Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

Uses of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Rema-kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary of Bangladesh

Md. Parvez Rana*
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh

Fahima Akhter
Department of Accounting and Information System, University of Chittagong, Chittagong-4331, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

An exploratory survey was conducted on the uses and role of invasive alien species (IAS) to local livelihoods in the Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary in the northeastern hilly region of Bangladesh. Vegetation was sampled in 50 quadrates, each 10 m×10 m, and 25 line transects, each 50 m×20 m, through a combination of random and systematic sampling. Group discussions were also arranged with fifty local inhabitants (17 % of the total inhabitants) to learn the various uses of IAS. A total of 17 alien plant species belonging to 10 different families, of which Leguminosae constitutes the highest number (5 species), include tree (53%) followed by herb (12%), shrub (12%) and others (weed, climber and palm). The majority of the identified species were found to be used for fuel, followed by timber production, medicinal or curative uses, fodder, and many others. In addition to providing various forest products, alien tree species planted in forest plantations help provide many vital ecosystem services such as soil amelioration through nitrogen fixation. It is true that the alien species have some negative impacts on local ecosystems, and not all of them are harmful. Therefore, a national programme must be initiated to distinguish the harmful from the harmless species and to identify the uses and impacts of the former and latter

Keywords: DOI: 10.1007/s11629-010-1008-4

Location: Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary of Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Vegetation

Objectives:

Our study attempts to demonstrate the various uses of invasive alien plant species in the Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary in the northeastern hilly region of Bangladesh.

Methodology:

1.1 Study area The Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary (RKWS) is located approximately 130 km east-northeast of Dhaka and 80 km south-southeast of Sylhet in Chunarughat Upazila (sub-district; administrative entity), Habiganj District (Figure 1). The sanctuary is bounded by Tripura State (India) to the south and east, and Kalenga Forest Range to the north and west. Geographically, the area lies between 24°06'-24°14' N and 91°34'-91°41' E. The area falls under the Sylhet Hills zones (Nishat et al. 2002) and the administrative area is known as the RemaKalenga Forest Range. The sanctuary is located in the Tarap Hill Reserve Forest (between 24°60'– 24°14' N latitude and 91°34'–91°41' E longitude) which was established under a declaration of the Forest Act of 1927. In 1982, the government designated 1095 hectares of the Reserve Forest as the Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1996 the sanctuary area was further expanded to 1995 hectares via another declaration. RKWS is a habitat and species management area as defined by Uddin and Roy (2007), and it is managed mainly for conservation. Rema-Kalenga is remote and inaccessible to visitors, particularly during the monsoon season, due to lack of proper roads. There are about seven species of amphibians, 18 species of reptiles, 167 species of birds, 37 species of mammals having been documented in RKWS (NACOM 2003). The vegetation of the sanctuary is described as tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest dominated by chapalish (Artocarpus chaplasha), garjon (Dipterocarpus turbinatus), bonak (Schima wallichii), hargoja (Dillenia pentagyna) and kakra (Aporusa dioica) and characterized by many giant climbers. There are eight small indigenous groups (ethnic) with near 286 people living inside and outside the sanctuary. They are the Tripura (or Deb-Barma), Santal, Urang, Kharia, Kurmi, Goala, Munda, and Bunargi. Among these, Tripura make up approximately 90% of the total population found in the Sanctuary. Their languages and cultural traditions are unique, and they depend mostly on wild plants for their food and primary health care (Uddin 2002).

1.2 Methods The data for this study were collected during March to October, 2008. We identified alien species through 25 line transects, each 50 m × 20 m. We walked along the transects and recorded the alien species encountered. We used 50 quadrates for sampling, each 10 m × 10 m (Ambast 1979). A total of 10 biodiversity-rich sites were selected for the study, and the transects and quadrates were made both randomly and systematically over the forest. The first quadrate was made immediately after we reached the forest. All the quadrates were arranged in a straight line at every subsequent 5 min walking interval or 50 m. This system continued until reaching the mid point of the forest, so that maximum variations could be covered. During the field visit, alien species were identified using Barua et al. (2001), Islam et al. (2003), Hossain and Pasha (2001) and Mukul et al. (2006), and some species were then identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. Some group discussions were arranged with fifty local inhabitants (17 %) to learn the various uses and invasion degrees of the identified alien species in the RKWS area.

Source of Information: J. Mt. Sci. (2010) 7: 380–385

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Introduction of IAS is now considered one of the main threats to the world’s biodiversity (Biswas et al. 2007, Mooney and Hobbs 2000). It can mean the aggressive introduction of IAS into a new place or new environment. This role might be a negative one and it should affect the ecosystems adversely (Biswas 2003, IUCN 2003). Despite these people used IAS for different purposes. In RKWS, local inhabitants use different alien species for their different livelihood purposes. They not only use them for timber or fuelwood supplies, but also for medicinal or soil amelioration purposes. The Government should be cautious in introducing alien species in plantation programmes, and should establish clear and effective quarantine regulations for IAS. In addition, a standard and comprehensible procedure for the introduction and monitoring of alien species is necessary.

Knowledge Management: Journal