Conflict and Corollaries on Forest and Indigenous People: Experience from Bangladesh

The South Asian nation of Bangladesh, with a total population of approximately 150 million (mill) and an area of 147,570 km2, is one of the most densely populated country in the world. The current population density is ~1,127.3 people km-2 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO], 2005), up from 755 people km-2 in 1991 (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics [BBS], 1993). The economy is based on agriculture and the society is agrarian, with approximately 75% of the population living in the rural areas (United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA], 2006). Per-capita land holdings are approximately 0.12 ha (Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh [GOB], 2002). Moist, humid, tropical-monsoon climate, with moderately warm temperatures, high humidity, and a wide seasonal variation in rainfall prevail in Bangladesh (GOB, 2001a). Bangladesh is prone to frequent natural calamities and is perceived as a major climate change victim. Forest cover is shrinking Worldwide, despite many efforts to halt deforestation. Forest land and resources in many developing countries are serious pressure due to extreme poverty exacerbated by overwhelming increasing population. The forestry situation is even worse in Bangladesh that biotic and abiotic pressure associated with inter and intra competition between different landuses, conversion of forest land into industrial and other non-forest uses resulted in denudation and degradation of the hills, loss of forest areas, biodiversity and wildlife habitat in Bangladesh. Traditional forest management system failed to improve the forestry situation in the country. Large scale participatory social forestry program was introduced in the early eighties of the past century throughout the country’s denuded and degraded forests as well as in marginal and newly accreted land. Forests are the home to more than half of all species living around including human being. Population estimates show that there are about 300 400 mill indigenous people worldwide (Hinch, 2001; United Nations, 2009; World Bank, 2000). In developing countries approximately 1.2 billion people rely on agroforestry farming. They are recognized as the inhabitants of the World’s most biologically diverse territories, possessor of unique linguistic and cultural diversity as well as they are in possession of huge traditional