Abstract
The increased demand for foods and commercialization of the commodity markets has resulted in enormous interest in arable land resources, leading to a rapid expansion of forest land into arable land. The Sal forests of Bangladesh have been rapidly grabbed into commercial purposes, which made the forests a threatened ecosystem. Therefore, the objective of the study was to identify the economic, social and ecological impacts of land grabbing on the sustainable development of Sal forests in Bangladesh. Using different qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques from the Madhupur and Bhawal Sal forests of Bangladesh, the study clearly identified that the forestland grabbing has taken place with the assistance of state institutions. The economic outcomes of forestland grabbing were mainly seized by the state institutions and local elites, and a number of industries have been set up in and around the Sal forest areas which created huge pressure on forest biodiversity. Consequently, the ecological analysis showed that a significant number of plant species had lost and the remaining species were facing a critical situation. The study also found a violation of human rights and displacement of almost all ethnic respondents from their ancestral forestland. Therefore, the negligible economic gain of Sal forest land grabbing has not taken precedence over social and ecological consideration; a coordinated approach leading by the government level could stop land grabbing and ensure the sustainable development of Sal forests in Bangladesh.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and material
The data were collected from field survey and secondary literature review in which the authors ensured 100% transparency.
References
Adamowicz, W. L., & Burton, P. J. (2003). Sustainability and sustainable forest management. In P. J. Burton, C. Messier, D. W. Smith, & W. L. Adamowicz (Eds.), Towards Sustainable Management of the Boreal Forest NRC Research Press (pp. 41–64). Ottawa, Ontario.
Alam, M., Furukawa, Y., Sarker, S. K., & Ahmed, R. (2008). Sustainability of Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in Bangladesh: past, present and future actions. International Forestry Review, 10(1), 29–37.
Anseeuw, W., Wily, A., Cotula, L., & Taylor, M. (2012). Land rights and the rush for land research report. Rome: International Land Coalition (ILC).
Barney, K. (2007). A note of forest land concessions, social conflicts, and poverty alleviation in the Mekong Region. Proceeding on the International conference on poverty reduction and forests, Bangkok, Thailand.
Belie T (2005). Brides for Ruin, Grooms for wealth. Marriage presentation in rural Bangladesh. In: Islam MR (Ed.), The changing Garo Adivashi culture of Bangladesh: A case study of marriage rituals. MSc. Thesis, Social Science Faculty, University of Tromso, Norway, p.26
Berkes, F., & Folke, C. (Eds.). (1998). Linking social and ecological systems: management practices and social mechanisms for building resilience. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Benjaminsen, A., & Bryceson, I. (2012). Conservation, green/blue grabbing and accumulation by dispossession in Tanzania. J Peasant Stud, 39(2), 335–355.
Biswas, S. R., & Choudhury, J. K. (2007). Forest and forest management practices in Bangladesh: the question of sustainability. International Forestry Review, 9(2), 627–640.
Campbell, S. (1996). Green cities, growing cities, just cities? Urban planning and the contradictions of sustainable development. Journal of American Planning Association, 62(3), 296–312.
Carter, C., & Harding, A. (2015). Land grabs in Asia: what role for the law? Routledge Publication.
CEGIS. (2007). Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Service. In IPAC (Ed.), Site-level field appraisal for forest co-management, IPAC Madhupur site. A project report by RDRS, Bangladesh, pp. 34–39.
Clark, J. R., Matheny, N. P., Cross, G., & Wake, V. (1997). A model of urban forest sustainability. Journal of Arboriculture, 23(1), 17–30.
Colvin, R. M., Witt, G. B., & Lacey, J. (2015). The social identity approach to understanding socio-political conflict in environmental and natural resources management. Glob Environ Change, 34, 237–246.
Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., de Groot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., Limburg, K., Naeem, S., & O’neill RV, Paruelo J, Raskin RG, . (1998). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Ecological Economics, 25, 3–15.
Curtis, J. T., & McIntosh, R. P. (1950). The interrelations of certain analytic and synthetic phytosociological characters. Ecology, 31(3), 434–455.
FAO. (2014). Bangladesh country report. United National Food and Agriculture Organization.
FD. (2020). Land and Forest area. Official website of the Bangladesh Forest Department (FD). http://www.bforest.gov.bd/. Accessed 24 May 2020.
Gain, P. (2002). The last forest of Bangladesh (pp. 101–179). Bangladesh: Society for Environmental and Human Development (SEHD), Dhaka.
Gain, P. (2007). Stolen forest. Bangladesh: Society for Environmental and Human Development (SEHD), Dhaka.
