Co-Management Effects on Forest Restoration in Protected Areas of Bangladesh: A Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Analysis

Md Rezaul Karim (), Md Abdul Halim, Imrul Kayes, Wenxi Liao, Sharif A. Mukul (), H. M. Tuihedur Rahman and Sean C. Thomas
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Md Rezaul Karim: Institute of Forestry and Conservation, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada
Md Abdul Halim: Institute of Forestry and Conservation, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada
Imrul Kayes: Institute of Forestry and Conservation, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada
Wenxi Liao: Institute of Forestry and Conservation, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada
Sharif A. Mukul: Department of Environment and Development Studies, United International University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
H. M. Tuihedur Rahman: Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
Sean C. Thomas: Institute of Forestry and Conservation, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-21

Abstract: Co-management is a promising forest governance strategy that integrates local communities’ traditional rights and forest dependencies while aiming to improve forest cover and ecosystem health. Bangladesh, facing high deforestation rates and limited per capita forest area, has implemented co-management initiatives since 2003 to restore forest cover and support the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. While the socio-economic impacts of co-management are well studied, its effects on forest cover remain underexplored. This study addresses that gap by using three common spectral vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, and MSAVI), calculated from Landsat 7 data, to analyze forest cover changes in five major protected areas under co-management. The results indicated that dense forest cover (41–71%) was initially prevalent in these areas, but a significant decline occurred between 2004 and 2015, with slope values ranging from −3.7 to −0.96. In contrast, the non-co-managed control site exhibited a much smaller decline (slope: −0.48 to −0.62) across all indices. Notable increases in agricultural land and forest–agriculture mosaics were also observed in the protected areas under co-management. Global Forest Watch data further confirmed substantial forest cover loss, particularly in CWS (158.77 ha) and SNP (0.49 ha). These findings highlight the need to reassess co-management strategies to address ongoing forest degradation.

Keywords: co-management; protected area; vegetation cover; vegetation indices; tropical forest; Bangladesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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