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Government
of Bangladesh, USAID is providing targeted technical support to aspects
of the Nishorgo Program. The Nishorgo Support Project works closely with
the Forest Department and key conservation stakeholders to develop and
implement a co-management approach to help conserve the country's large
tracts of Protected Areas, where partnerships for conservation are
essential.
The
Project is working at five initial pilot sites to begin adapting a
Protected Area co-management approach for Bangladesh.
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The
Project is implemented by IRG of Washington DC, USA in
association with partners:
Community Development Center Chittagong (CODEC),
Nature Conservation & Management (NACOM)
and RDRS |
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Project
Team
From
a competitive international bidding International Resources Group (IRG)
was selected to implement to project in Bangladesh.
International
Resources Group (IRG) is an international professional services firm
that helps governments, the private sector, communities, and households
manage critical resources to build a cleaner, safer, and more prosperous
world.
Under
Nishorgo Support Project IRG will work with 3 subcontractors, which are
the local acclaimed NGOs and are CODEC, NACOM and RDRS.
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CODEC
and RDRS work for local level community mobilization and implementation
of co-management in the
southern and northern site respectively while provides
key inputs to the planning and analytical process, including an
oversight of environmental and social monitoring efforts.
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Objective
of Nishorgo Support Project
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NSP
aims to collaboratively develop co-management agreements leading to
measurable improvements in forest and resource conservation in selected
protected areas and their buffer zones. Nishorgo Support Project has the
following specific objectives:
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Objective 1 :
Develop a functional model for formalized co-management of
Protected Areas. |
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In order
to achieve Objective 1, the following
activities will
be undertaken: |
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1 |
A
stakeholder analysis and needs assessments will be developed
and conducted for Protected Areas within six target
landscapes. |
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2 |
Natural
resource assessments, baselines and a monitoring system will
be developed and implemented for the six target Protected
Areas and their identified landscapes. |
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3 |
A
socio-economic and institutional assessment will be
conducted for Protected Areas and the surrounding
landscapes. |
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4 |
Based on
preceding activities, a model for co-management developed
and refined taking into account the ecological relationships
and stakeholders activities. |
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5 |
Co-management committees/councils will be created and given
specific rights, responsibilities and authority for
management of Protected Areas including access to benefits.
Organization of joint patrols to control exploitative access
and use within PAs may be arranged by co-management
committees. |
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6 |
Introduce
and formalize processes that will ensure the trust of local
co-management committees as vehicles for conflict
resolution, Protected Areas management support and local
inter-governmental coordination. |
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7 |
Boundaries of Protected Areas will be demarcated, and
recommended land use within Protected Areas will be
proposed. |
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8 |
Protected
Area participatory management plans will be developed for
the pilot PAs including surrounding landscapes identified
based on PRA/RRA reports. Micro-Plans may be developed by
following the co-management process within the overall
framework of PA level Participatory management plans.
Micro-Plans will be fully vetted with local stakeholders
with a view towards incorporating local knowledge,
recognizing local priorities and stakeholders concerns, and
promoting local understanding, ownership and commitment to
the successful implementation of NSP. |
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9 |
Elaboration of locally enforceable management procedures
with the aim of conserving biodiversity, developing
sustainable uses, reducing illegal extraction, discouraging
unsustainable practices, and empowering local stakeholders
in the protection, conservation and improved management of
the targeted areas. |
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10 |
The
co-management model will be tested and refined at pilot
sites, leading to a proposal for a model to be applied to
remaining Protected Areas and new Protected Areas. |
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11 |
Build the
capacity of local and national stakeholders to implement
co-management through training courses in these areas. |
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12 |
An
ecological monitoring and project M & E system will be
developed and implemented to provide feedback and
information required for adaptive management of NSP. |
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The expected outcomes
of these activities are the following:
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1 |
At least one third of the Protected Areas will operate under
a co-management model. |
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2 |
At Protected Area sites employing the co-management model,
local resource users and stakeholders will actively
participate and collaborate in Protected Area management. |
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3 |
Degradation will be slowed, halted or reversed to the extent
feasible, as biodiversity is conserved and the productivity
of forest is increased and ecosystem services are protected
and enhanced in the Protected Areas managed under a
co-management model. |
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4 |
Ecological monitoring and M & E system in place and
functioning effectively. |
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5 |
Local co-management councils and committees will be
recognized for their transparency, good governance, and used
and trusted as a vehicle for conflict resolution and
Protected Area oversight. |
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Objective 2:
Create alternative income generation
opportunities for key local stakeholders
associated with pilot co-managed Protected Areas.
