2. Monthly Progress Report: March 2007
Activities conducted with regard to project in the last month:
On 03/03/2007 I visited the site Channati Wildlife Sanctuary for the second time. I reached there at 11 am and then I talked to Mr. Nazmul Abedin and also Mr. Belal Ahmed who are mainly associated with the implementation the said project. I collected data from Najmul Abedin on different issues in open discussion. In the discussion he pointed out about different issues, which were part of my questions.
Objectives of FUG: According to him, very brief objectives of FUG is to buildup awareness campaign for protecting the forest, steps taken by them for biodiversity increase of natural forests of Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary.
Vision of FUG: About vision of FUG, he told that from Ctg-Cox’s Bazar highway within 1 km of East side of the Sanctuary has taken as the basic/pilot area under NSP. After 5 years implementation of this pilot project, 38 FUG can able to achieve the objective and they determine to do independently for their livelihood without taken any kind of massive destruction of forests, they educate themselves by taking proper training on various aspects like poultry, milk cow dairy farm establishment, Nursery raising, home based agro forestry, etc within themselves, then the vision of FUG will be successful. Like Dolhazara Suffery Park, FUG wants the same at Chunati Range. If it can be done within the Chunati Range, then the employment opportunities will be increase for their next generation and during the implementation period of this pilot project, it is challenging job for FUG.
Duties and Rights of FUG: FUG have the right to advertise the awareness campaign to all of the villagers, forest as well as wildlife protection and increasing biodiversity at Chunati Range is the mandate to them. Now they decide what their right to go inside forests is or not as a part of that they are sharing their physical movement for protecting the forest area.
Benefits of FUG: NSP shares them on participatory approach like training on different issues say nursery raising, seed collection from FD, providing improved Chulla which is less costly for cook, giving grant to FUG for their business, for poultry, fishing, for cow, rickshaw purchasing etc. Females are also getting same grant for purchasing purpose. From very beginning of NSP, now data is provided that out of 865 FUG members 165 FUG got financial benefit from NSP and the percentage is 39% for poultry establishment, milk cow, rickshaw, Small training on nursery raising, plantation, handy-crafts for women’s etc. Rest of the FUG members will get the same kind of benefits from rest of the implementation period of the NSP.
Members Meeting system: Out of 38 FUG one leader per group comprises 38 groups. Out of them 38 leader have the federation meeting with Field Organizer (FO) in every month at NSP office Chunati. There are 05 FO working simultaneously with FUG in the same project. Then on co-management committee, two representatives of 38 FUG sit for every month review meeting with other 17 members of co-management committee. They have the freedom to take decision on the representation of them to the committee.
Base line survey: Base line survey is done at the beginning of the project (25/05/05), there included their demographic profile like sex, age, education etc. out of 38 FUG, Total 38 base line survey is carried for 38 FUG through the financial support of NSP. So this survey report could be used for future representation of FUG.
Land encroachment: About land (forest) encroachment, data is very much interesting that the local money/rich men are influential person. From long years back, they have been practicing such kind of influential power to the local communities with the negotiation of FD staffs through big money give and take methods. Still such kind of influential power has been practicing inside the forest. As a result the wildlife numbers reducing from the forest because of that with negotiation of FD staff, they burn forest at the day time, then catch that land for crop cultivation, especially agriculture based like paddy and others and by that way most land has occupied by rich man within the sanctuary. Still this practice has been existence inside the forest. Because of that FUG are not permitted to patrol forest at day time. During day time, only forest guard and other FD staffs are allowed to go inside forests. FUG’s are only allowed for patrolling forest from staying 1 km distance of the highway road approach only.
After that I collected materials on co-management Council and Committee’s meeting resolution. I found that from very beginning of this project, there already held 6 numbers of meetings concerned with committee and council. From the last meeting of council dated 24/01/07 decision has been made on different issues like landscapes management, mobilization of forest patrolling, miking & liftet distribution for fire protection etc.
