Spatially Explicit Evaluation of Local Extractive Benefits from Mangrove Plantations in Bangladesh

Abstract

Mangroves worldwide provide a wide range of ecosystem services utilized directly and indirectly by local peoples. Between 1966 and 2001, Bangladesh established approximately 148,000 ha of mangrove plantations in coastal areas within the Barisal and Chittagong Divisions. Though erosion and human encroachment and conversion have removed over two-thirds of these stands, the Forest Department has continued to undertake new plantation activities.

To investigate how and to what degree people directly utilize these mangroves, I conducted 340 household surveys across eight coastal villages located in close proximity to established plantations. The predominant direct use of the mangrove plantations by local rural communities is the extraction of detritus and nonmain stem material (e.g., limbs, leaves) for combustible fuel. This study uses household foraging distances to estimate and map net value densities based on reported market prices of extracted goods. The average extractive value of mangrove plantations is Tk 2,300 ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, ranging among the villages from 300 to Tk 27,400 ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, with values concentrated closer to the village. Cost-benefit analyses suggest that direct use values alone have justified the establishment and management of previously planted stands. However, other indirect values must be taken into account if these areas are to merit additional plantations.

KEYWORDS:

• mangrove forest
• ecosystem service
• ecosystem valuation
• coastal
• fuelwood
• cost-benefit analysis
• afforestation
• nontimber forest products
• Bangladesh

Additional information

Funding

This research has been supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results Graduate Fellowship (Grant Number: FP917398), the Yale University Tropical Resources Institute, and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.