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In order to achieve Objective 2, the following
activities
will be undertaken:
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1 |
Identify and increase market development
opportunities for micro, small and medium
enterprises pursuing clean and sustainable
investments in natural products and services linked
to Protected Areas. |
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2 |
Encourage involvement of select local stakeholders
in participatory benefit sharing agreements signed
under Forestry Sector Project on Reserve Forest land
and other public land adjacent to Protected Areas,
but only in return for agreement to conserve
Protected Areas. |
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3 |
Provide assistance and make available information on
improved practices and sustainable use as well as
new or improved production technologies to
households, user groups and stakeholders in and
around the PAs in conjunction with their roles,
responsibilities for PA management, protection,
conservation and associated enterprise development
activities. |
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4 |
Provide credit to households and/or communities in
and around Protected Areas and identified landscapes
in the context and under the terms of co-management
agreements. |
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5 |
Clarify procedures for increasing clean and
environmentally-friendly private investment in
economic activities associated with Protected Areas. |
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6 |
Integrate on-going Government programs including
Forestry Sector Project in the nearby areas of the
PA with the Nishorgo Program. |
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7 |
Build the capacity of local stakeholders through
appropriate training courses. |
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The expected outcomes are the following: |
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1 |
Income-generating alternatives – consistent with
Protected Area conservation – will be developed and
extended for use by key Protected Area stakeholders
in target landscapes. |
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2 |
Degradation in landscapes around Protected Areas
will be slowed. |
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3 |
Livelihood improvement programs will be implemented
within landscapes around Protected Areas. |
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4 |
Local Government of Bangladesh agencies will work to
coordinate inputs within the Protected Area
landscapes. |
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Objective 3: Develop policies conducive to
improved Protected Area management and build
constituencies to further these policy goals.
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In order to achieve Objective 3, the following
activities
will be undertaken:
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1 |
Develop a vision and strategy for improved Protected
Area management, and begin implementing it. |
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2 |
Support the Project Steering Committee and the
Wildlife Advisory Board, as requested, to advance
the cause of improved Protected Area management. |
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3 |
Develop a national network of co-management
practitioners, including PA managers, FD personnel
responsible for the management of forests in
surrounding landscape, civil society and community
leaders and other key local and national
stakeholders engaged in pilot co-management
activities. |
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4 |
Develop a strategy for the sustained financing of
Protected Areas management, and for the
participation of local stakeholders in the financial
benefits accruing that improvement management.
Landscape Development Fund (LDF) will be set up. |
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5 |
Develop rules or directives allowing diversion of
revenue generated by the activities of Nishorgo
Support Project to distribution among the
stakeholders as a means of ensuring long-term
sustainability of the PA management program. |
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6 |
Provide technical assistance to Forest Department/MOEF
for finalizing the draft Wildlife (Preservation)
(Amendment) Act as developed by FD. |
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7 |
Prepare white papers on select priority issues
relevant to co-management. |
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8 |
Assist FD with a review of management objectives and
procedures related to forestry related activities in
the surrounding landscape including linkages with
Forestry Sector Project activities. |
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9 |
Develop
and implement a communications strategy for
Protected Area management. |
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10 |
Develop
and implement a strategy for establishing a
recognized and easily understood image of Nishorgo
as a Program of the Forest Department designed to
improve Protected Area management throughout the
country.
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11 |
Disseminate, via electronic and printed media,
resources concerning the Protected Areas. |
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12 |
Assist
researchers and decision-makers in the preparation
of communication materials concerning the Protected
Areas management program for international fora.
