted in association with various government land agencies, including the Water
Development Board and the Roads and Highways Department.
4.4.4 Forest-dependent communities in coastal areas will be supported in conducting village
level climate change vulnerability assessments, and in developing and implementing climate
change adaptation plans. Forest ecosystem-based disaster mitigation and risk reduction
programs and watershed management will be promoted. Wetlands in and around forests and
protected areas will be maintained pollution-free and managed for forest conservation and
climate change mitigation and adaptation.
4.4.5 The impacts on forests of climate change will be assessed and a responsive afforestation
strategy developed that incorporates appropriate silvicultural practices and the selection of
species that balances increases in forest ecological resilience to climate change risks in
afforested and reforested areas with the socioeconomic resilience achieved through the
adoption of a participatory approach and the diversification of community livelihoods.
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4,4,6 Agroforestry practices that emphasize silvi-horticulture-agriculture systems will be
encouraged. Homestead Pukurs, or ponds, which are established as fisheries, will form part of
rural agroforestry systems. Village forest inventories will be conducted periodically to provide
technical advice to villagers and develop innovative peoples’ nurseries and tree growing
initiatives.
4.4.7 Carbon stocks in forests, reforested and afforested areas, and agroforestry plantations
will be periodically assessed and enhanced to contribute to the mitigation of the impacts of
climate change.
4.4.8 In instances of approved forest land conversions, equal areas of non-forestland will be
afforested and adequate budgets provided to ensure sustainable management of those
replacement lands.
4.4.8 The climate change mitigation and adaptation roles of the Sundarbans, Chittagong Hill
Tracts, and Coastal Greenbelt will be communicated to stakeholders, especially socio-political
elites and other decision makers.
4.4.9 Degraded and unused public lands, including coastlands, emerging charlands and
wetlands, will be restored, consolidated and managed through collaborative and participatory
afforestation, reforestation, social forestry and ecological restoration practices to maintain
ecosystem services, reduce vulnerabilities to climate change risks, and sequester carbon and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
4.4.10 Technical assistance and extension services will be provided to support climate change
adaptation and mitigation initiatives, including private tree growing; community and
homestead forestry; private nursery development and tree planting with the involvement of
women, youth, and indigenous communities; and the establishment of climate resilient publicprivate tree growing partnerships. These efforts will motivate individuals to grow more trees
in and around homesteads and on unused marginal lands (e.g., the premises of institutions
such as union councils; educational organizations; religious places of worship, including
idgahs, mosques, monasteries and temples; orphanages; roadsides; railway sidings;
foreshores; urban spaces; and embankments) with appropriate emphasis on climate resilient
shrub and tree species, indigenous non-timber forest products, fodder, and fruit-bearing tree
species.
4.5 Forest and Wildlife Protection
4.5.1 Forest and protected area ecosystems will be protected and maintained by providing
suitable incentives to motivate forestry officials and involve local communities in
management decision-making processes. The strict enforcement of applicable Acts and Rules
will deter illegal tree felling, forest fires, forest grazing, wildlife poaching and trafficking, and
encroachment on forestlands and in protected areas. Demand will be reduced by expanding
and strengthening national and international commitment and collaboration to combat the
illegal trade in timber and wildlife. The government will improve coordination and prioritize
wildlife trafficking across enforcement, regulatory and intelligence agencies and integrate
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wildlife trafficking into other relevant government efforts to combat transnational organized
crime. Participatory agroforestry and silvi-horticulture systems will be promoted in forest
lands and protected areas that are affected by encroachment and other unsustainable landuse practices.
4.5.2 The protection, restoration, and sustainable management and conservation of the
biodiversity of the Sundarbans Reserved Forests will be ensured for the wellbeing of the
nation. The conservation of coastal plantations and mangroves will be augmented by
strengthening institutional mechanisms and coordination with relevant law enforcement
agencies, including the Coast Guard, Navy, Police, and the Bangladesh Border Guards. The
judiciary responsible for prosecuting forest and wildlife offences will be sensitized to wildlife
and forest conservation and protection issues and requirements.
