Workshop on Establishing agricultural and Rural Survey Calendars of Bangladesh based upon Integrated

Planning of Agricultural Census and Surveys

Place: Hotel Pullman G, Pattaya, ThailandDate: 1-5 August 2016

Welcome to the Presentation on

The socioeconomic survey of the Bangladesh Forest Inventory: Status of progresses and challenges

1. Background

2. Objectives and zoning of the survey

3. Process and status of socioeconomic survey 4. Variables and indicators of the SE survey

5. Status of socioeconomic survey

6. Expectation from Agricultural census7. Conclusion

Content

1. Background

Forest types Area (m. ha)

% with respect to country’s area (14.7757 m. ha.)area

FD Managed Forest

1.53 10.37%

Un-classed State Forest

0.73 4.95%

Village forests (mainly homestead)

0.27 1.83%

Total 2.53 17.15%

Forest areas in Bangladesh

Forest Types Area (m. ha.)

% with respect to country's area (14.757 m. ha.)

Hill forests 0.67 4.54%Natural Mangrove forests 0.6 4.07%

Mangrove plantations 0.14 0.95%

Sal Forests 0.12 0.81%

Total 1.53 10.37%

Forest Department (FD) managed forest lands

Source: BFD, 2007

Map showing forest areas in Bangladesh

1. Background

• First National Forest and Tree Resources assessment (NFA) in Bangladesh conduced by Forest Department, but coastal zone was not considered for the assessment (BFD, 2007)

• It has been using for reporting national and international level as the existing forest and tree resources

• Population for tracts• Main activities• Product and services (at forest,

cultivated and village areas)• Important species• Conflict • Demand and supply trend• Users of forestry products and services• Users rights• Gender balance• End use• Frequency of harvesting• Trend of harvesting

http://www.fao.org/forestry/17847/en/bgd/

Key variables of NFA

1. Background

http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/Keyfinding/Key%20Forest2011-12.pdf

BBS conducted households based forestry survey (homestead forestry) in 2011-12 but did not consider households benefit from natural forest

resources and social forestry

Major indicators

• Number of households having planned

forest

• consumption of household based forestry

sector

• Value added of household based forestry

sector (million USD)

• Total estimated number of trees in planned

forests (million no.)

• Average number of trees per household

(number)

• Total quantity of wood produced (million cft)

• Total quantity of bamboo produced (million

number)

• Production of firewood by the households

(M. Tons)

1. Background

Sundarban contributes about 41% of total forest revenue and 45% of all timber and fuel wood output of the country (FAO 1998).

About 90% households use traditional stove for cooking and require around 59 Million Tons of fuel wood per year across the country (Prothom Alo, 2016).

Around 44 % of biomass energy consumption in Bangladesh (Forest Master Plan, 1993)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900Forestry products and services identified during the NFA 2005-07

Response numbers

Source: NFA-2005-07

1. Background

• Around 2% of the national labor

force is employed in the forestry

sector (Ministry of Finance 2004).

• More than 60% of various forest

products (timber, fuelwood, poles,

plant food and construction

material) are supplied by

homestead agro-forests that

encompass less than 2% of land of

area (Alam 2009)

• DHS 2014 cites percentage of

households relying on wood for fuel

increased from 45% in 2011 to 50%

in 2014.

1.66

1.68

1.7

1.72

1.74

1.76

1.78

1.8

1.82

1.84GDP contribution: Forest and related services

Fiscal year

Share of GDP (%)

(Source: BBS, 2014)

Forest related share of GDP (%) to national economy is decreasing in trends, may be forest related services were not well reflected

1. Background

• BFD, 2016. Draft National Forest Policy 2016 for comments http://www.bforest.gov.bd

• GED, 2015. Seventh Five Year Plan FY 2016-FY2020: Accelerating Growth, Empowering Citizens

http://www.plancomm.gov.bd/7th-five-year-plan/

• GED, 2012. Perspective plan of Bangladesh 2010-2021: Making vision 2021 a reality

http://www.plancomm.gov.bd/perspective-plan/

• MOEF and FAO, 2016. Bangladesh Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Investment Plan (2nd draft)

http://www.fao.org/bangladesh/news/detail-events/en/c/416890/.

