Deforestation and its Impacts on Indigenous Women: A Case from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh

Abstract

In 1994, Bangladesh ratifi ed the Convention on Biological Diversity, agreed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The country has also adopted various policies, approaches and programs to protect forests in the country. Despite this, deforestation continues apace in this country. The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), an area of 5093 square miles (about 10 percent of Bangladesh), is a hilly-forested area with 12 indigenous groups, where extensive deforestation has already occurred. This is the main cause of hardship for forest dwellers, especially the indigenous peoples. As the Women Environment and Development (WED) debate has recognized, women are the main victims of any environmental crisis. This study analyzes the impacts of deforestation on the indigenous women in the CHT. It has been found from this study that there is an interwoven relationship between the indigenous women and the forest and they are severely affected by deforestation.