4.5.3 Participatory agroforestry and silvi-horticulture systems will be promoted, particularly
in forestlands affected by encroachment and other unsustainable land use practices.
Appropriate silvi-ecological adaptations of shifting cultivation will be developed and
promoted in partnership with affected indigenous communities. Forestland encroachment,
forest fires, and forest grazing will be controlled and stabilized by involving local communities
in social forestry and the participatory management of forests and protected areas. Public
awareness will be raised through more effective communication and outreach regarding the
damaging effects associated with illegal forest felling, encroachment, wildlife trafficking and
poaching. Public diplomacy will be used to dissuade consumers abroad from purchasing
illegally traded wildlife and strengthen implementation of international agreements and
arrangements that protect wildlife.
4.5.4 Human-wildlife conflicts in and around forests and protected areas will be addressed in
partnership with local communities, but with sensitivity and consideration of the concerns of
indigenous communities. Modern technologies, including forensic analysis, scat assessments,
camera trapping, smart patrolling, wildlife censuses, advance forest fire warning and control,
and improved surveillance and intelligence gathering, will be employed in the monitoring and
protection of forests and protected areas.
4.6 Commercial Forestry
4.6.1 The modernization of forest-based industries will be encouraged to ensure the efficient
utilization of raw materials and reduce wood wastes. The enabling conditions to encourage
such investments will be strengthened to ensure that there is adequate security of land and
crop rights; the provision of access to product markets, as well as investment funds; expansion
of the use of technical assistance and extension services; and recognition of the rights to
harvest, transport and market approved forest products.
4.6.2 The maintenance of efficient markets for forest products and non-timber forest products
will be encouraged through a supportive regulatory and legal framework under which market
equilibriums are established to balance available supplies of sustainable raw materials with
demands of forest resource-dependent domestic industries.
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4.6.3 The practice of supplying subsidized forest products from state forests to forest-based
industries will be discouraged. The supply of wood and non-wood materials for forest-based
industries will be increasingly provided from homesteads and other non-state forests.
4.6.4 Commercial plantations of medicinal plants established on unused public and private
lands and herbal medicine processing will be promoted by linking the interests of local
communities with those of service providers. Medicinal plant and animal product value
chains, including storage and processing, and marketing and sales, will be established.
4.6.5 The financing of small and medium forest-based enterprises will be facilitated through
public and private financial institutions. The Forest Department will implement measures to
support increases in the supply of timber and other raw materials through the establishment
of private plantations with an emphasis on employment-generating income growth for the
rural poor. There will also be measures that encourage the private sector to assume increasing
responsibilities in the development and management of forest-based industries as sustainable
business enterprises that incorporate substantive forward, as well as backward, linkages.
4.6.6 Exports of value-added timber products, including furniture, will be certified by an
authorized agency to ensure their production under sustainable forest management
conditions and imports will be rationalized to respond to increasing external demands.
4.6.7 Private tree felling and timber transit regulations will be reviewed to facilitate private
tree growing for meeting wood and non-wood industrial demands. Efforts will be made to
develop substitutes for wood in brick kilns that consume substantial amounts of fuelwood, as
well, and the development and use of alternative sources of renewable energy, including
biogas and solar energy, and improved cooking stoves, will also be promoted to reduce
pressures on fuelwood.
4.7 Forestry Research, Monitoring, Education, Training, Extension, and
Communication
4.7.1 Field research connections of the Forest Research Institute will be established with the
participation of public and private universities and other research institutions, as well as the
private sector, to facilitate the design, development and implementation of research programs
that are responsive to the country's development requirements, as well as to those of
sustainable forest management and resource conservation. In establishing those connections,
forest research will increasingly encompass the investigation of emerging forestry,
biodiversity, and climate change-related issues.
4.7.2 The monitoring and evaluation of local community forest users and resource uses
associated with the Social Forestry program will be accomplished through periodic
administration of socioeconomic survey instruments.
4.7.3 Forest ecosystem evaluations, incorporating forest carbon assessments and monitoring,
will be undertaken using modern technologies and in accordance with established
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) principles and guidelines. There will be a
central database established in RIMS (Research Management Information System) with a
suitable Geographical Information System and Management Information System maintained
to support the planning, management, reporting and implementation of forestry programs.
