Deforestation in the Teknaf Peninsula of Bangladesh A Study of Political Ecology

This book presents a political ecology study on deforestation in the Teknaf Peninsula of Bangladesh. The study’s aim was to elucidate social factors contributing to processes of deforestation, including poverty, migration of refugees, forest encroachment, and power relations entailed in forest management. The individual analyses presented in the book are entirely based on primary information obtained through original field work conducted over a period of 7 years, and on remote sensing using satellite imagery and GIS techniques. The second half of the book considers reforestation approaches such as social and homestead forestry that have wider applications within developing countries.

1. Introduction.- 2. Physiography, Forests and People in Teknaf.- 3. Impact of Betel Leaf Cultivation on Forests.- 4. Socioeconomic Status of Betel Leaf Farmers.- 5. Economic Impacts of Betel Leaf Cultivation on Farmers.- 6. Remote Sensing Characterization of Changes in Betel Leaf Cultivation through Time.- 7. Fuelwood of Teknaf Forests: Marketing, Distribution and Concomitant People.- 8. Forest Dwellers and Encroachers in Teknaf.- 9. Livelihoods of Rohingyas and their Impacts on Deforestation.- 10. Social Forestry Conditions on the Teknaf Peninsula.- 11. Actors and their Power in Social Forest Management.- 12. The Homestead as a Production System.- 13. Land use and Composition of Homestead Forests.- 14. The Influences of ethnicity and the distance of Settlements from Forests on Homestead Production Systems and Ecosystem Services.- 15. Conclusions.

Masakazu Tani is a professor of environmental design in the Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Japan. He also serves as a vice dean of the faculty. His research interests lie primarily in environmental anthropology and environmental design. His main research focus is on the social analysis of environmental problems in South and Southeast Asia. Professor Tani has published articles, reports, and books on the social impacts of arsenic contamination in these regions, both in Japanese and in English. He was awarded the tenth Ohkita Award in International Development Studies in 2005.

Md. Abiar Rahman is a professor of agroforestry and environment in the Faculty of Agriculture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Bangladesh. He served as the head of the department of agroforestry and environment at BSMRAU. His research interests lie in the area of sustainable land use in relation to agroforestry and environment. His main resea