Payments for Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Mangrove Forest Management in Bangladesh

© 2017 Cambridge University Press. In the context of sustainable development, both developed and developing countries are implementing policies that encourage economic growth, environmental protection and social well-being in resource decisions. According to the 2012 Rio+20 Declaration, market-based instruments that complement regulations can offer an economically efficient push to sustainable growth. Market-based instruments, such as payments for ecosystem services (PES) and other market incentives, may play a crucial role in enhancing the livelihoods and wider well-being of poor people. However, for economic tools such as PES to prove valuable in managing natural resources, the decision-making and implementation processes must integrate adequate rights allocation and participatory mechanisms. This article examines forest ecosystem services in the context of the mangrove reserve forest of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world with an exceptional level of biodiversity. The article argues for a more realistic and equitable approach to PES projects in Bangladesh. It underscores the need for effective participatory tools, third-party monitoring and multi-service PES schemes to improve multiple mangrove ecosystem services in the Sundarbans

Morphological, nutritional and medicinal traits of wild mango (Mangifera Sylvatica Roxb.): Implications for increased use and options for cultivar development

Mangifera sylvatica Roxb. is an underutilised and threatened wild fruit species found in Bangladesh, which is highly valued by local people as a source of fruit and is an important source of nutrition. As part of a feasibility study of the domestication and cultivar development potential of M. sylvatica, a preliminary study examined the morphological traits (fruit, kernel and pulp mass), nutritional profile (carbohydrate, sugar, pH, fat, protein, mineral and vitamins) and medicinal traits (total phenolic and phenolic profiling). The fruit of M. sylvatica is small (27.00g ± 7.03g) with a comparatively bigger kernel fruit (40% of its body weight). M. sylvatica fruit pulp has been proved to be a good source of carbohydrate, Vitamin C, sodium (Na) and potassium (K) and also has good medicinal properties (mangiferin and quercetin). The kernel is also a rich source of carbohydrate and has a good fatty acid profile (rich in stearic and oleic acids) consistent with cocoa butter, which indicates its potential to be used in the chocolate and confectionery industry. There is continuous variation in these traits, indicating opportunities for multiple trait cultivar development targeted at the food and pharmaceutical industries. The information generated in the study can be used as a stimulus to the process of domestication and to encourage widespread use of the species, which will ultimately help to conserve this wild underutilised fruit species

Analysis of National Forest Programs for REDD+ Implementation in six South and Southeast Asia countries

Aim of study: To facilitate REDD+ implementation and identify relevant attributes for robust REDD+ policies, this study evaluated and synthesized information from national forest programs in South and Southeast Asian countries.Area of study: Data was collected from six countries: Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines, India and Thailand.Methods: The data sources for the evaluation was an in-depth desk review of relevant documents and focus group discussion among experts from each study country.  Main Results: We found out that diverse factors may influence program feasibility and the ability to achieve ‘triple benefits’: the nature of the forest targeted by the policy, the characteristics of the population affected by the policy, attributes of the policy instrument and the different actors involved.Research highlights: We argue that national policies and programs targeted for REDD+ implementation should focus on the identified features to achieve REDD+ goals.Keywords: policy evaluation; policy instruments; triple benefits; Southeast Asia

A numerical study of magnetohydrodynamic transport of nanofluids from a vertical stretching sheet with exponential temperature-dependent viscosity and buoyancy effects

In this paper, a mathematical study is conducted of steady incompressible flow of a temperature-dependent viscous nanofluid from a vertical stretching sheet under applied external magnetic field and gravitational body force effects. The Reynolds exponential viscosity model is deployed. Electrically-conducting nanofluids are considered which comprise a suspension of uniform dimension nanoparticles suspended in viscous base fluid. The nanofluid sheet is extended with a linear velocity in the axial direction. The Buonjiornio model is utilized which features Brownian motion and thermophoresis effects. The partial differential equations for mass, momentum, energy and species (nano-particle concentration) are formulated with magnetic body force term. Viscous and Joule dissipation effects are neglected. The emerging nonlinear, coupled, boundary value problem is solved numerically using the Runge–Kutta fourth order method along with a shooting technique. Graphical solutions for velocity, temperature, concentration field, skin friction and Nusselt number are presented. Furthermore stream function plots are also included. Validation with Nakamura’s finite difference algorithm is included. Increasing nanofluid viscosity is observed to enhance temperatures and concentrations but to reduce velocity magnitudes. Nusselt number is enhanced with both thermal and species Grashof numbers whereas it is reduced with increasing thermophoresis parameter and Schmidt number. The model is applicable in nano-material manufacturing processes involving extruding sheets

