Deforestation: Its Impact on the Environment and Economy - A Bangladesh Perspective

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author/Researcher: Ahmad M Dipu
Academic Qualifications: MPhil (International Relations), MSS (Economics), Master in Development Studies, LLM, MBA
Paper Type: Academic Research Paper
Topic Area: Environmental Economics / Development Studies
Regional Focus: Bangladesh

 

Originally Written: 2005

Revised: 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deforestation: Its Impact on the Environment and Economy - A Bangladesh Perspective

 Ahmad M Dipu

May 5, 2005

 

Abstract

 

The paper examines the nature, causes, consequential environmental impacts and management approach of deforestation in Bangladesh. It also takes the scope of establishing linkage with the economy specially seeking policy options to create a sustainable economic development by reduction of deforestation and its environmental ill effects. Deforestation is a major problem faced by Bangladesh.  Each year trees are cut down beyond the natural regeneration capacity of the forest ecosystem. Rapid population growth seems a major cause of deforestation. There are other significant causes are discussed in the paper. There are devastating consequences of deforestation having colossal and existential impacts on environment as well as our economic affairs. The adverse environmental and economic impacts of deforestation are well perceived by the state authority and it has outlined programs of afforestation of new areas and reforestation of degraded forest lands. Loss of tree cover has potentially devastating environmental implications for predominantly poor segment of the country. There are concrete management approaches and needs for policy options as already emphasized by the governments of developing countries specially Bangladesh.

Keywords:  Deforestation, Environment and Economy, Bangladesh perspective

  

Introduction

 2.   Deforestation has given rise to serious environmental problems in Bangladesh. If the current trend continues this region may be bereft of all types of vegetation in the next millennium. The landmass may be turned into a sandy siltation area and partly shallow submerged region unable to support human life and unfit for the growth of flora and unable to nurture the fauna, resulting in drastic metamorphosis of biodiversity regime.

 3.   The main cause for drastic deforestation in Bangladesh is quite obvious. The increased demand for fuel wood, agricultural land for food production, land for human settlement, industrial ventures, shrimp cultivation, use of toxic chemicals, oil spills, erosion, siltation, salinity of water, commercial and domestic logging, and, above all,  the total and comprehensive effects on biodiversity are obvious causes seen at present for deforestation.

 4.   The impacts of deforestation on environment and economy are substantial. Localized flooding leading to death and disease, loss of sustainable logging potential and of erosion prevention and watershed stability provided by forests are some the impacts of deforestation on environment and productivity of the country.

 5.   Government is fully aware of the ongoing situation. Policy options and effective management approaches are being taken which includes afforestation, nursery establishment, woodlot plantation through participatory approach, strip plantation, bamboo plantation in the private land, motivation and social forestry training are noteworthy. Elaborate discussions will follow in the underlying paper subsequently.

 

 A Highlight of Existing Forest State in Bangladesh and Its Benefits

 6.    Forest State:   

 

          a.   According to environmental science, 25% of a country’s land area should be covered with forests for a balanced ecology. Bangladesh has only 6% that is forested. 50% of the country’s forests have been destroyed in the last 20 years. This is known as deforestation. Indiscriminate felling of trees in the greater parts of Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Dinajpur have resulted in an alarming depletion of the forests. Some 30 years ago, the forest area in Tangail was 2,000 acres; today it is down to 1,000 acres. Similarly, the forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have been over-exploited by the tribal people, mainly for jhum cultivation.

 

b.   Under the management of the Forest Department, the three main types of forest are hill forest, plain-land forest, and mangrove forest. The total area of hill forest is 670,000 hectares, which is 4.54 percent of total land area of the country. Besides these, another important category may be defined as Private homestead forests or tree covered area. The government also owns forestland, which is known as Unclassed State Forests.

 7.      Causes of Deforestation:

 

a.     Population Growth.  

The main cause of severe deforestation is population growth. Land is scarce resource in Bangladesh and forested areas have become vulnerable. A growing population needs more agricultural and habitable land. Forests are cleared for crop planting and building of homesteads. Vast areas of forests are completely destroyed as civilization encroaches upon wilderness.

 

b.     Increased Agricultural Land. 

