Papers by Md. Shams Uddin
The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh provides ecosystem services having great importance ... more The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh provides ecosystem services having great importance for local livelihoods, national economy and global environment. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans is threatened by various natural and anthropogenic pressures including climate change. This paper presents the potential impacts of climate change on the ecosystem services of the Sundarbans and the forest dependent livelihoods. Both secondary information on climate change impacts and primary data on forest dependent livelihoods were used for the analysis. Recent study revealed that the suitable area of two dominant tree species ofthe Sundarbans - Sundri (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) may be decreased significantly by the year 2100 due to sea level rise (88 cm) in the Sundarbans compared to the year 2001, which may be reduce the timber stock of those trees. This indicates the potential loss of economic value of the key provisioning services of Sundarbans. Similarly, the other e...
Parks
The protected area system of Bangladesh in March 2017 comprised 17 national parks covering 45,740... more The protected area system of Bangladesh in March 2017 comprised 17 national parks covering 45,740 hectares and 21 wildlife sanctuaries covering 394,053 hectares. The Government of Bangladesh introduced collaborative management in these reserves in three successive, expanding phases undertaken between 2003 up until the present time. During this period, the successive programmes introduced an elaborate collaborative management system. This paper evaluates this collaborative management system as well as the protected area management arrangements being promoted, comprising: (i) the Co-management Council, (ii) the Co-management Committee, (iii) the People's Forum, and (iv) sub-village institutional bodies including the Community Patrol Groups and the Forest User Groups (or the Village Conservation Forums). It assesses the management interventions and the effectiveness of the collaborative management system to implement an effective protected area programme. The review indicates that the current organisation and mandate of the protected area authorities precludes them from being effective partners in collaborative management, lacking dedicated staff in both the outreach and livelihood agendas, which severely undermines their participation in collaborative management. This paper recommends that the protected area authority needs to be strengthened and reorganised, in order to play a leading role in village engagement-and a key leading agency in the higher level collaborative management bodies.
World Heritage Site-Sundarbans mangrove provides a variety of ecosystem services. The total value... more World Heritage Site-Sundarbans mangrove provides a variety of ecosystem services. The total value of Sundarbans is not recognized and therefore often neglected in development planning. As a result Sundarbans conservation issue is getting less importance at the national level. This study provides economic valuation of some of the provisioning services (timber, fuel wood, thatching materials, fish, crab, honey) and assessed the expected impact of future climate change on the value of the two most dominant commercial species Sunduri (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) in Sundarbans. The study also reveals to what extent local communities are dependent on natural resources of Sundarbans. Questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions and interviews with key personnel using a semistructured checklist have been used for information collection. Official records of forest resources from the financial year 2001-02 to 2009-10 have been used for economic valuation. Climate change impacts on ecosystem services have been analyzed using different studies. The study reveals that major ecosystem services of Sundarbans are timber, fuel wood, fish, ecotourism, cyclone and storm protection, biodiversity, and habitat for flora and fauna. Timber, fuel wood and fish are more economical provisioning services in Sundarbans. It is noticed that there is decreasing tendency of overall revenue collection from the mangrove over the period of 2001-02 to 2009-10. Extraction of services and revenue collection fluctuated for the period. The suitable area of Sunduri (Heritiera fomes) trees is expected to decrease with 14% by 2050 (32 cm Sea Level Rise) and 45% by 2100 (88 cm Sea Level Rise) compared to the base year 2001, whereas the suitable area of Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) could decrease up to 7% by 2100. However, the value of 'Sunduri' stocks will reduce by almost 45% by 2100 whereas the value of 'Gewa' stocks will remain fairly constant. The study also shows that 72% of the collectors are engaged in fishing followed by fuel wood (52%) and crab (32%) collectors. 55% collectors depend on Sundarbans' resources for 76-100% of their total annual income. Collector's average income from fish is US$ 390 followed by crab (US$ 290). The attention from national and international communities is needed for sustainable management and conservation of the Sundarbans. The study suggests that further research on total economic value of Sundarbans is needed for providing comprehensive scientific information for policy as well as for decision makers.
