48pc people around Sundarbans live below poverty line : BBS
Friday, 15 January 2010
FE Report
Around 48 per cent people of upazilas adjacent to the Sundarbans live below poverty line, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The area of the Bangladesh Sundarbans is roughly 6017 square kilometres, of which roughly 1874 sq. km is water body.
About 1400 sq. km of the total Sundarbans is protected from exploitation. Settlement within the forest is prohibited, the livelihood of approximately 1.2 million of people depends on extraction of the resources of Sundarbans.
Available data suggests that inhabitants of the Sundarbans Impact Zone (SIZ) are far from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as poverty is widespread in the regions surrounding the forest.
In Satkhira district, the population below the poverty line is at least 60 per cent. The low income levels in the region together with poor transport systems and challenges in providing access to income, livelihood, education and health have contributed to the difficulties of daily life in the SIZ.
Low income levels mean that in order to survive many SIZ inhabitants are required to unsustainably exploit the Sundarbans Reserved Forest for timber, fish, shrimp eggs, and other forest produce.
Sea level rise and extreme weather events compound the development challenges of the Sundarbans area.
In response to a request from the government , a World Bank team in October, 2009 consulted with relevant government agencies, professionals, research institutions and development partners to understand ongoing and planned activities aimed at addressing climate change risk, conserving bio-diversity and managing development challenges in the Bangladesh Sundarbans and its impact zone.
In light of the discussions the government suggested that the World Bank's technical assistance should include identifying all population pressures that are impacting the Sundarbans and the inhabitants of nearby areas with ecological and economic ties to the forest, assisting government in identifying climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development priorities, and creating an estimation of the economic value of the Sundarbans, developing a set of efficient and effective interventions that would allow the government to preserve and enhance those benefits; and assisting the government in the design and development of interventions for the conservation of the forest and the socio-economic development of the population in the impact zone.
Around 48 per cent people of upazilas adjacent to the Sundarbans live below poverty line, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The area of the Bangladesh Sundarbans is roughly 6017 square kilometres, of which roughly 1874 sq. km is water body.
About 1400 sq. km of the total Sundarbans is protected from exploitation. Settlement within the forest is prohibited, the livelihood of approximately 1.2 million of people depends on extraction of the resources of Sundarbans.
Available data suggests that inhabitants of the Sundarbans Impact Zone (SIZ) are far from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as poverty is widespread in the regions surrounding the forest.
In Satkhira district, the population below the poverty line is at least 60 per cent. The low income levels in the region together with poor transport systems and challenges in providing access to income, livelihood, education and health have contributed to the difficulties of daily life in the SIZ.
Low income levels mean that in order to survive many SIZ inhabitants are required to unsustainably exploit the Sundarbans Reserved Forest for timber, fish, shrimp eggs, and other forest produce.
Sea level rise and extreme weather events compound the development challenges of the Sundarbans area.
In response to a request from the government , a World Bank team in October, 2009 consulted with relevant government agencies, professionals, research institutions and development partners to understand ongoing and planned activities aimed at addressing climate change risk, conserving bio-diversity and managing development challenges in the Bangladesh Sundarbans and its impact zone.
In light of the discussions the government suggested that the World Bank's technical assistance should include identifying all population pressures that are impacting the Sundarbans and the inhabitants of nearby areas with ecological and economic ties to the forest, assisting government in identifying climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development priorities, and creating an estimation of the economic value of the Sundarbans, developing a set of efficient and effective interventions that would allow the government to preserve and enhance those benefits; and assisting the government in the design and development of interventions for the conservation of the forest and the socio-economic development of the population in the impact zone.