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13 |
Design
and implement a communications activity targeted to
senior and key decision-makers within Bangladesh. |
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14 |
Ensure
that the improvements in and attractions of the
Protected Area system are widely communicated in the
written press. |
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15 |
Develop
and implement an education and sensitization program
for young people that can directly impact PAs. |
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16 |
Develop and establish
appropriate communication actions for local
stakeholders in and around pilot sites. |
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The expected
outcomes are the following: |
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1 |
Local stakeholders have a more active role in the
collaborative management of Protected Areas. |
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2 |
Financing of Protected Areas management will be more
secure and sustained. |
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3 |
Conflict resolution processes will be enhanced,
particularly to resolve land tenure and land use
conflicts in Protected Areas. |
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4 |
Support will be provided, as necessary, to the
policy-making developments of the Wildlife Advisory
Board. |
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5 |
The private sector will invest in conserving natural
forest habitats. |
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6 |
Stakeholders will receive financial benefits
generated from the management of the Protected
Areas. |
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7 |
The number of visitors to pilot Protected Areas will
increase significantly soon after implementation of
co-management plans and complementary investments. |
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8 |
A variety of institutions within civil society will
become more vocal in their support for Protected
Area conservation. |
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9 |
The Forest Department and leading researchers and
decision-makers will raise the profile of
Bangladesh's Protected Area network within the
international community of conservationists, donors,
and researchers. |
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10 |
Citizens living in and around target Protected Areas
will become active partners in implementation of
conservation actions. |
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11 |
The image of the Forest Department as an active
partner of local stakeholders in Protected Area
management will be improved. |
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12 |
Synergy and coordination between the management of
PAs and forests in the surrounding landscape will be
encouraged and enhanced. |
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13 |
On issues critical to Protected Area management, GOB
ministries will collaborate to resolve obstacles. |
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14 |
The existing Protected Area network will increase by
at least 10 percent in coverage. |
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Objective 4:
Strengthen the institutional systems and
capacity of the Forest Department and key
stakeholders so that improvements in
co-management under the Project can be made
permanent.
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In order to achieve Objective 4, the
following
activities
will be undertaken:
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1 |
Assess the existing and required capacity of the
Forest Department and key stakeholders to
co-manage Protected Areas.
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2 |
Take
account of co-management assessment and
analytical exercise and evaluate training needs
for FD staff as well as collaborating
stakeholders and develop and implement
appropriate training activities for FD and other
stakeholders involved in PA managment (activity
1).
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3 |
Identify the key elements of a transformation of
the existing Protected Areas into a formalized
Protected Areas System.
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4 |
Identify
and put in place a streamlined and focused system
for monitoring the environmental and social impacts
- both positive and negative - of the Nishorgo
Support Project.
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5 |
Develop
the detailed understanding of the economic costs and
benefits of Protected Areas that is required in
order to understand the contribution of the
Protected Areas to the national and local economies
and households. |
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6 |
Identify and implement strategies for ensuring
the long-term sustained financing of Protected
Areas.
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7 |
Develop
a prioritized applied research agenda for the
Protected Areas, and assist researchers in
addressing these priorities. |
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8 |
Build
professional and communication networks between
Bangladeshi Protected Area management experts and
counterparts in other South Asian countries. |
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9 |
Develop
a strategy for phasing out Project support. |
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The expected
outcomes of these activities are the
following: |
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1 |
The
quality of management of Protected Areas will
improve, in particular via the enhanced
capability of Forest Department Protected Area
staff.
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2 |
FD staff and other stakeholders fully engaged,
professionally trained and motivated to carry out
key, essential tasks related to the improved and
collaborative management of targeted PAs. |
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3 |
A Protected Area System will exist and be
recognizable as such. |
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4 |
The Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation Circle
will project a clear mandate and operational
independence within the Forest Department.
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5 |
A basic economic understanding of the costs and
benefits of protecting natural areas will be
generated and used in public policy decisions.
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6 |
The quality and availability of in-country training
in Protected Area management will improve.
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7 |
Local participants in co-management agreements for
Protected Areas will capture a portion of the
financial and economic benefits derived from the
Protected Areas. |
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8 |
Additional resources will be identified to further
the goals of Protected Area management.
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9 |
An
increasing number of researchers -- from Bangladesh
and around the world -- will conduct research within
the Protected Areas network, generating in the
process lessons learned for Protected Area managers,
additional data on which to make future decisions
and heightened exposure around the world to the
Forest Department's efforts to improve Protected
Areas. |
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10 |
Clearly
established environmental and social indicators will
make it possible to establish whether the Project
has been successful in achieving its objectives, and
which objectives should be reformulated. |
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Objective 5:
Build or reinforce the infrastructure within
Protected Areas that will enable better
management and provision of visitor services at
co-managed sites.
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In order to achieve Objective 5, the
following
activities
will be undertaken:
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1 |
Establish living quarters for Assistant
Conservators of Forests (ACF) as Protected Area
managers at each of the six Protected Areas.