This paper investigates how improved protection and management of forests is contributing to food... more This paper investigates how improved protection and management of forests is contributing to food security, livelihoods, and ecosystem services in Bangladesh. Co-management and social forestry approaches to forest management are bringing together forest-dependent people and the Forest Department to more effectively protect and manage Bangladesh's dwindling forest resources. This is increasing food security, both directly and indirectly. People living in and around forested areas depend on forests for supplemental fruits, medicine, fodder, and timber as well as honey, fish, and edible leaves and shoots. They also use fuelwood collected from forests to cook their food. Forest products provide essential vitamins, minerals, protein, and calories, especially for indigenous people in Hill areas and poor rural households with limited agricultural land or homestead areas. During emergency periods, like natural disasters, forests function as a safety net. As many as 500 thousand people in Bangladesh are currently engaged in co-management and social forestry activities that are helping to ensure food security, safeguard ecosystem services, and diversify livelihoods. Through forest co-management and social forestry, community people are engaged in patrolling, plantations, and protecting forest areas, including establishing nurseries for seedlings, agroforestry, and community forestry activities. This paper underscores the importance of participatory approaches to forest management as critical strategies for improving food security in three dimensions: (1) availability and use of forest products; (2) access to food and resources; and (3) food preparation and processing. The findings from this paper are intended to help inform forestry policies and policy-makers about the multifaceted benefits to be gained through the effective implementation of participatory approaches to forest management and use.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh provides ecosystem services having great importance ... more The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh provides ecosystem services having great importance for local livelihoods, national economy and global environment. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans is threatened by various natural and anthropogenic pressures including climate change. This paper presents the potential impacts of climate change on the ecosystem services of the Sundarbans and the forest dependent livelihoods. Both secondary information on climate change impacts and primary data on forest dependent livelihoods were used for the analysis. Recent study revealed that the suitable area of two dominant tree species ofthe Sundarbans-Sundri (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) may be decreased significantly by the year 2100 due to sea level rise (88 cm) in the Sundarbans compared to the year 2001, which may be reduce the timber stock of those trees. This indicates the potential loss of economic value of the key provisioning services of Sundarbans. Similarly, the other ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries, tourism, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, etc.) maybe affected by climate change. Consequently, the forest dependent livelihoods would be affected by the degraded ecosystem services of the forest. Further studies should quantify the impacts of climate change on all the ecosystem services and explore the potential loss and opportunities in future. A new paradigm of management should look forward considering climate change, ecological integrity, sustainable harvesting and ensuring continuity of the ecosystem services of the Sundarbans.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh provides ecosystem services having great importance ... more The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh provides ecosystem services having great importance for local livelihoods, national economy and global environment. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans is threatened by various natural and anthropogenic pressures including climate change. This paper presents the potential impacts of climate change on the ecosystem services of the Sundarbans and the forest dependent livelihoods. Both secondary information on climate change impacts and primary data on forest dependent livelihoods were used for the analysis. Recent study revealed that the suitable area of two dominant tree species ofthe Sundarbans-Sundri (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) may be decreased significantly by the year 2100 due to sea level rise (88 cm) in the Sundarbans compared to the year 2001, which may be reduce the timber stock of those trees. This indicates the potential loss of economic value of the key provisioning services of Sundarbans. Similarly, the other ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries, tourism, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, etc.) maybe affected by climate change. Consequently, the forest dependent livelihoods would be affected by the degraded ecosystem services of the forest. Further studies should quantify the impacts of climate change on all the ecosystem services and explore the potential loss and opportunities in future. A new paradigm of management should look forward considering climate change, ecological integrity, sustainable harvesting and ensuring continuity of the ecosystem services of the Sundarbans.