Then after having lunch I started for Harbang Beat with the assistance of Mr. Belal. After 30 minutes of journey by bus, I reached Harbang Beat area named Noya Para Village. With the help of Mr. Belal, I walked inside the forest. There I was introduced with some villagers. Then I was introduced with FUG leader Mr. Ledu Mia, who is also member of forest patrolling group. At 5.30 pm we came back at Ledu’s tea stall along with other villagers. After having tea, I started open discussion with him. He is from Brindhabon Khil. He is also the Society Leader or FUG Leader. He joined NSP since last 2006. After six months back, he got 5000/- taka non-refundable money as grant from NSP for running his business. Now he is committed and dedicated for protecting forest at any cost. In his patrolling group members comprises-13 persons who are very much associated with forest patrol. Per week he patrols’s once after 10 pm at the roadside. From NSP, there made provision of 50/- taka as Tiffin charge per person per month. During open discussion with Ledu MIA, he mentioned about him. He is mainly involved with regular activities related with agriculture. He normally spends 3 months for agricultural works and rest 9 months does vegetable cultivation works. For his livelihood, he is fully depending on others. Rich man gives land for agriculture cultivation negotiation with Borga like 20 mond per kani. In Agrohaon month of Bangla, rich man comes for collecting paddy from hem. Total cultivation cost he has to bear from his own source. Now this is the dream to Ledu that NSP provides the betterment of the local communities. Dulhazara Suffery Park is the instant reference to the villagers. Now this park is very much popular to them, because of that for giving employment opportunities, it gives the Benefit. Through NSP, if such kind of park can establish in Chunati, then at least employment opportunities will increase for the next generation of the local communities. About illegal felling, he complains in the way that FD maintains the patrolling schedule, they maintain schedule for patrolling group, which is only night instead of daytime. He repeated that during daytime, illegal performance occurs in negotiation with FD staffs by give and take methods. So if there make provision for day time patrolling with collaboration of FD staffs, then illegal felling will definitely stopped in the Chunati wildlife Sanctuary area for ever and by that way biodiversity will increase.
After that I talked with Mr. Toju MIA who is also the member of FUG in the same place. He is almost 50 years old and also lands less. Now he is getting benefits from NSP as he reported. He is also happy with NSP performance. Being as an old man, sometime he shares which his child for patrolling forest. As a member of patrolling group, he is also very much committed for saving Wildlife Sanctuary for the next generation. If there builds up a tourism like Dhuhazara Suffery Park, then he will be very much happy for protecting next generation as well.
On 17/03/07 again I went to Chunati for field visit. There I talked with Mr. Kabir who is working with NSP as a Field Organizer. His working place is Harbang beat, Sector-5 of NSP under Chunati Range. At present he is responsible for 8 forest user groups (FUG) comprises 5 female & 3 male groups. The total members of FUG under his jurisdiction are 215 including 60 male and 155 female. From open discussion with him I found data about the area is that earlier this area was fully dependent on forest. Because of that this area is very much nearest to the forest. There is lack of education facilities, training facilities and also the influence of social custom to the local communities. As a result, generation wise, the communities have been practicing for go inside the forest. Now after implementation of NSP, local communities have been motivated in the way that which one is good or bad for them, they can easily understand. He stated that after implementations of NSP, 35 female members of FUG under Korom Muhari Para are now fully motivated. They have taken training from NSP on different issues like nursery raising, fishing net making, fertilizer preparation etc. Now they never go to the forest for collecting fuel wood. Even they campaign awareness build up to other local communities. Through NSP 5 promoters have been selected in sector – 5 under chunati Range. These 5 promoters are at the same time FUG members of NSP. Each promoter group sits together twice a month. FO is also suppose to present the meeting until and unless the promoter become self sufficient for conducting meeting, preparation of meeting resolution and then final preparation of meeting minutes to authorities. The main objective of this meeting is for motivating FUG in subject specific. For developing skills on various issues like seedlings, nursery, fertilizer preparation, fishing net making etc. under NSP are now very much interesting or acceptable to FUG for their livelihood strategies. Because of that now they realize them in the way that if they can get free of cost training from NSP, then this will be powered for them for getting employment opportunities. The selection criteria of promoter are based on the basis of the performance of local communities. FUG gets the privilege for selection under NSP. Selection of Promoter is for long run drive for the betterment of the local communities. NSP is the five years project which has been implementing in the five protected areas like wise at Chunati Range Promoter selection is mandatory, because of that after complementation of NSP, they (promoter) can run the same without help of other and can communicate to the co-management committee, and Promoters will be the overall responsible for the activities. This discussion took place is almost 1 hour.
