BANGLADESH JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
Ecosystem exists at all scales. Ecosystem ranges from a grain of soil to the entire planet and include
forests, rivers, wetlands, grasslands, estuaries and coral reefs. The global economy has seen incredible
growth over recent decades; growth that has been fuelled by the erosion of the planet’s natural assets.
Ecosystem degradation is an environmental problem that diminishes the capacity of species to survive.
Ecological restoration has a growing role in policy aimed at reversing the widespread effects of
environmental degradation that includes activities to assist the recovery of ecosystem structure and
function; and the associated provision of goods and services. On 1st March, 2019, the United Nations
(UN) General Assembly (New York, USA) declared the decade of 2021-2030 the “UN Decade on
Ecosystem Restoration”. The purpose has been to recognize the need massively accelerate global
restoration of degraded ecosystems, and to fight the climate heating crisis and protect biodiversity on the
planet. The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world; and it is known for its’ rich
biodiversity. Due to the increasein salinity, natural disasters, sea-level rise, illegal felling of trees and
over-exploitation of scanty available natural resources, the Sundarbans is losing its rich biodiversity.
Thus, this review aims in highlighting the restoration initiatives taken to reverse and conserve the Indian
Sundarbans ecosystem. Nurturing this vision, there are three main goals of the UN Decade’s strategy:
prevention of degradation, increasing multiple benefits and implementing the idea of ecosystem
restoration in education system. There could be a strong corporation between Indian and Bangladesh
Governments for long term, sustainable and holistic management of the entire Sundarbans region.
The Sundarbans of Bangladesh, facing the Bay ofBengal, is the largestsingle tract
mangrove forest of the world. This natural forest has three watersalinity zonessuch as
less saline zone, moderate saline zone and strong saline zone. Golpata (Nypafruticans),
a palm species, grows naturally in patches along the stable banks of the rivers in larger
proportionsin the lesssaline zone of the Sundarbans. Thisspecies has been widely used
by the people of the entire south-western part of the country for thatching dwelling
houses. Experimental plantations of this species were established in the newly
accreted lands along the banks of the rivers in three salinity zones of the Sundarbans to
study itssurvival and growth. Fourmonths old seedlingsraised in the nurserybed were
used. Data on survival and plant growth (average leaf length and leaf number) were
collected after every three months for a period of 30 months. The highest survival
(65.35%) and plant growth (leaf length 290.67 cm and leaf number 6.80) were observed
in the less saline zone and the lowest survival (11.54%) and plant growth (leaf length
74.01 cm and leaf number 4.62) in the strong saline zone. The study shows that though
golpata can be grown successfully in the lesssaline and moderate saline zones, it grows
betterin the lesssaline zone of the Sundarbans. However, golpata shouldnotbe planted
in an area where heavy siltation occurs.
Sundarbans, the largest single continuous tract of natural mangroves in the world,
is endowed with a diverse group of plants and animals and has recently been given the
status of’World HeritageSite’ by the UNESCO.Thispaper gives a briefaccount of31 species
of insect pests attacking Sundarbans mangroves of Bangladesh. The pests include five
species of defoliators, three stem borers, eight fruit borers, two gall makers, one sap sucker,
one root feeder and 11 wood borers. These include 17 specks of Coleoptera, 11 species of
Lepidoptera, two species of Diptera and one species of Homoptera.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is well
known for its rich biodiversity and probably has
the maximum flora and fauna as compared to
other mangrove forests of the world. Prain (1903)
reported 334 plant species in the Sundarbans and
surrounding areas. It is a matter of concern that
there is a loss of biodiversity in the Sundarbans
mangrove forest. Sattar and Faizuddin (1998)
reported that one species of Briiguiera, that is
B. parviflora, has become extinct, and many other
plant species such as Luninitzera racemose,
Xylocarpus granatum, Aviceunia marina, Rhizophore
mucronate, R. apiculata, Kandelia candel, Excoecerie
indice, Cynometra remiflore and Amoora cuculate are
already threatened. Chaudhuri andNjiithani(1985)
did not mention the presence of B. parviflora in the
Indian part of Sundarbans but noted its presence
in the Andamans mangrove forests. It used to be
found associated with other mangrove species in
the Sundarbans on the bank of rivers and creeks
(Naskar and Guha Bakshi 1987). The timber of B.
parviflora is used as fishing pole and firewood. It is
also a fodder plantfor deer and other herbivorous
animals
The Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh is very rich in biodiversity and
provides economic, social and ecological benefits to the country. This important
ecosystem has started loosing its biodiversity because of over-exploitation and
destruction of habitat. Emphasis has been given by the government of Bangladesh
and UNESCO on conservation of biodiversity in the Sundarbans. The paper deals
with the importance of biodiversity, current status of the flora and faunal diversity,
steps already taken and further steps needed for biodiversity conservation in the
Sundarbans forests of Bangladesh.
Key words : Biodiversity, conservation, endangered species, exploitation, extinct
species, Sundarbans
4^°
The mangrove of Sundarbans in Bangladesh is intended to be managed on a
sustained yield basis. But a remarkable decline in the growing stock of the merchantable
trees is reported in recent decades. This necessitates exploring avenues for improving
productivity of the forests. There are sizeable areas in the Sundarbans with scanty or
little vegetation due to failure in natural regeneration. Rehabilitation of poorly
stocked and vacant areas by enrichment planting could play a vital role in increasing
the wood production of the forests.
This paper discusses the scope of artificial regeneration in the Sundarbans to
improve the stocking and the yield. Research findings available in this direction have
been reviewed. Excoecaria agallocha and Ceriops decandra appear to be suitable for
planting in less productive but normally inundated areas. Plantations of Nypa
fruticans can be established on vacant canal or riverbanks over the greater parts of the
forests. The raised lands that do not support mangrove vegetation can be planted
with non-mangrove species like Sanianea saman, Albizia procera, Lagerstroemia speciosa
and Acacia nilotica. Studies have been initiated for a remedy to the problem of top
dying of Heritiera fonies, the dominant species of the forest. Research activities from
various aspects are underway to evolve methods to increase tree density and forest
cover.
Evaluation was made on growth response of one year old Eucalyptus camaldulensis
seedlings to various dose-combination of NP fertilizers under a comparatively poor site
condition of Silvicultural Research Station at Keochia. Results indicate that the maximum
average height (262.17 cm) and diameter (2.08 cm) of the seedlings in one year were
attained through application of urea and triple super phosphate (TSP) combinedly at the
rate of 30 and 20 g/pit respectively with a basal dose of muriate of potash (MP) at
20 kg/ha. Application of the above mentioned fertilizer dose promoted above-ground
green biomass production almost 8 times higher than the control. Subsequently, the
biomass distribution to shoot, leaf and twig was modified. The intake of nutritional
elements by the seedlings was found to increase due to application of fertilizer
Welcome to the Bangladesh Journal of Forest Science (BJFS) – a leading platform for advancing the knowledge and understanding of forest science in Bangladesh and beyond. Established with a commitment to excellence, BJFS serves as a cornerstone for researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts dedicated to the sustainable management and conservation of forest ecosystems.