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2 |
Construct/refurbish living quarters for two
additional staff positions in each of six
Protected Areas.
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3 |
Update land use and forest cover maps for each of
six Protected Areas. |
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4 |
Rehabilitate/refurbish Protected Area offices in
each of six Protected Areas. |
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5 |
Establish education centers for visitor in each of
six Protected Areas. |
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6 |
Develop and mark walking trails in each of six
Protected Areas. |
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7 |
Improve the mobility of staff members at each of six
Protected Areas. |
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8 |
Obtain office and field equipment for Protected Area
managers at each of six Protected Areas. |
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9 |
Obtain signs and markers for boundary demarcation,
and visitor information, for each of six Protected
Areas. |
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The expected outcomes of these activities, along
with other activities under the Project, are the
following:
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1 |
The six targeted Protected Areas will have the
capability of receiving -- on a sustainable
basis -- considerably increased numbers of
visitors. |
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2 |
Protected Area managers will have the material
resources necessary to do their jobs effectively. |
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3 |
Updated maps will exist for each of the six
Protected Areas. |
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4 |
Visits to Protected Areas will conform to management
plan prescriptions for land use and carrying
capacity. |
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5 |
The quality of nature visits to Protected Areas will
increase. |
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Objective 6: Design and implement a
program of habitat management and restoration
for pilot Protected Areas.
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In order to achieve Objective 6, the
following
activities
will be undertaken:
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1 |
Reviews will be undertaken of the species and
habitats that existed in the six Protected Areas in
previous periods. |
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2 |
On the basis of past and present use and ecological
conditions, a strategy will be elaborated for
ensuring ecological restoration and/or
rehabilitation of the six Protected Areas. |
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3 |
Target species will be propagated, along with
accompanying species, in a manner consistent with a
restoration/rehabilitation plan. |
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4 |
Enrichment plantings will be undertaken and
financed, with co-management partners. |
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5 |
Replanting of framework species will be undertaken. |
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The expected outcome of these activities,
along with other activities under the Project,
is the following:
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1 |
A clearly articulated and sound strategy for
restoration of each of the six Protected Areas
will be completed and communicated to national
and international audiences. |
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2 |
Conditions will be set allowing for restoration and
rehabilitation actions to be undertaken. |
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3 |
Key habitats will begin to be restored and
rehabilitated. |
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Pilot Sites |
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The
Project is working at five initial pilot sites to begin
adapting a Protected Area co-management approach for
Bangladesh. It is assumed that after a year the model will
be replicated in other Protected Areas. The initial Sites
are:
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Lawachara
National Park:
At the Lawachara National Park, where our beautiful tropical
forests hold hundreds of species, including primates, in a setting
of well-established and enclosed forest.
Indigenous people such as Khasia and Tipra live around
here.
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Rema Kelanga Wildlife Sanctuary:
Also in the Sylhet Division, Nishorgo have begun work to improve
protection of the more remote, but nonetheless beautiful, Rema
Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. This
Sanctuary, tucked into the border region, provides some of the
country's best bird watching experiences.
But its remoteness and difficulty of access makes it a
special challenge.
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Satchuri
Reserve Forest:
Soon to be designated the newest of our National Park -- is
a gem of a forest. Widely
accessible to all from the roadside, this small forest is only
three hours from Dhaka, and is also a home to many unique species,
especially birds. But
here too, the threats are increasing every day.
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Teknaf
Game Reserve:
In the Cox's Bazaar region, Nishorgo is working at the Teknaf Game
Reserve. This area is one of our largest tracts of preserved land
in the country, and contains patches of tropical forest that
remind one of the rich forests of the past. We need to act
urgently at Teknaf to protect the forests that are left, and to
build co-management agreements that will allow regeneration of
forests that have been lost in part. Almost all the once dense and
lush forest at Teknaf is gone.
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Chunati
Wildlife Sanctuary:
And, finally, Nishorgo Program has undertaken preparatory work at
the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary, and is planning on implementing
the Program here also. Chunati is perhaps the most threatened of
the protected areas, and has been for years. The rate of loss of
forests in this Sanctuary is truly alarming.
And yet it remains an important area for elephant
migration, and is one of the largest areas of protected land near
the large urban centers of Chittagong. Therefore, Chuanti poses a
real challenge for the Nishorgo Program.
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| Map |
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Protected Areas of Bangladesh
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(718 x
1005 pix, Size: 70KB) |
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