Ecosystem Services, 2013
ABSTRACT
The protected area system of Bangladesh in March 2017 comprised 17 national parks covering 45,740... more The protected area system of Bangladesh in March 2017 comprised 17 national parks covering 45,740 hectares and 21 wildlife sanctuaries covering 394,053 hectares. The Government of Bangladesh introduced collaborative management in these reserves in three successive, expanding phases undertaken between 2003 up until the present time. During this period, the successive programmes introduced an elaborate collaborative management system. This paper evaluates this collaborative management system as well as the protected area management arrangements being promoted, comprising: (i) the Co-management Council, (ii) the Co-management Committee, (iii) the People's Forum, and (iv) sub-village institutional bodies including the Community Patrol Groups and the Forest User Groups (or the Village Conservation Forums). It assesses the management interventions and the effectiveness of the collaborative management system to implement an effective protected area programme. The review indicates that ...
Books by Md. Shams Uddin
Urban Tree Inventory of Dhaka City, 2024
With a population of over 10 million people, Dhaka city proper qualifies as megacity and is among... more With a population of over 10 million people, Dhaka city proper qualifies as megacity and is among the most densely populated and rapidly growing cities in the world. The associated rapid development has resulted in an alarming loss of urban forests and trees. There is currently very little information to understand the extent of urban tree losses and the associated consequences. This lack of information limits policymakers and urban planners to design and implement sustainable plans that preserve urban tree resources for the future.
To address this information gap, the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) and the Community Partnerships to Strengthen Sustainable Development (Compass) program jointly conducted Dhaka city’s first-ever urban tree inventory. The Compass program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the United States Forest Service (USFS). The inventory establishes a baseline for urban tree cover to supports determining and monitoring city tree cover goals. It also provides information about certain tree characteristics such as the number, density and carbon storage of urban tree species. The BFD and Compass team consulted government, nongovernment, and civil society organizations in the inventory process, and engaged youth to collect data. The data was integrated into the iTree Eco tool to estimate of the monetary value of selected ecosystem services provided by urban trees.
The final inventory provides robust baseline data to set and monitor goals for improving urban tree cover. Tree cover in Dhaka city proper is currently less than 11%, which is much lower than its potential as a tropical city. There are 1.3 million trees, or about 1 tree per 7 people. The inventory identified 110 tree species belonging to 33 families in Dhaka city and more than 60% of the tree species are exotic. Overall, urban trees provide BDT 722 million per year in ecosystem benefits and store BDT 339 million worth of carbon. This highlights the significance of carbon sequestration, carbon storage, air pollution removal, and avoided runoff as urban tree ecosystem services.
When separated by city corporation, the data reveal higher tree density in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) (64.34 trees/ha) than in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (37.00 trees/ha), though the total number of trees in DSCC is lower due to its smaller area. Similarly, the mean tree carbon stock in DSCC is two times higher (15.15 t/ha) than in DNCC (7.46 m3/ha). Both city corporations have similar tree cover – 10.8% in DSCC and 10.5% in DNCC. The removal of air pollutants was estimated at 319.3 tons/yr for DNCC and 219.2 tons/yr for DSCC, translating to an economic value of BDT 262 and 175 million per year, respectively. Trees in DNCC produce 26.42 thousand metric tons of Oxygen annually, while DSCC’s trees produce 27.13 thousand metric tons. The overall tree diversity is considered moderate to high based on several diversity indices. Mango, Mahogany, and Coconut are the three most dominant species across the city.
In summary, the inventory findings and valuation of urban tree ecosystem services will inform policymakers, urban planners, academics and others for designing effective and sustainable urban green space plans in Dhaka. Policymakers are invited to take advantage of this new baseline information to establish and monitor progress towards city-level tree cover goals.
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Papers by Md. Shams Uddin
Books by Md. Shams Uddin
To address this information gap, the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) and the Community Partnerships to Strengthen Sustainable Development (Compass) program jointly conducted Dhaka city’s first-ever urban tree inventory. The Compass program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the United States Forest Service (USFS). The inventory establishes a baseline for urban tree cover to supports determining and monitoring city tree cover goals. It also provides information about certain tree characteristics such as the number, density and carbon storage of urban tree species. The BFD and Compass team consulted government, nongovernment, and civil society organizations in the inventory process, and engaged youth to collect data. The data was integrated into the iTree Eco tool to estimate of the monetary value of selected ecosystem services provided by urban trees.
