Project Background:
The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It covers 6,017 km in the southwest corner of Bangladesh, including three wildlife sanctuary areas on the southern coast. To conserve this reservoir of genetic bio-diversity and to organize alternative IGAs for the Resource Extractors of Sundarbans Reserve Forest, DDJ implemented Sundarbans Bio-diversity Conservation Project (SBCP) in Morrelgonj upazila which is located nearer to the Sundarbans. A significant number of people of the upazila often go to the forest for resource extraction. Even, the people of the area collect firewood from the forest for their domestic uses. For obvious reasons, DDJ implemented the project in 56 villages under 3 unions namely Nishanbaria, Khawlia and Zeudhara under Morrelgonj upazila of Bagerhat district.
Duration: November 2001 to 2003.
Area Coverage: Morrelgonj upazila of Bagerhat district.
Source of Funding: Forestry Department of GoB.
Project Goal: The goal of the project was to ensure sustainable forestry management through conservation of biodiversity of Sundarbans reserved forest.
Objective of the Project:
The objective of the project was to achieve the goal of long-term sustainable conservation of the biodiversity of the Sundarbans Reserved Forest through awareness raising, training and IGA support.
Project Participants: Community people of the impact zone of Sundarbans.
Major Intervention:
1. Develop alternative livelihood options for the Sundarbans resource user community in order to reduce the pressure on Sundarbans Reserve Forest;
2. Promote and uplift the socio-economic conditions through the appropriate income generation program i.e. nursery development, homestead plantation, roadside plantation, small trade, poultry and livestock rearing, fisheries, agriculture etc;
3. Group formation, awareness raising, conduct awareness workshop, meeting;
4. Conduct training to the targeted beneficiary and then provide IGA support to them;
5. Participate in relevant exhibition e.g. tree plantation exhibition.