To conserve and expand the forest and tree resources several policies/plans have been adopted for the wellbeing of the people as well as mitigate the external effects such as climate change. Examples include:

2. Objectives of Forest Inventory Of Bangladesh

1. Support the implementation of national plans aimed at increasing tree and forest cover in Bangladesh;

2. Provide information on the status and trends of forest and TOF to assist national scale management planning, policy decisions and international reporting requirements including REDD+;

3. Identify links between forest resource use and forest status to assist in valuation of ecosystem services;

4. Support management objectives at sub-national level.

OBJECTIVES OF THE BANGLADESH FOREST INVENTORY

OBJECTIVES OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY

1. To assess the contribution of forests and trees to livelihood2. To identify the knowledge, attitude, management and practices impacting tree

and forest resources3. To explore the ways for improving forest and tree resources4. To identify existing governance mechanism and ways for improvement5. To analyze investment in forests and Tree outside of Forest (TOF)6. To identify TEV (Total Economic Value) of forest and TOF and contribution to GDP7. To identify the factors of tree and forest loss

2. Zoning for the Bangladesh Forest Inventory

5.71 MillionSundarbans

Protected forest still used for house construction materials such as Nypa. NTFPS such as honey, fish, bees-wax, crustaceans, mollusks are other resources.Habitat of Royel Bengal tiger and numerous wild species

5.71 MillionSundarbans

Protected forest still used for house construction materials such as Nypa. NTFPS such as honey, fish, bees-wax, crustaceans, mollusks are other resources.Habitat of Royel Bengal tiger and numerous wild species

16.45 MillionHill

Mix of reserved, protected and unclassed state

forests. Ethnically diverse, High dependency on

NTFPs. Shifting cultivation in CHT and betel leaf

cultivation are common among the ethnic people.

16.45 MillionHill

Mix of reserved, protected and unclassed state

forests. Ethnically diverse, High dependency on

NTFPs. Shifting cultivation in CHT and betel leaf

cultivation are common among the ethnic people.

20.01 Million COASTALIs Vulnerable to cyclones and storms, High population density

20.01 Million COASTALIs Vulnerable to cyclones and storms, High population density

29.65 Million SAL

Mix of protected forest and

agroforestry. Many people are entirely dependent on the forest for fuelwood

and building materials, the

collection of which often involves illegal tree felling (Begum,

R, 2011).

29.65 Million SAL

Mix of protected forest and

agroforestry. Many people are entirely dependent on the forest for fuelwood

and building materials, the

collection of which often involves illegal tree felling (Begum,

R, 2011).

75.43 Million

NON FORESTSOver 65% of woody biomass is outside of forest (BFD 2005).

Agroforestry, bamboo, fruit trees serve as safety net during the time of hardship and natural disasters.

75.43 Million

NON FORESTSOver 65% of woody biomass is outside of forest (BFD 2005).

Agroforestry, bamboo, fruit trees serve as safety net during the time of hardship and natural disasters.

Akhter, et al (2016)

2. Factors affecting the tree and forest resources by zoneWhile the population increase by 1.6% per year, tree resources are put at risk. Below are some of the direct factors affecting the tree and forest resources:

Coastal zone- Unauthorized cultivation and occupation- Devastation after cyclones and storms

Sal zone- Around 0.036 million hectares are currently under

encroachment - Number of encroachers are about 100,000 (BFD 2008)Hill zone- Increased landslides and soil erosion due to uncontrolled

logging (Sunderland et al. 2010) - Practice of shifting cultivation, heavy dependency on forests- Settlements (Chakma, Khisa, & Chakma, 2008) Sundarbans - Poor water quality and pests (BFD, 2007)- Over-grazing (Kibria, Sunderland et al. 2010)

Village zone- Heavily dependent on fuel wood- Over grazing

5. Process for the socioeconomic survey

11

Decision on SEM

Needs assessment through national consultation22

33Formation of socioeconomic expert group-BBS, CU, FD, DU, AF

44Sample and Survey design –Dhaka university and expert group

Building team

5566

Data collection

Analysis

Dissemination

77

88

Establishing a collaborative socioeconomic Survey: involving academic, NGO and government line departments including BBS to fulfill the national and international requirements

Steps What How WhenStep-1 Decision on

SEMBased on needs of socioeconomic data Done

Step-2 Information needs assessment

Stakeholder consultation to identify key areas and socioeconomic variables

Being done. To be finalized by June

Step-3 Sample design 1. Forest areas, 500 FGDs (near to biophysical plots)

2. Key informants as needed (near to biophysical plots)

3. Households survey in 64 districts and 6 city corporation based on multi stage cluster sampling (disaggregated rural and urban, gender, may be ethnicity?)

4. FGD, TOF-500 in selected districts5. Key informant as needed selected

districts6. Special user group surveys (social

forestry groups, Jhum cultivators, NTFP collectors), Fishermen, Firewood collectors.

