DEVELOPING CRITERIA AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF NON TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN THE SUNDARBANS OF BANGLADESH

摘要

Sundarbans bio-diversity is highly rich in its biotic components and support 334 species of floral vegetation. There are many important species here. On the other hand many of the medicinal plants have long been used as foods, flavors fragrance and cosmetics. They are either used directly or indirectly for tradition or indigenous knowledge. The major Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) of the Sundarbans are used as thatching materials, fencing post, firewood, tannin, medicine, fishing materials, producing honey by bee, handicraft, souvenirs and different types of house hold utensils. It has also socio-economic impact on the local people. By dint of NTFPs of the Sundarbans, the indigenous local people solve various dental problems and diarrhea, dysentery, ulcer and many other diseases by using traditional Sundarbans medicines. Considering valuable multipurpose uses of Sundarbans NTFPs it needs for bio-diversity conservation, NTFPs management and rural livelihood with the sustainable management to develop appropriate policy initiatives for better management and expansion of modern technology instead of indigenous knowledge of Sundarbans NTFPs. For these there are need to identify which species are more useful and how and where to be used and to improve methodology for collection, transportation, extraction, processing and preservation of the resources in the Sundarbans which are to be given high priority for increasing productivity and to make scope through the application of modern scientific method.