| Title of the project: | Develop community based mangrove forest conservation and management system in the southwest of Bangladesh |
| Project Area: | Kamarkhola Union of Dacope Upazila (sub-district) under the Khulna district in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh |
| Project Duration: | June 2016 to May 2017 2017 (12 months) |
| Beneficiaries: | fishers, Bwoally (wood cutter) Mowally (non would collocutors) |
Short description of Project: The southwest coastal region of Bangladesh is a part of the Ganges floodplain with a brackish water regime and made it vulnerable to natural disasters. World largest single tract mangrove forest ‘Sundarbans’ situated in this region consisting 6000km that is World Heritage and Ramsar Site of Bangladesh.Unlikely, from the last four decades the SRF becomes more vulnerable rapidly due to unnecessary human intervention and adverse impact of climate change, causing, sea level rise, increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters, reduced fresh water flow from upstream, riverbank erosion and silting up of riverbeds, increased and intensity of salinity and water-logging. Thus ecology and biodiversity become under threaten,
reduced natural regeneration process of mangroves species (flora and fauna) and biological productivity, increasing over-extraction of the mangrove resources without considering its sensitive ecosystem. Besides, lack of adequate knowledge about environmental and economic importance mangrove and coastal wetlands ecosystem as well as values of mangroves. As a result, this in turn causes damage to the livelihoods of the local people and increases poverty circle.
In this context AOSED have taken initiative to increase mangrove restoration and plantation on the Rivers banks through enhance capacity of local communities and develop community based mangrove ecosystem management in the impact zone of the Sundarbans mangrove forest area to reduce loss and damage for human development, with the cooperation of BothENDS, the Netherlands.
Objective of the project: To increase mangrove restoration and plantation on the Rivers banks through enhance capacity of local communities and develop community based mangrove ecosystem management in the impact zone of the Sundarbans mangrove forest area.
Key Activities of the Project:
Conduct household survey, User group formation, Capacity development through issue based training module develop and training, Community meetings and Awareness, Linkage with the LGIs, CSOs, FD, BWDB, and relevant government agencies. Conduct Environmental Field School (EFS) sessions, Develop mangrove nursery through seed collection from the local Rivers and canals during tidal flows and shorting good quality of selected species, Mangrove plantation and restoration in the east bank of the Bhadra River, Participatory monitoring & data collection.
Achievement:
Formed 10 User Group with 100 members (50% female), 80% group member playing active and effective role to implementing project activities. Enhanced knowledge, skills and capacity of community on Mangrove and costal ecosystem; Sustainable uses of mangrove resources;Restoration and regeneration technique of mangrove species; Necessity and how to develop community based ‘Mangrove Nursery’ and regular maintenance. Besides 3000 mangrove Seedling (six species) has been planted in the inter-tidal mud flats on the east bank of the Bhadra River.
