Project
Forest Landscape Restoration of Sangu-Matamuhuri Reserve Forest (SMRF)

Chattogram Hill Tracts is a unique hill region covering 10% of the total land area in Bangladesh. It has high ethnic diversity, vast evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, high biodiversity and is a part of the Indo-Malayalam Biodiversity Hotspot. Sangu-Matamuhury Reserve was declared in 1880 and 1981 with a total area of 74,841 ha. The proposed project site is a mountainous forest area in South-eastern part of Bangladesh which is increasingly degraded and faces many threats like degradation and deforestation and unsustainable shifting cultivation by ethnic minorities.

SMRF is the watershed of Sangu and Matamahuri rivers flowing through Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar district down to Bay of Bengal. Its degradation has impacted the bio-physical condition of the watershed and livelihood of insider inhabitants, local and downstream communities and food supply. Quantity and quality of water flows decrease during winter resulting in reduced flow of water with a direct impact on agriculture downstream.

The region’s economy is mainly agrarian, with shifting cultivation (jhum) being the main livelihood source. The forests have become severely degraded due to shifting cultivation and over-exploitation of timber and other forest products resulting in loss of biodiversity, accelerated soil erosion, landslides, and reduced stream water flow.

Bangladesh has pledged Bonn challenge with a restoration target of 0.75 mh of different ecosystems. The project will further build trust and Partnership and enable Institutional arrangement.

Gapes need to address
● Government initiatives to increase trust and strengthen partnership are not enough or sometimes not very effective
● Government funding for FLR is not enough to comply with the national and international commitments.
● Technical support is required to develop sustainable and resilient farming practices considering TEK and LEK that will bring biodiversity benefits in the long run.

Potential benefits of the project

Social

  • Building trust among government agencies and all stakeholders and rights holders through enabling instruments/ interventions;
  • Ensuring the basic rights of IPLC for sustainable livelihoods, food security, health, nutrition and education;
  • Capacity building for conducting FLR at all levels. EGLC empowered in the decision-making process through collaborative management of MRF;
  • CEPA strategy for EGLC and government officials.

Environmental

  • Forest Landscape restoration: contributing to Land Degradation Neutrality target, Biodiversity Conservation, Bangladesh BC pledge;
  • Climate Change adaptation and mitigation: Carbon Sequestration, restore degraded watershed and increase the supply of water ;
  • Human health and wellbeing: reduce the spillover of zoonotic diseases;
  • Restored healthy, sustainable and resilient ecosystems

Economic

  • Enhance production of NTFPs and increased water flows easing transportation through the Matamuhury river;
  • Value chain system for the products (food, fruit, fodder, bamboo, cane and other NTFPs) established through equitable sharing of benefits;
  • Huge ecotourism opportunities providing employment and income for RGLC;
  • Increased income, savings and Financial stability.

Interest to donor
● Develop sustainable and resilient farming system that brings biodiversity benefits in the long run.
● Ensure sustainable harvesting of NTFP, improved value chain mechanism and promote AIG’s including Ecotourism
● Halt further degradation, restore biodiversity and ecosystem services
● Compliance with the National and International targets under the UNFCCC, the UNCBD, SDGs, the Bonn Challenges.

Beneficiaries of the Project
Direct
Inhabitants within SMRF--35000;
Inhabitants around MRF--100000
Employee/workers--25000

Indirect
Tourists--200000;
Inhabitants around SMRF--200000;
Down stream local people, Farmers--10000000

Budget
Build trust, partnership and enabling institutional arrangement to resolve land disputes with support from NGOs 10.0 m USD
Ensure sustainable AIGs including basic rights of health, education, nutrition, and valuing norms and culture of EGLC 20.0 m USD
Establish value chains for forest products & services and promote ecotourism through a Community-based approach 5.0 m USD
FLR and forest protection involving EGLC 20 m USD
CEPA strategy for EGLC & government officials including capacity building 5.0 m USD
Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and revised intervention: short, medium and long term 5.0 m USD

Total 65.0 m