Grant, E., & Das, O. (2015). Land grabbing, sustainable development and human rights. Transnational Environmental Law, 4, 289–317.
HIES. (2016). Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Statistics and Information Division.
Holmes G (2013) What role do private protected areas have in conserving global biodiversity? SRI working papers, Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds.
Holmes, G. (2014). What is a land grab? Exploring green grabs, conservation, and private protected areas in southern Chile. Journal of Peasantant Studies, 41(4), 547–567.
Iftekhar, M. S., & Hoque, A. K. F. (2005). Causes of Forest Encroachment: An Analysis of Bangladesh. Geo Journal, 62, 95–106.
Iiyama, M., Neufeldt, H., Njenga, M., Derero, A., Ndegwa, G. M., Mukuralinda, A., Dobie, P., Jamnadass, R., & Mowo, J. (2017). Conceptual Analysis: The Charcoal-Agriculture Nexus to Understand the Socio-Ecological Contexts Underlying Varied Sustainability Outcomes in African Landscapes. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 5, 31.
IPAC. (2009). Site level field appraisal for forest co-management: IPAC Bhawal national park site. Project report prepared by the Integrated Protected Area Co-management (IPAC), Bangladesh, pp. 5–9.
Islam, K. K. (2012). Efficacy of participatory forest management on poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihood: findings from Sal forests, Bangladesh. PhD Dissertation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Islam, K. K., & Hyakumura, K. (2018). Forestland grabbing by the foreigners in Hokkaido, Japan: is it a big concern for sustainable forest development? Applied Sciences, 8, 1724.
Islam, K. K., & Hyakumura, K. (2019). Forestland concession, land rights and livelihood of ethnic minorities: the case of the Madhupur Sal forest. Bangladesh. Forests, 10, 288.
Islam, K. K., Hyakumura, K., Fujiwara, T., & Sato, N. (2011). Confronting people-oriented forest management realities in Bangladesh: An analysis of actors’ perspective. International Journal of Social Forestry, 4(2), 153–179.
Islam, K. K., Jose, S., Tani, M., Hyakumura, K., Krott, M., & Sato, N. (2015). Does actor power impede outcomes in participatory agroforestry approach? Evidence from Sal forests area, Bangladesh. Agroforestry Systems, 89, 885–899.
Islam, K. K., Rahman, G. M., Fujiwara, T., & Sato, N. (2013). People’s participation in forest conservation and livelihoods improvements: Experience from a forestry project in Bangladesh. International Journal of Biodiversity Science Ecosystem Service and Management, 9(1), 30–43.
Islam, K. K., & Sato, N. (2012a). Participatory forestry in Bangladesh: has it helped to increase the livelihoods of Sal forests dependent people. Southern Forest: South For, 74(2), 89–101.
Islam, K. K., & Sato, N. (2013). Protected Sal forests and livelihoods of ethnic minority: Experience from Bangladesh. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 32(4), 412–436.
Islam, K. K., Ullah, M. O., Hoogstra, M., & Sato, N. (2012). Economic contribution of participatory Agroforestry program to poverty alleviation: a case from Sal forests. Bangladesh Journal of Forest Research, 23(2), 323–332.
Islam, K. K., & Sato, N. (2012b). Deforestation, land conversion and illegal logging in Bangladesh: The case of the Sal forests. IForest, 5, 171–178.
Ismail, M., & Mia, M. M. K. (1973). Studies on some deciduous Sal forests of Bangladesh. Ecology of Bangladesh Vegetation. Botanical Survey of Bangladesh, Ecology Section. Botany Department, Dhaka University, pp. 79–103.
Kabir, D. S., & Ahmed, A. Z. (2005). Wildlife biodiversity in Bhawal national park: management techniques and drawbacks of wildlife management and nature conservation. Our Nature, 3, 83–90.
Karimi, A., & Hockings, M. (2018). A social-ecological approach to land-use conflict to inform regional and conservation planning and management. Landsc Ecol, 33, 691–710.
Khan, M. A. S. A., Uddin, M. B., Uddin, M. S., Chowdhury, M. S. H., & Mukul, S. A. (2007). Distribution and status of forests in the tropics: Bangladesh perspective. Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences 44(2): 145–153.
Lane, M. B., McDonald, G. T., & Morrison, T. H. (2004). Decentralization and environmental management in Australia: A comment on the prescriptions of The Wentworth Group. Australian Geographical Studies, 42(1), 103–115.
Margulis, M. E., McKeon, N., & Borras, S. M. (2013). Land grabbing and global governance: critical perspectives. Globalizations, 10(1), 1–23.