To meet up the increasing food shortage extended lands are used for agriculture having consequential depletion of forest lands.

 

c.      Increased Demand for Wood Fuel. 

The absence of gas and other available fuels, our rural population are hugely dependent on wood fuel for domestic cooking.

 

d.     Growing Commercial Logging.   

Commercial loggers holding permits, fell trees beyond their allowable limits. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, substantial loss of forest resources is attributed to commercial exploitation of immature trees for sale on the black market. Commercial use of forest land for monoculture of rubber and for fuel wood has also had a negative impact on the country’s forests.

 

e.     Illegal Wood Trading and Smuggling.  

Dishonest traders use the poor people to cut down trees in the forested hill areas illegally, by paying them money in advance. This sort of illegal felling of trees is big business in Netrokona. Indiscriminate and illegal felling of valuable trees such as Sundari and Kankra, smuggling these out of the forest and trading in them is a common practice in the Sundarbans.

 

f.      Jhum Cultivation.  

The practice of Jhum cultivation in the districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Cox’s Bazar has degraded the topsoil of hundreds of hills in the area. The Jhumias burn vast areas of hillside forests to clear land for planting. The topsoil up to a depth of one and a half inches is burnt in the process. After harvesting their crops, the Jhumias move on, leaving the soil nutrient-depleted and barren for years. Without the protection of tree cover, the exposed soil becomes highly vulnerable to erosion from wind and rain (Rasul, 2007; Miah et al., 2013). This unsustainable agricultural practice has contributed to the widespread environmental degradation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Roy et al., 2012).

 

Rapid Urbanization. 

Intense mushrooming of urban projects causing   rapid paced deforestation. Urban   planning is not inclusive of the forest conservation in any rational basis.

 

g.     Shrimp Culture.    

There is a possibility of ecological damage to the  country’s coastal belt, where shrimp farming has been developed over the   last    three  decades.  Shrimp cultivation is suitable where brackish water is available. Unplanned and uncontrolled   growth of shrimp enclosures have led to the destruction of mangrove forest areas and a reduction in livestock. Cultivation of   shrimp affects the soil since it needs saline water for a long period of the year. Shrimp cultivation has not only caused a significant loss to traditional agriculture but also to the environment – for example, a reduction in fruit-bearing trees. During the month of April the concentration of salinity on the soil becomes severe, causing deforestation.

  

k.    Salinity of Water.  

Lands with saline soil abound in the Meghna estuary flood  plain and   the southern part of the Ganges tidal flood plain. An FAO study in 1988 estimated about 0.82 million ha affected by salinity. It has been reported that upstream withdrawal of Ganges water in Farakka beyond the border of Bangladesh has reduced freshwater discharge causing intrusion of salinity deep into the mainland.

             l.   Extensive Use of Toxic Chemicals. 

The country is using huge overdose of chemical fertilizers and uncontrolled use of the hazardous toxic pesticides. The dose of the chemical fertilizer application is increasing every year and at the end resulting in infertile, barren soil. Land degradation is accelerated by this process.

             n.      Land Use Change.     

Due to rapid increase in population, forest lands are encroached illegally. Up to 1989, 76,596 ha of forest lands have been encroached upon in different forest areas. Insufficient demarcation of the boundaries of national forests has made the situation worse. In addition, district administrations have leased out established forest plantations in the coastal belt to private individuals for shrimp culture. Even when there is sufficient land outside the forests, forest lands are grabbed through manipulation by unscrupulous persons.

 

p.   Land Use Conflicts.  

 

Demand land is increasing day by day for housing the   increasing population, construction of government complexes in Thanas, industries, brick fields, roads and highways, flood protection embankments, defence installations, and educational institutions. Often good agricultural land and forest lands are taken up for such non-agricultural and non-forest purposes. Forestlands adjoining human settlements all over the country are subject to encroachments for agriculture. This encroachment is more prominent in the Bhawal and Modhupur forests. The Forest Department has estimated that an area of about 76,000 ha of forestlands is under encroachment. Many of such encroachments have subsequently been settled with the encroachers by the land administration authorities without the knowledge of the Forest Department. Because of uncertainty on the ownership of the land, the encroachers only exploit the land without nourishing it for sustained outputs. The other causes of the land use related problems originate due to the lack of inter-agency coordination and lack of public awareness. Lack of information is responsible for many land ownership related litigations that sometimes go on for years, leaving the land from being used for any productive purpose.

