An Application of Structured Decision Making Process in Approaching Deforestation and Promoting Sustainable Forest Management of Sylhet, Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.71.7769Abstract
Deforestation is a global phenomenon with a critical recognition. It is very visible mostly in developing countries in Asia and Southern America. In many regions where forest loss is significant, so much effort has been garnered towards protecting the natural forest and promoting sustainable forest management (SFM). Evidence of such efforts includes the various policies, principles, and frameworks put in place both at the international and domestic levels. Despite these efforts, forest depletion continues to thrive at alarming rates particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. This paper brings out a plethora of complex causes and consequences of deforestation in Sylhet, Bangladesh, with the principal objective of using a structured decision-making (SDM) approach to address deforestation in Sylhet through a pluralistic stakeholder engagement that represents all the objectives of the various groups in a very understandable manner. Mainly deploying FGD to consult with different stakeholder groups, representing different interests working through the steps of SDM, the consultations developed a SDM framework with suggested alternative approaches towards addressing deforestation in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Based on the judgments of the consultations, suitable policy options for addressing deforestation in Sylhet, Bangladesh should focus on maximizing forest management, minimizing dependence on forest resources, and Alternative ‘A’ (Safe guarding forest by improving forest management). This case study provides insights on how SDM can be implemented for SFM in Sylhet, as well as some challenges and opportunities encountered during the process.
References
Achard, M. P., Richards T., Javier Gallego, Hugh D. Eva1, Hans J. Stibig, and Jean-Paul Malingreau (2002). Determination of Deforestation Rates of the World's Humid Tropical Forests. Science Journal, Vol. 297
Alpert, P. (1993). Conserving Biodiversity in Cameroon. Ambio 22(1): 44-49.
Angelsen, A. and D. Kaimowithz (1999). Rethinking the Causes of Deforestation: Lessons from Economic Models. The Word Bank Research Observer. 14:73-98
Appiah, M. (2013). Understanding the Complexities and Resource Sustainability in Afram Plains, Bangladesh. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 2(1)
Boafo, J. (2013). The Impact of Deforestation on Forest Livelihoods in Bangladesh. The Asia Portal backgrounder series. No 49.
Burns, A.; Burns, R. (2008). Basic Marketing Research (Second Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education. ISBN 978-0-13-205958-9
Christopher, A., Christopher A., and Christopher, E. (2007). Likert Scales and Data Analyses. Quality Progress.
Chowdhury, K. J., Biswas. R. S., Islam. S. M., Rahman, O. and Uddin, N. S. (2004). Biodiversity of Ratargul Swamp Forest, Sylhet, IUCN Bangladesh Office.
Chowdhury, K. J. and Hossain, A. A. M. (2011). Bangladesh Forestry Outlook Study, Asia Pacific Forestry Outlook Study II, FAO Office Bangkok. Working Paper No. APFSOS II/ WP/ 2011/ 33
David, H.A. (1988). The Method of Paired Comparisons. New York: Oxford University Press.
Domson, O. and Vlosky, R. P. (2007). A Strategic Overview of the Forest Sector in Bangladesh. Louisiana Forest Products Development Center Working Paper #81
European Union (2010). Study on the evolution of some deforestation drivers and their potential impacts on the costs of an avoiding deforestation scheme, Final Report. Framework Contract No. DG ENV/G.1/FRA/2006/0073
FAO (2014). FAO Sets Standards to Improve National Forest Monitoring System. Retrieved from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Website: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/254098/icode/
FAO (2010) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010. FAO, Rome, Italy Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2004). Global forest resources assessment update 2005 Terms and definitions (Final version), Foodand Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/ae156e/AE156E00.htm#TopOfPage. Date Accessed: 20/10/2014.
FAO. (2006). Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005. Progress towards sustainable forest management. FAO Forestry Paper, 147pp, 320 pp.
FAO (2001). Deforestation continues at a High Rate in Tropical Areas, State of World’s Forests. FAO, Rome, Italy.
Geist, J.H., Lambin, F.E., 2002. Proximate causes and underlying driving forces of tropical deforestation. Bioscience 52, 143–150.
Gregory, R., Failing, I, Harstone, M, Long, G., McDaniels, T., Ohlson (2012). Structured Decision Making. A Practical Guide to Environmental Management Choices. First Edition. Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Government of Bangladesh. (2016). Forestry Master Plan 2017-36, Bangladesh Forest Department
Hilborn, R., and M. Mangel. (1996). The Ecological Detective: Confronting Models with Data. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Houghton, R.A., (2005). Tropical deforestation as a source of greenhouse gas emissions. In: Mutinho, P., Schwartsman, S. (Eds.), Tropical Deforestation and Climate Change. IPAM (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia) and Environmental Defense, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 13–22.
Maser, C. (1994). Sustainable Forestry Philosophy, Science, and Economics, St. Lucie Press, USA.
Ministry of Environment and Forests. (2015). UN-REED Program. Department of Forest
North American Aerospace Defend Command (1999). The Logical Framework Approach, Handbook for Objectives-Oriented Planning. Fourth edition. ISBN 82-7548-160-0.
Siaw, D. (2001). State of Forest Genetic Resources in Bangladesh. FAO, IPGRI/SAFORGEN, DFSC and ICRAF, Forest Genetic Resources, Working Paper 17.
Zakaria, A. F. M. (2020). An Application of Structured Decision Making Process in Approaching Deforestation and Promoting Sustainable Forest United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) (2002). Asia Environment Outlook. Past, present and future perspectives. UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. Pp131
Yiridoe, E. K. and Nanang, D. M. (2001). An Econometric Analysis of the Causes of Deforestation: Bangladesh. Selected Paper presented at American Agricultural Economics Association Conference, August 5-8, 2001, Chicago, IL.
Zakaria, AFM. (2018). Politics of Inclusion and Ecological Modernization: Insight into the UNREED+ Program of Bangladesh, IJMT, Vol.7, No. 2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
