A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
In recent decades, the Chakaria Sundarbans located in Cox’s Bazar district has been subjected to a tremendous human interference. It was once covered with moderately dense mangroves. It is now a denuded area. A major proportion of the forest areas has been converted to shrimp ponds. The remaining areas fall under the normal tidal inundation. The Forest Department sought research backup from the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) to develop techniques for the rehabilitation of the mangroves of Chakaria Sundarbans. Accordingly, a reconnaissance survey was conducted. It showed that the area outside the shrimp farms was suitable for raising mangrove species from silvicultural point of view (Siddiqi et al. 1992). Five species, namely sundri (Heritiera fomes), gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), kankra (Bruguiera sexangula), passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis) and baen (Avicennia officinalis) were chosen for trail in the denuded areas.