Coastal system under a changing climate: Assessment of exposure to climate
change and ecosystem service from vegetation shelter belt in Bangladesh
SEMINAR REPORT
This report is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID).
Copyright © 2015 International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). All
rights reserved. ICCCAD encourages fair use of this material for non-commercial purposes, with
proper citation.
This publication is based upon the outcomes of the Gobeshona Monthly Seminar of September
2015 and has been compiled from the notes taken by the rapporteur. The publication is a
summary from the organizer’s point of view, and does not necessarily express the views of each
individual participant.
International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent
University, Bangladesh
Venue: Plot 16, Block B, Aftabuddin Ahmed Rd Bashundhara R/A Ph: 88-02-840-1645-53 Ext.
3311 Fax: 88-02-840-1991 Web: http://www.icccad.net , http://www.gobeshona.net ,
http://www.iub.edu.bd
Chair:
Dr. Saleemul Huq
Presenters:
Jeffrey Chow, Ph.D. candidate, Environmental and Natural
Resource
Economics at Yale University
Date & Time:
Monday, 21 September 2015 from 4 – 5 PM
Venue:
Ascott Palace, 14, Road – 6, Baridhara, Dhaka
Rapporteur:
Zinat Fatima Papia
Editor:
Meraz Mostafa, Fahad Haider, Tamanna Haque Disha
Photographer:
Liz Dabramo
Design:
Mohammad Nazmul Chowdhury
Seminar
Manager:
Zinat Fatima Papia.
Gobeshona
Coordinator:
Tamanna Haque Disha.
Introduction
This month’s presenter was Jeffrey Chow, a Ph.D candidate studying environmental and natural
resource economics at Yale University. After being introduced by Dr. Saleemul Huq, the director
of the International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at the Independent
University of Bangladesh (IUB), Mr. Chow spoke about his research into the impact of
vegetation belts, namely mangrove forests, on climate change and ecosystem services in certain
parts of Bangladesh. He was interested both in how forest residents utilized the resources of the
mangrove forest; as well as how forests protected against extreme climate change-induced
weather events.
Presentation on Costal system under a changing climate: Assessment of exposure to climate
change and ecosystem service from vegetation shelter belt in Bangladesh
Mr. Chow began his presentation by explaining that there are two types of mangrove forests
in Bangladesh: those that occur naturally, and those that are man-made. He further explained that
from 1960-2001, the Government of Bangladesh planted approximately 148,000ha of mangrove
plantations.
Mr. Jeffrey Chow presenting his findings at Gobeshona Seminar.
His study was mainly focused on four separate villages across Barisal and Chittagong
Divisions. He was interested in learning about how villagers interacted with the forests,
particularly in the face of a changing climate. He posited that this is a particularly important
question to ask because the creation of mangrove forests is part of Bangladesh’s National
Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to address climate change. The logic is that mangrove
forests will act as coastal vegetation belts to protect extreme weather events.
The first part of his study found that the villagers greatly benefited from their proximity to the
mangrove forest due to the many resources the forest provides. As such, villagers tended to live
closer to the denser parts of the forest. Benefits that they drew from the forest include collecting
firewood, particularly for the Sokina people who live in a village in Barisal. Mr. Chow then
elaborated the concerns and needs of the villagers. In general, villagers wanted to utilize the
forest for more services, including being able to collect more forest firewood. They also wanted
a joint forest management structure that would be taken on by different local groups in the area.
Mr. Chow also examined the impact that recent extreme weather events have had on the
villagers living in the forest. He found that they have faced an array of economic problems due to
cyclones in the last decade, such as Aila and Sidr; and land-clearing has also contributed to their
problems. He articulated that the Government’s main policy has been to increase the number of
mangrove plantations to protect the local people from future cyclones. However, he concluded
that due to the small size of the forest - that ultimately this is not an effective way to protect the
locals. Instead, he concluded, by suggesting that the Government of Bangladesh focus on land
preservation and building more cyclone shelters.
Question and Answer session
Dr. Hamidul Huq, director of the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at the University of
Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), asked for some more details on green belt project. Chow
talked about how the vegetation belt was continuous seen as continuous, and included areas of
higher elevation. Another question dealt with whether or not the Government owns the land in
which these projects are occurring. Chow explained that the Government has the legal authority
to use the land for afforestation purposes.
End notes
Tamanna Haque Disha, the coordinator of Gobeshona, concluded the seminar. She was grateful for the
presentation and thanked the audience for attending.