Proceedings of inception workshop in Rangamati, Bangladesh

The environment in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is under pressure. Demographic and environmental conditions are changing. Due to scarcity of suitable land, the traditional slashand burn farming system, locally know as Jhumcultivation, is becoming unsustainable. This, combined with other factors such as forest overexploitation, is the cause of increased land degradation, such as soil erosion, nutrient decline, and decreased biodiversity. Information on the status of the environment is required for the formulation of alternative strategies for sustainable management. The pressures on the environment and the causative factors and processes must be analysed. New methods must be developed, applied, and tested for sustainable management of the natural resources. Practical information is required at both the field and policy level.

A diverse group of people from international, national, and local level organisations working in the Chittagong Hill Tracts discussed sustainable management of natural resources during the Inception Workshop of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Improved Natural Resource Management (CHARM) Project, organized in Rangamati, Bangladesh. Participants included national level and local level policy makers, NGO's, representatives of tribal groups, natural resources management (NRM) experts, and representatives from ministries and line agencies. The workshop served as a platform to share information and views on the natural resource management issues of the CHT. Key issues were identified and suggestions for improving natural resources management are reported in this document.