Deforestation

There are many forces acting on forest, collectively and individually, and the trends of these are not easily understood. Ecologists analyzed 152 cases of tropical deforestation and arrived at four causes of deforestation:
1. Agricultural expansion
2. Over- extraction
3. Infrastructure development
4. Bio-physical factors – land characteristics, fires, drought, floods, pests, and social events e.g. war, revolution, social disorder, abrupt policy shifts, economic shocks etc.

Ecologists categorized the causes of deforestation into two groups:
1. Greed and the relentless pursuit of economic growth and
2. population growth

In Bangladesh the major factors of deforestation are:
• Population Explosion
• Settlement and Urbanization and
• Management Practices.

Population Explosion:

The Population density of Bangladesh is 1066.30 per km [World Fact book July 2008, web site: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/bg.html] which is one of the highest in the world. In 1947, the density was only 306 per km and the demand for forest produces as well land for settlement was very little. In 1971, the density increased by 67 percent. At present, the density is 1066.30 per km and compared to the 1947 baseline, the demand for forest products as well as land for settlement increased by 189 percent. So, the Population Explosion is the single mast important factor for destruction of forests. Unequal distribution of resources among the population is also contributing to the destruction of forests.

Settlement and Urbanization:

The population growth is 2.022 ( 2008 est) percent per annum. Fro that, we need land to feed, homes to live, schools to education, hospitals to provide health services, etc. Only available land in this land-hungry country is the forestland. On the other hand, industrialization is also emerging at a rapid pace and engulfing our land.

Management Practices:

In the decade of the eighties, in order to meet the huge demand of forest products, the forest Department adopted a forest management called ‘clear felling with artificial regeneration,’ which later on proved to be very detrimental to the tropical rain forest management. At that time, it was also recommended by the development partners like the World Bank. Following this system, the forest was cleared by burning all vegetation’s and replanted with only one or two commercially important species. This way the rich biodiversity of tropical rain forests was destroyed as well as this exposed the forests to erosion through the monsoon torrential rain. This opening of forests also tempted some people to encroach the forests.