TY - JOUR
T1 - Contribution of Homestead Forests to Rural Economy and Climate Change Mitigation
T2 - A Study from the Ecologically Critical Area of Cox’s Bazar—Teknaf Peninsula, Bangladesh
AU - Nath, Tapan Kumar
AU - Aziz, Nasim
AU - Inoue, Makoto
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, Steve Harrison, John Herbohn.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/3
Y1 - 2015/3
N2 - Homestead forests in the Teknaf Peninsula ecologically critical area of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh have not been widely studied. This paper explores floristic diversity of homestead forests together with their contribution to the household economy and climate change mitigation. Data were collected from a survey of 140 households and a vegetation survey of 70 homesteads in three sites. Villagers allocated 70 % of their homestead area for homestead forestry and altogether 73 plant species were recorded from the study sites. The average density was 4,000 plants/ha. The above-ground biomass was estimated 235.45 Mg/ha, equivalent to 117.73 Mg C/ha. Villagers maintain sustainability of homestead forests by planting seedlings every year and thus ensure several diameter and height classes. Homestead forests contribute substantially to household income, provide fuelwood and timber for own consumption and sale, and protect villagers during cyclones. Homestead forests thus meet the conditions to be a clean development mechanism forestry project which would provide a win–win strategy for involving small-scale farmers in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives, and biodiversity conservation.
AB - Homestead forests in the Teknaf Peninsula ecologically critical area of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh have not been widely studied. This paper explores floristic diversity of homestead forests together with their contribution to the household economy and climate change mitigation. Data were collected from a survey of 140 households and a vegetation survey of 70 homesteads in three sites. Villagers allocated 70 % of their homestead area for homestead forestry and altogether 73 plant species were recorded from the study sites. The average density was 4,000 plants/ha. The above-ground biomass was estimated 235.45 Mg/ha, equivalent to 117.73 Mg C/ha. Villagers maintain sustainability of homestead forests by planting seedlings every year and thus ensure several diameter and height classes. Homestead forests contribute substantially to household income, provide fuelwood and timber for own consumption and sale, and protect villagers during cyclones. Homestead forests thus meet the conditions to be a clean development mechanism forestry project which would provide a win–win strategy for involving small-scale farmers in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives, and biodiversity conservation.
KW - Biodiversity conservation
KW - Carbon sequestration
KW - Household income
KW - Plant diversity and structure
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U2 - 10.1007/s11842-014-9270-x
DO - 10.1007/s11842-014-9270-x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84924170738
VL - 14
SP - 1
EP - 18
JO - Small-scale Forestry
JF - Small-scale Forestry
SN - 1873-7617
IS - 1
ER -