 

q.   Monoculture.

 

Practicing mono-culture for a long time causes depletion of nutrients in soil and cause land degradation. Cultivation of the same crop in the same piece of land continuously results in soil infertility. Rotation of crops is a good natural process to retain nutrients in the soil.

 

 

Environmental Impacts Linking Economy of the Country

 9.         Environmental Impacts:

 a. Soil Erosion.

Soil erosion in the immediate area has secondary effects, as the soil ultimately washes down to rivers and causes floods.

             b. Degraded Watershed.

When forested mountains are denuded, watersheds are degraded, leading to the loss of sustained water supplies for lowland communities. This is because trees affect the hydrological cycle — they influence the amount of water in the soil, groundwater, and atmosphere.

            c. Climatic Changes.

Perhaps the most devastating effect of deforestation, climate change has global consequences. It is a major contributor to global warming. Abnormal variations in diurnal temperatures and seasonal weather — compared to historical records — are alarming. The devastation caused by cyclones and storms in areas exposed to the Bay of Bengal is now more severe than in the past. The situation is worsening over time.

 

d. Massive Inundation.

One major benefit of forests is their ability to quickly absorb large amounts of water during heavy rains. However, due to massive deforestation, there are no trees to absorb this water, resulting in deadly floods and the loss of many lives. 

e. Extinction of Thousands of Species.

Destruction of forests leads to a tragic loss of biodiversity. Millions of plant and animal species are at risk of extinction due to deforestation. Tropical forests, being exceptionally diverse, are especially vulnerable, and the loss of biodiversity in these regions is particularly severe. 

f. Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming.

Deforestation increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The continued degradation of forests intensifies the threat of global warming, as the trees and plants that absorb carbon dioxide for photosynthesis are lost. Additionally, the burning or decay of wood releases more carbon, which combines with atmospheric oxygen to form carbon dioxide — a key greenhouse gas. 

g. Silting of Rivers and Dams.

Deforestation leads to the silting of rivers due to sediment deposits, which shortens their lifespan and clogs irrigation systems. Reservoirs behind many dams are also filled with sediment more rapidly than anticipated. 

h. Denuded Upland.

After repeated harvesting, cleared forest land becomes unsuitable for replanting and eventually turns barren. This process, known as desertification, transforms forest into desert-like conditions. 

j. Destruction of Corals Along the Coast.

Coral reefs are degraded by siltation caused by deforestation. Increased flooding during rainy seasons and reduced stream flow during dry seasons contributes to the destruction of these sensitive ecosystems.  

k. Sea Level Increase.

Global warming is causing a steady rise in sea levels, posing a potential existential threat to the entire population of Bangladesh.

            m. Desertification in the Northwestern Region.

Desertification — a form of land degradation where fertile land becomes desert-like — often progresses in stages over time. In Bangladesh’s northwestern region, this is primarily caused by soil erosion resulting from deforestation.     

 

   10. Economic Linkage:

 

a.          A General Overview.  

Damage to forests and other aspects of nature could halve living standards for the poor and reduce country’s GDP. Historically utilization of forest products, including timber and fuel wood, have played a key role in human societies, comparable to the roles of water and cultivable land. Today, developed countries continue to utilize timber for building houses, and wood pulp for paper. In developing countries almost three billion people rely on wood for heating and cooking.    The forest products industry is a substantial part of the economy in developing countries. Short-term economic gains made by conversion of forest to     agriculture, or over-exploitation of wood products, typically leads to loss of long-  term income and long term biological productivity (hence reduction in nature's services). We have experienced lower revenue because of declining timber harvests. Illegal logging     causes billions of dollars of losses to national economies annually. The new procedures to get amounts of wood are causing more harm to the economy and overpower the amount of money spent by people employed in logging.

 

b.          Rural to Urban Migration.    

Due to pressure on subsistence level rural segment of the population rush to the urban areas creating poly dimensional intricacies in the urban sector.

 

c.           Economic and Social Unrest.

The country being agro based country; decreased forest resources are creating disparity and divisions which is creating intra-class friction having consequential social unrest in the country.