7. Identify some households for panel survey?

August-September 2016

3. Process for the socioeconomic survey

3. Process for the socioeconomic survey

Steps

What How When

Step-4 and 5

Survey design, building team and enumerator training and data collection

Designing the survey framework final decision for field work, designing questionnaire, arranging logistics including procurement, moving to the field and collect data using suitable software-application for tablet surveys (collect mobile)

1. Survey design, pilot test, training (August-December’16)2. Data collection (from December 2016 to December 2017)

Step-6 Data processing and analysis

Using standard software (MS Excel, MS Access, Stata, SPSS, R)

January’17-November 2017

Step-7 Reporting Prepare 1 national report and separate reports for 5 zones

April-December 2018

Step-8 Dissemination Publish 10 research papers and 10 policy briefs and summaries for policy papers based on above report

April-December 2018

3. Stakeholders Involved in Socioeconomic Survey

Socioeconomic survey (partners and data users)

• Government line departments• Formulate policies related to tree and forest

management and have socioeconomic database• Lead development and maintenance of the survey

• Academia/researcher• Education and research mission• Potential to provide technical advice or support

• Non-government NGOs• Involved in implementing development activities• Potential to facilitate the data collection process and use of data

• Cooperative associations/Timber merchants association/forest based industries

• Investment in capital and employment• Potential user of data

4. Variables, Indicators & Impacts of the SE survey

EconomyAccess to resources

Food security and nutrition

Impacts

IndicatorsDependence of

local economy to forestry

Consumption of wood and paper

products

Estimated value of production

Efficiency of production

Variables

Species harvested

Harvesting trends

Supply and demand

Income Employment

Socioeconomic survey will contribute to national economy, reduction of poverty, improved food security and nutrition

as well as equitable access to resources

4. National vs Subnational Indicators

Zones Sub-national IndicatorsHill - Tree & Forest dependency of

ethnic/indigenous people- No. of people participating at community

based forest management- No. of shifting cultivators & frequency of

shifting- Extent of bamboo harvest- Level of displacement

Sal - Tree & Forest dependency of ethnic/indigenous people

- Level of forest access

Sundarbans

- Dependency of NTFP (Nypa palm, Honey, Crab, Fishing)

- Benefits people received from biodiversity conservation

- Socioeconomic benefits from eco-tourism - Level of protection of lives and properties

from natural calamities

Coastal

- Level of protection of lives and properties from natural calamities

- Sustainability of afforestation program at newly accreted land

Village - Extent of homestead gardening- Decision of planting tree species

- Trees/forest products harvest level- Tree & forest product consumption

(Timber +Non-timber)- Share of fuelwood & charcoal in the

energy portfolio - Forest encroachment (ha)- Extent of forest disturbances (fire, pest

etc.)- Dependence on national Economy- Income & expenditure related to

ecotourism - Forest governance (access/institutions)- Level of migration- Employment (no. of people)- Marketing of tree & forest resources- Value of ecosystem services- Small scale enterprise- Extent of forest

degradation/Deforestation- Extent and development potential of

social forestry- User rights/ownership- Level of conflicts of interest- Status of land tenure - Level of participation in social forestry

activities

National indicators Sub-National indicators

5. Status of the Socioeconomic Surveys Related to Trees and Forestry

1. Need assessment through national consultation

2. Objectives defined

3. Collection of existing socioeconomic related variables/questions

4. Expert group formed and regular meetings to inform process of survey

design

5. Analysis of existing data from BBS, NFA-2005

6. Draft literature review on socioeconomic drivers of tree and forest

resources change

7. Methodology of the survey-ongoing

5. Lesson learned from previous socioeconomic survey (NFA-2005-7)

• First national scale forest assessment in the country

• Socioeconomic survey carried out in 2-km radius circle from center

of biophysical Sample Unit (tract).

• The methodology is often debatable where majority of human

settlement located outside of the forests for example

Sundarbans

• Two major user groups were interviewed:

• local forest services, organizations and local administrative etc.

• forest and tree users (considered as also or focus group) using

questionnaires.

• The statistical sample size was not well defined.

• Objectives were not clearly defined

• Coastal zone/plantation was not considered for the assessment

• The variables are mostly qualitative in nature

• Overall limited applicability of the results

6. Expectation from Integrated Agriculture Census of Bangladesh

• Tree coverage area and categories of species of plants• Total numbers of people benefits from forests and trees • Benefits from ecotourism• Top five products received from the trees and forests in different

zones• Top five services received from the trees and forests in different

zones• Estimated demand of top five products (timber, fuel wood etc,

pulp and paper production)• Estimated supply of top five products• Total numbers of employee in forestry and forestry related

services• Total production of Non timber forest products (medicinal plants,

brooms, Nypa)• Non-market value of trees and forests (eg. recreation, soil

conservation)• Ownership rights/land tenure • Contribution of agroforestry to the national economy• Deforestation rate• Afforestation rate• Revenue/GDP contribution• Social forestry benefits and participation particularly women

The BFI will collaborate with BBS and expectation from the agri census….