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4.7.4 Forest carbon financing proposals will be formulated with an emphasis on the use of
REDD+ activities as potential sources of the generation and sharing of benefits between public
forestry sector organizations and local communities. The capacities of the Forest Department,
Forest Research Institute, and National Herbarium staff and civil society partners will be
strengthened to develop, implement, and monitor carbon credit projects.
4.7.5 Forest Department manpower will be increased and institutional and techno-managerial
capacities of the Forest Department and other related public forestry institutions,
conservation and natural resources management NGOs, civil society organizations, and forest
dependent communities will be strengthened through targeted training programs.
4.7.6 Forestry, environment, and climate change-related subjects will be incorporated into
natural science disciplines in agriculture and other public and private universities and
institutions with a provision for adequate funding for forestry education and human resources
development. Forestry curricula will be reviewed and updated regularly with a special
emphasis on forestry and environmental issues, including climate change impact mitigation
and adaptation. Constructive linkages will be established with the private sector to facilitate
assessments of technical performance and contribute to the strengthening of sector-wide
education and training programs.
4.7.7 Forest extension and communication strategies comprising appropriate conservation
messages, which emphasize the participation of women and indigenous communities in
conservation activities, will be developed and implemented in consultation with stakeholders.
Technical assistance and extension services will be provided to private nursery owners and
investors in growing trees through Forestry Extension, Nursery and Training Centers
(FENTCs) and Social Forestry Plantation Centers (SFPCs). Forestry extension under the Social
Forestry Wing will be strengthened to develop Sabuj Clubs at union parishads, or at the village
level, as the principal civil society institution for the promotion of private nurseries and tree
growing and for increasing awareness of climate change. National and local communication
campaigns will be organized to raise understanding and instill national pride in the country’s
biodiversity rich forests. Schools and colleges will be encouraged to increase the
understanding of students regarding forestry-, environmental- and climate change-related
concerns. Partnerships involving forestry extension and communication will be encouraged
by establishing links with the private sector and conservation and natural resources
management NGOs. Conservation-linked livelihood development will be strengthened by
promoting forest and non-forest based enterprises through mass communication and
electronic and print media.
4.7.8 The protection of forest ecosystems services, including, but not limited to, the regulation
of water yields, carbon sequestration, and the provision of nature-based tourism experiences,
will be strengthened by means of applications of the payments for ecosystem services
principle through which evolving approaches will be applied to establish estimated values of
ecosystem services. Entry Fee and Tree Farming Fund guidelines will be revised, as well,to
provide another option for financing conservation.
4.7.9 The perspectives of Forest Department staff will be redirected from the previous
emphasis on timber revenues to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity
conservation, and environmental services management by strengthening human resources
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and restructuring forestry training institutions and education programs. The capacities of
Forest Department and Forest Research Institute staff to monitor forests, especially with
regard to the quantities and qualities of environmental services, the impacts of climate change,
and the assessment of carbon stocks, will be strengthened and expanded.
4.7.10 Women, youth, indigenous communities and other marginal segments of society will be
assured equitable representation and importance in forestry extension and management
decision-making activities. There will be a forestry charter developed to underscore their
enhanced roles and responsibilities in sustainable forest management, biodiversity
conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Forestry extension will be an
important driving force behind the growth and development of private nurseries and tree
plantations and the dissemination of conservation messages.
4.7.11 Forestry extension under the Social Forestry Wing will be strengthened to deliver
information on forest functions and services supported by research linkages and field
evidence and to expand access to silvicultural and forest management 'best' practices and
nursery and plantation technologies. Agricultural extension facilities, including extension
personnel up to the Union Parishad level, will be leveraged to support these activities
whenever possible.
4.7.12 Public and private land owning agencies, including railways, the Local Government
Engineering Department, the Public Works Department, municipalities, union councils, and
tea estates, will be encouraged to plant trees on vacant lands. The use of advanced information
and communications technologies will be employed to disseminate information on private
tree growing, climate change impact mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.