Bond between aggregate and fly ash cements

The overall purpose of the research reported herein was to determine factors affecting bond strength in fly ash concretes, using the portland cement bond as a point of references. The work is important because use of low cost fly ash concretes is increasing throughout the construction industry;Microstructural features of the cement paste-aggregate interface were also studied; this included obtaining information about the chemical and elemental composition of the substances formed at the interface, and the effect of the cement paste-aggregate interaction on the pore size distribution of concrete;Mechanical testing provided answers with respect to the magnitude of bond strengths and factors affecting them, including the effect of trace additives. Substances formed at the interface were investigated by the use of a x-ray diffractometer; an electron microprobe (EMP) was used to obtain elemental composition, and pore volumes were measured by a mercury porosimeter;The tensile bond strength between cement paste and limestone was studied in more than 450 specimens with experimental variables being: fly ash type, water-cement ratio, curing time and trace additives;The tensile strength of paste controlled bond strength between fly ash and aggregate; tensile strength of the aggregate controlled portland cement-aggregate bond. Dibasic ammonium phosphate increased both the paste strength and the bond strength of cementitious fly ash;X-ray diffraction at the paste-aggregate interface indicated that the interface region is distinctly different in chemical compostion and structural arrangement when compared to the constituent paste or the aggregate bulk phase;Electron microprobe tests showed that the elemental composition of the paste-aggregate interface region is different from the paste or the aggregate bulk phase. Interphase elemental diffusion and redistribution of elements within the paste phase are evident;Mercury porosimetry showed that cement paste-limestone interaction caused a reduction in pore volumes over a wide range of pore sizes;Microstructural features of the interface region correlate with the measured bond strength and the mode of tensile bond failure.</p

Drivers of land use change and policy analysis The case of Bangladesh

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN048597 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Tree diversity and management of Village Common Forests in Bandarban

Village Common Forests (VCF) are used sustainably for water source conservation, livelihoods and other biomass needs ofethnic communities in the hilly areas of Bangladesh. The current forest degradation rate warrants the importance and potentiality of VCF for sustainable natural resources management. This study was conducted in two VCF of Lama and RumaUpazila at Chimbuk hill range in Bandarban district to explore the indigenous management techniques and tree species diversity. To identify tree species diversity, eighteen plots (9 plots from each VCF) were selected at different hill position (top, middle and bottom) by stratified random sampling method with the dimension of 20m×20m per plot. Shiner-winner and Simpson index were used to calculate the tree species diversity. According to the analyses, it was found that diversity was higher in top of the hill, but species density (stem/ha) was higher in the valley. It was also found that 23000 seedlings/ha regenerated naturally and among the 31 identified families, Moraceae was dominant where the density was 354 stems/ha with basal area 52.63 m2/ha. The dominant species were Schleicher oleosaand Anisopterascaphula and important non-timber species were Melocannabaccifera and Calamusgurubagrowing abundantly in the study areas. It was observed that the VCF were managed by ethnic Mro community with two different committees (customary and executive) who made some rules for natural forest conservation. This management practice is not only conserving hill forests, but also helping to improve degraded forest and create new habitats for biodiversity in the study area

Spiny coriander (<i>Eryngium foetidum </i> L.) cultivation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh: Sustainable agricultural innovation by indigenous communities

59-67Spiny coriander (Eryngium foetidum L.) is a shade tolerant plant suited to climatic conditions found in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh and which is intrinsically linked to the culture and traditions of indigenous communities who live in the region. This study, carried out in two villages in the CHT, examined cultivation techniques, productivity, contribution to household income and its role in supporting resilience to climate change. The study adopted a participatory rural appraisal approach; data was collected through focus group discussions, structured interviews and field observation. Sixty five per cent of farmers in the two villages cultivate spiny coriander; the mean plot size was 0.12 ha. The cropping cycle starts in January and continues until October. Production averaged 59, 219 kg per hectare with a net benefit of about US$51,212/ha/yr. Eighty six percent of farmers who cultivate the crop do so solely for the purposes of income generation. Good market demand for the crop means that farmers obtain substantial economic benefit from its cultivation. It also has the potential to build the climate change resilience of marginal farmers. The findings suggest that policies to support the development of this crop have the potential to enhance marginal farmers’ financial capability and climate resilience