Masum, K. M., Islam, M. M., Saha, N., Hasan, M. Z., & Mansir, A. (2017). Assessment of land grabbing from protected forest areas of Bhawal National Park in Bangladesh. Landsc Res, 41(3), 330–343.
Mondol, M. A. (2012). Study on soil, plant species and encroachment status of Sal forest in Bangladesh. PhD Dissertation, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.
Mozumder, M. M. H., Shamsuzzaman, M. M., Nabi, M. R., & Karim, E. (2018). Social-ecological dynamics of the small scale fisheries in Sundarban Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh. Aquaculture and Fisheries, 3, 38–49.
Muhammed, N., Koike, M., Haque, F., & Miah, M. D. (2008). Quantitative assessment of people oriented forestry in Bangladesh: A case study from Tangail Forest Division. Journal of Environmental Management, 88(1), 83–92.
Ongolo, S., Kouassi, K., Chérif, S., & Giessen, L. (2018). The Tragedy of Forestland Sustainability in Postcolonial Africa: Land Development, Cocoa, and Politics in Côte d’Ivoire. Sustainability, 10, 4611.
Ostrom, E. (2009). A general framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems. Science, 325, 419–422.
Potapov, P., et al. (2017). Comprehensive monitoring of Bangladesh tree cover inside and outside of forests, 2000–2014. Environmental Research Letters, 12(10), 104015.
Potschin, M. B., & Haines-Young, R. H. (2011). Ecosystem services: exploring a geographical perspective. Progress in Physical Geography, 35(5), 575–594.
Rahman, M. M., Begum, F., Nishat, A., Islam, K. K., & Vacik, H. (2007). Comparison of structural diversity of tree-crop associations in Peripheral and Buffer zones of Gachabari Sal forest area. Bangladesh Journal of Forest Research, 18(1), 23–26.
Safa, M. S. (2004). The effect of participatory forest management on the livelihood of the settlers in a rehabilitation program of degraded forest in Bangladesh. Small-scale Forestry, 3(2), 223–238.
Salam, M. A., & Noguchi, T. (1998). Factors influencing the loss of forest cover in Bangladesh: An analysis from socioeconomic and demographic perspectives. Journal of Forestry Research, 3, 145–150.
Salam, M. A., & Noguchi, T. (2005). On sustainable development of social forestry in Bangladesh: experience from Sal (Shorea robusta) forests. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 7, 209–227.
Schutter, O. D. (2011). How not to think of land grabbing: Three critiques of large-scale investments in Finland. J Peasant Stud, 38, 249–279.
Simmie, J., & Martin, R. (2010). The economic resilience of regions: Towards an evolutionary approach. Cambridge Journal of Regional Economy and Society, 3(1), 27–43.
Smith, K. B., & Attila, S. B. M. (2016). What is land grabbing: a critical review of existing definitions? http://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1010775/. Accessed 12 March 2020.
UBC. (2017). Estimating Density: Quadrat Counts. Online material of the University of the British Colombia, Canada. https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~krebs/downloads/krebs_chapter_04_2017.pdf. Accessed 12 April 2020.
UN. (2010). Foreign land purchases for agriculture: what impact on sustainable development? Sustainable Innovation Brief No., 8, 6.
UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa). (2011). Sustainable Development Report on Africa I: Managing Land-Based Resources for Sustainable Development. Addis Ababa: UNECA. https://repository.uneca.org/handle/10855/14946. Accessed 27 November 2020.
White, B., Saturnino, M. B., Hall, R., Scoones, I., & Wolford, W. (2012). The new enclosures: critical perspectives on corporate land deals. Journal of Peasant Studies, 39(3–4), 619–647.
Acknowledgement
The study would like to thank Bhawal and Madhupur Forest Department staff of Bangladesh for their support and cooperation during data collection period. The authors would like to particularly thank Dr. Mohshin Ali Mondol for his assistance during the ecological data collection of the study.
Funding
The data collection costs of the study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the grant number is the JSPS KAKENHI 17F17904.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Both authors were equality contributed to the data collection and preparation of the Manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare there is no conflicts of interest.
Ethics approval
The authors have taken permission from the local participants (surveyed people) and concern authorities, and fully aware of ethical issues.
Consent to participate and Consent for Publication
The authors have provided their full consent to publish the manuscript in the Small-scale Forestry Journal.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Islam, K.K., Hyakumura, K. The potential perils of Sal forests land grabbing in Bangladesh: an analysis of economic, social and ecological perspectives. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 15368–15390 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01301-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01301-7