Government-NGO-Private Sector partnerships will be encouraged to improve forestry
extension outreach and communication. Stakeholders, including women, youth, and
indigenous communities, will be targeted as part of the promotion of decentralized
governance to enhance their techno-managerial capacity in participatory afforestation,
conservation, management, and the monitoring of forest landscapes.
4.8 Legislation, Personnel Management and Administration
4.8.1 The Institutional capacity of the Forest Department will have to be strengthened and its
manpower will have to be increased substantially to be able to respond sufficiently to the
emerging challenges that will be confronting the forestry sector.
4.8.2 Private tree felling and timber transit will be facilitated as private tree growing expands
to meet wood and non-wood domestic demands of industry and private sector investors. The
diversity of socioeconomic and environmental conditions in and around forests and protected
areas will be addressed by soliciting socio-political commitments to biodiversity conservation
decision-making and implementation. Suitable evaluation, feedback, accountability,
participatory, transparent, social and environmental safeguard, and grievance redress
mechanisms will be developed and mainstreamed into Forest Department systems and
processes to strengthen forest governance. Discretionary powers of public forestry agencies
will be rationalized to improve decision-making and governance through the operation of
appropriate checks and balances.
4.8.3 The recruitment and training of forestry personnel will be undertaken annually after
assessing each year's current requirements, outstanding vacant posts that are assessed and
filled on a priority basis, and retirements. The organograms of public sector forestry
organizations will be updated regularly to account for required personnel and emerging
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responsibilities associated with the expanding requirements of multi-tasking. Human
resources will be strengthened to be nationally, as well as regionally, competitive. The primary
bases of promotion and posting will be performance, professionalism, commitment, efficiency
and integrity.
4.8.4 Frontline field staff and staff deputed to the Forest Academy and the Forest Science and
Technology Institute will be incentivized through special allowances and housing provisions.
Forestry cadre will be rationalized by regularly updating cadre strength and the encadrement
of eligible officers. Forestry graduates will receive preference in cadre and non-cadre
recruitment
4.8.5 The Forest Department will be represented in Upazilas by suitably expanding cadre
strength and providing required office support and logistics to support the promotion of
private tree growing and raise awareness of climate change impact mitigation and adaptation
responses.
4.8.5 The diversity of socio-economic and environmental conditions in and around the
country’s forests and protected areas where people and poverty exist together will be
addressed by seeking socio-political commitment of local governments and other relevant
stakeholders.
4.9 Indigenous Communities and Chittagong Hill Tracts
4.9.1 Technical assistance and the facilitation and recognition of biodiversity conservation will
be provided in community conservation areas such as in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and to
support other forest and wildlife conservation initiatives of indigenous communities. The
planned co-management of protected areas and state forests will be implemented in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts in association with relevant stakeholders, including indigenous people.
4.9.2 The integrated watershed conservation approach that incorporates indigenous
community watershed protection will be developed and implemented, especially in the
headwater reserved forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Climate resilient forest conservation
and restoration, and social forestry in the reserved forests and forest areas outside reserved
forests, will be promoted in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in partnership with indigenous
communities.
Annex 5
5. EPILOGUE
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5.1The people of Bangladesh will be able to achieve their preferred levels of ecological stability
and biological diversity, planned mitigation of climate change impacts, and national food security
through the effective implementation of the National Forestry Policy in harmony with other
relevant policies. Nevertheless, unanticipated changes in national and global forest and climate
change-related environments are expected to occur in future years and not only will those
influence the selection and prioritization of prevailing policy implementation strategies, but will
also pose further challenges to the effective implementation of those strategies.
5.2 Forest planners and implementers will undoubtedly continue to be confronted with multiple
constraints in forestry program formulation, implementation, and the monitoring and evaluation
of forest policy strategies and outcomes. Evidence-based research, inter-sectoral coordination and
information sharing will be prerequisite to ensure effective and efficient future revisions of the
National Forestry Policy and the strategies for its effective implementation. So, too, will the
process of redefining the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry of Environment and Forest and
the Forest Department in efforts to respond to emerging drivers of change.
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