 

            d.          Persistent Decline in Per Capita Food Production Due to Soil Erosion and

Environmental Degradation.

 Per capita food production is seemingly declining due to the environmental impacts.

 

e.          Scarcity of Firewood and Consequential Time Diversion from Income

Generation and Child Care.

 

Rural population specially womenfolk are compelled to divert their time and energy resources to manage their firewood requirements. This certainly reduces income generation initiatives. It also seemingly impedes proper childcare activities.

 

f.           Decrease of Agricultural Yields and Increase of Rural Hardship. 

Soil erosion and land degradation, which are the outcomes of deforestation increases rural hardship and it also lessens agricultural yields.

 

g.          Unstable and Low Household Income. 

Depletion of forest resources creates instability in the household income potentials.

 

h.          Increased Usage of Biomass/Natural Fertilizers Due to Domestic Fuel

Shortage.   

Seeking alternatives to the wood fire, rural population depends more on biomass for domestic fuel which is a prerequisite and essential element for the agricultural inputs. It is depleting natural fertilizer as an agro tool and compelling more dependence on extensive usage of chemical fertilizer which is harming the arable lands.

 

i.            Pressure on Irrigation due to Decreased Rain Fall.

Irrigation in Bangladesh is not sufficiently structured due to many reasons specially absence power generation. Decreased rainfall is pressurizing fractured irrigation in Bangladesh.

 

j.           Increased Rural Poverty.  

Rural and urban economic gap is widening and rural poverty is increasing due to deforestation.

 

k.          Extensive Pressure on Stable Urbanization.  

Influx of rural population towards urban areas is impeding structuring and buildup of stable urbanization.

         l.            Impediments for Sustainable National Income.  

A sustainable national income is seemingly absent because of deforestation and its eventual impacts on environmental and economy. Without focusing on the major segment of the national population, residing in the remote rural areas and who are essentially dependent on forest resources, it is never possible attain sustainability in the economic development.  

 

 Policy Options and Management Strategies

 

11.   Probable Core Policy Options:

 

 a.      Forest management policy should be integrated with the overall National developmental policies. 

           b.     Integrated urban planning policy.

           c.     Awareness campaign.

           d.     Restructuring of forest department.

 

12.    Management Strategies:

 

a.     Genetic Research to Meet the Growing Demand of Forest Products.    The Forest Department may put a special emphasis on genetic research    to meet the growing demand of forest products as quickly as possible. To this end, Bangladesh is trying to develop indigenous vegetative    propagation technologies, and the Forest Research Institute has already    developed clonal propagation techniques of Bamboo. In collaboration with     universities, the Forest Department has developed vegetative propagation of some other fast growing species.

 

b.   Institutional Strengthening in the Forestry Sector.  Government may strengthen the forestry sector having long term vision oriented modalities for institutional restructuring.

 

c. Integration of Information Technology for The Inventory Management of Forest Resources.      The Forest Department may carry out an inventory of the Sundarban and Coastal plantations by using the Resource Information Management System (RIMS) facilities. This information could be used to implement the strategies identified under the Integrated Resource Management of Sundarban. RIMS may  also be used in the subsequent inventory programmes of the hill forest and plain land Sal Forests. RIMS being a computer-based facility will also enable the monitoring of changes in the forest resources of the country.

 

d. Updating and Enforcement of Laws.  Though relevant laws are quite sufficient, some may be upgraded. The main focus may be given to the enforcement of laws. 

e.   Coastal Afforestation. Immediate coastal afforestation is required.

 

m. Benefit Sharing Mechanism. The stakeholders may be put under benefit sharing scheme to further strengthening forest conservation in a sustainable manner.

 

 References :

Miah, M. D., Ahmed, F. R. S., & Koike, M. (2013). Environmental degradation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh: An analysis of a policy conflict. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 20(6), 526–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2013.842707

Rasul, G. (2007). Political ecology of the degradation of forest commons in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. Environmental Conservation, 34(2), 153–163. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892907003830

Roy, R. D., Gain, P., & Chakma, S. (2012). Shifting Cultivation and Indigenous Peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh: An Overview. Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD). [Available in print, referenced in academic libraries]