Then I was introduced with Mr. ASM Eskander Azad, who joined NSP since last November/06 as a FO. He is responsible for sector-1 under Chunati Beat of Chunati Range. This area comprises 06 FUG including 4 female FUG & 2 male FUG. I talked with him and collected data for selection process of promoter, which is same as stated above. In his area 3 promoters have been selected on the basis of their past performance related with NSP. This sector-1 is almost unlikely depend on forest except Kul Pagla area of that sector under NSP.
After then I talked with Mr. Goni, FO of NSP who is at present responsible for sector- 2 under Chunati Beat of Chunati Range. In his area, the total number of FUG’s are 6 comprises 4 female & 2 male. Total numbers of the members of 06 FUG’s are 160 including 105 female and 55 male. He is the key responsible person who has been working with NSP since last 2005. From the very beginning he started with NSP. Now out of 38 FUG’s area location he covered 25 FUG’s area location. Presently he is responsible for the sector-2 where the communities are very much aware about the objectives and target of NSP performance. Now their dependency on forest has been very much reduced as he told. He also offered me for attending a meeting at 3 pm at Dhuphi Para comprises 22 members of FUG. After half an hour discussion with him, we took lunch at chunati Bazar which is half km distance from NSP office.
After having lunch I was introduced with one female named Schahima who is responsible for sector-3 of NSP as only one FO. Her area comprises 11 FUG group with 240 members of female personals only. As she told that in this sector females are now very much interested for getting training on different issues like improved chulla, nursery etc. This chulla is now a days very much interesting subject for getting training on it. Because of that for installation of one chulla, per person gets 200 taka. Another advantage of that this chulla gives the less consumption of fuels. So the local communities are interested for using such kind of improved chulla for their cooking.
After having 15 minutes discussion with her, I started for attending the meeting with Mr. gani at 3 pm. This Dhupi Para is half km from NSP Office. At 3.30 pm he started meeting with 22 FUG members of Dhupi Para. Out of 22, 21 members attended the meeting. Mr. Gani introduced me to them; I represented myself and told them about my purpose of visit. Members attended the meeting on the particular issue like organic fertilizer making process, which is included in the promoter manual meeting 6 schedules. At first president of that FUG Miss Dipu who has very much active participation regarding the meeting. She has the register for the members attending schedule, she is in her own hand written the name of participants and given register to all for putting their signature on it. After that Mr. Goni told Dipu for sending 4 members at Chunati Beat of Chunati Range on 19/03/07. Similar for fishing net making and organic fertilizer preparation training, NSP will give all logistic support for making the training successful. In the meeting the brief discussion was given by Dipu, President of Bonoful Kollan Samity, who has taken experience from NSP into different issues.
Fig: seed collection program conducted by NSP to its members.
Under her supervision, members will be selected for further training in various aspects for the creation of their employment opportunities. In the meeting President has given very brief on the advantage of fertilizer, its use and preparation. Then she discussed with the members about the preventive methods application from occurrences any kind of disease etc. After that there took open discussion for the members. Then one member who is very much interested for swing machine training, claimed for operation of that. President has given assurance for incorporating training on the said topic within short time. This meeting continued up to 4.3 pm. After that again I came to the NSP office, chunai. Then after discussion with Mr. Habib and Parvez about NSP, I started for Chittagong at 5.30 pm.
Problems encountered problems resolved
In almost every rural area, there is a transportation problem compared with urban in our country. So locally it could be solved with the help of NSP’s representative like FO’s jurisdiction of the basis of sector.
Future steps/next actions
Next step is planning for visit the site further on the basis of sector; talk with the FUG members more details and also PRA analysis would be done within 5 sectors. Questionnaire survey concern with FUG will be carried out in the last. Questionnaire’s already sent to the concerned for further modification through email.
Any changes from proposal
Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary comprises 5 sectors for implementing NSP performance. Out of 5 sectors 3 sectors are stand at Chunati Beat, 1 sector is at Harbang Beat and another 1 sector is at Agignagar Beat. So for collecting primary data, almost equal ratio will be applied on the basis of the availability of the respondents into 5 sectors. Any change need further, and then always it will be informed. 
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