The final inventory provides robust baseline data to set and monitor goals for improving urban tree cover. Tree cover in Dhaka city proper is currently less than 11%, which is much lower than its potential as a tropical city. There are 1.3 million trees, or about 1 tree per 7 people. The inventory identified 110 tree species belonging to 33 families in Dhaka city and more than 60% of the tree species are exotic. Overall, urban trees provide BDT 722 million per year in ecosystem benefits and store BDT 339 million worth of carbon. This highlights the significance of carbon sequestration, carbon storage, air pollution removal, and avoided runoff as urban tree ecosystem services.
When separated by city corporation, the data reveal higher tree density in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) (64.34 trees/ha) than in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (37.00 trees/ha), though the total number of trees in DSCC is lower due to its smaller area. Similarly, the mean tree carbon stock in DSCC is two times higher (15.15 t/ha) than in DNCC (7.46 m3/ha). Both city corporations have similar tree cover – 10.8% in DSCC and 10.5% in DNCC. The removal of air pollutants was estimated at 319.3 tons/yr for DNCC and 219.2 tons/yr for DSCC, translating to an economic value of BDT 262 and 175 million per year, respectively. Trees in DNCC produce 26.42 thousand metric tons of Oxygen annually, while DSCC’s trees produce 27.13 thousand metric tons. The overall tree diversity is considered moderate to high based on several diversity indices. Mango, Mahogany, and Coconut are the three most dominant species across the city.
In summary, the inventory findings and valuation of urban tree ecosystem services will inform policymakers, urban planners, academics and others for designing effective and sustainable urban green space plans in Dhaka. Policymakers are invited to take advantage of this new baseline information to establish and monitor progress towards city-level tree cover goals.
To address this information gap, the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) and the Community Partnerships to Strengthen Sustainable Development (Compass) program jointly conducted Dhaka city’s first-ever urban tree inventory. The Compass program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the United States Forest Service (USFS). The inventory establishes a baseline for urban tree cover to supports determining and monitoring city tree cover goals. It also provides information about certain tree characteristics such as the number, density and carbon storage of urban tree species. The BFD and Compass team consulted government, nongovernment, and civil society organizations in the inventory process, and engaged youth to collect data. The data was integrated into the iTree Eco tool to estimate of the monetary value of selected ecosystem services provided by urban trees.
The final inventory provides robust baseline data to set and monitor goals for improving urban tree cover. Tree cover in Dhaka city proper is currently less than 11%, which is much lower than its potential as a tropical city. There are 1.3 million trees, or about 1 tree per 7 people. The inventory identified 110 tree species belonging to 33 families in Dhaka city and more than 60% of the tree species are exotic. Overall, urban trees provide BDT 722 million per year in ecosystem benefits and store BDT 339 million worth of carbon. This highlights the significance of carbon sequestration, carbon storage, air pollution removal, and avoided runoff as urban tree ecosystem services.
When separated by city corporation, the data reveal higher tree density in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) (64.34 trees/ha) than in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (37.00 trees/ha), though the total number of trees in DSCC is lower due to its smaller area. Similarly, the mean tree carbon stock in DSCC is two times higher (15.15 t/ha) than in DNCC (7.46 m3/ha). Both city corporations have similar tree cover – 10.8% in DSCC and 10.5% in DNCC. The removal of air pollutants was estimated at 319.3 tons/yr for DNCC and 219.2 tons/yr for DSCC, translating to an economic value of BDT 262 and 175 million per year, respectively. Trees in DNCC produce 26.42 thousand metric tons of Oxygen annually, while DSCC’s trees produce 27.13 thousand metric tons. The overall tree diversity is considered moderate to high based on several diversity indices. Mango, Mahogany, and Coconut are the three most dominant species across the city.
In summary, the inventory findings and valuation of urban tree ecosystem services will inform policymakers, urban planners, academics and others for designing effective and sustainable urban green space plans in Dhaka. Policymakers are invited to take advantage of this new baseline information to establish and monitor progress towards city-level tree cover goals.