7. Conclusion1. There are limited examples of SE surveys conducted through national

inventories processes that provided results later used to inform management/policy outcomes. This may be due to the fact SE surveys are conducted at the plot level, and are therefore not applicable on a national context

2. The BFI approach will target household survey, KII, FGD and other users group with a survey design focusing on a wider catchment area than the inventory plot.

3. The eco-zones form the basis of the survey design

4. Clear objectives, indicators and variables are necessary to ensure the socioeconomic survey provide useful information

5. Forest policies are currently under review and the BFI will coordinate with other agencies to ensure integration (eg BBS agricultural census)

6. Inclusion of forest related information at the upcoming agricultural census will enable to policy makers for undertaking different measures like afforestation, climate change mitigation program as well as understanding the implementation status of Perspective plan (2010-21), 7th Five year plan (2016-2020) of Bangladesh and goal 15 of SGDs.

References• Ahmed, A. (2008). Underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in

Bangladesh. Global Forest Coalition (GFC), Amsterdam. • Akhter, M., Jalal, R., Costello, L., Rahman, L. and Tasnuva, U. (2016). Zoning for tree

and forest assessment in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Forest Department and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

• Akther, S. Miah, MD. and Koike, M. 2015. Domestic use of biomass fuel in the Meghna floodplain areas of Bangladesh. iforest 3:Biogeosciences and Forestry

• Alam, M. Furukawa, Y. Sarker, S.K. and Ahmed, R. 2008. Sustainability of Sal (Shorea robasta) forests in Bangladesh: past, present and future actions

• Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), Draft National Forest Policy 2016. online accessed at

• Bangladesh Forest Department, 2007. National forest and tree resources assessment of Bangladesh

• BBS, 2014. Report on Household based forestry survey 2011-12• Billah, M. AHM. Energy and Environment: Demand for Wood Energy in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). Online accessed at  http://www.sdnbd.org/sdi/issues/energy/publications/energy_and_environment.htm

• Chakma, A., & Nahar, B. (2013). Jhum Cultivation Influence the Degradation of Hilly Environment. Journal of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, 5(2), 339-344.

• Chan, S., & Sasaki, N. (2014). Assessment of drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in phnom tbeng forest based on socio-economic surveys. Journal of Environmental Protection, 5(17), 1641.

References• Forestry Sector Report, 1995. Mid-Term Report (Draft). Ministry of Environment and

Forests, Department of Forests•  General Economics Division (GED), 2012. Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2010-

2021: Making vision 2021 a reality• General Economics Division (GED), 2105. Seventh Five Year Plan FY 2016-FY2020:

Accelerating Growth, Empowering Citizens• Huq, s. Karim, Z. Asaduzzaman, Mahtab, F. 1999. Vulnerability and adaptation to

climate change for Bangladesh• Islam, K. K. and Sato, N. 2012. Deforestation, land conversion and illegal logging in

Bangladehs: the case of the Sal (Shorea robusta) forests. iforest 5:Biogeosciences and Forestry

• Islam, M. J., Wagner, T. W., Yichun, X., & Mahboob, M. G. (2011). Tropical Deforestation in Bangladesh and Global Warming. Paper presented at the Proc. Int. Conf. Env. Aspects Bangladesh (ICEAB 2011).

• Kibria, M., Rahman, S., Imtiaj, A., & Sunderland, T. (2011). Extent and consequences of tropical forest degradation: Successive policy options for Bangladesh. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 1(1).

• Rahman, M. A. (2011). Deforestation and Forest Conservation in a Tanchangya Community. Rural livelihoods and protected landscapes: Co-management in the Wetlands and Forests of Bangladesh, 120.

Thank you

FAO office in the forest department at Ban Bhaban, (level 4), Agargaon, DhakaT:+880-2-8181204

Contacts: 1. Md. Mozaharul Islam , National Project Coordinator and UN-REDD Focal Point, FDEmail: mazhar.raj@mail.com2. Matieu Henry, Chief Technical Adviser, FAOEmail: Matieu.henry@fao.org3. Nikhil Chakma, Socioeconomic consultant, FAO Email: Nikhil.Chakma@fao.org