The coast of Bangladesh is known as a zone of multiple vulnerabilities as well as opportunities. It is prone to severe natural disasters, such as cyclones, storm surges, floods, etc. In combination with other natural and man-made hazards, such as erosion, the high arsenic contents of groundwater, water logging, water and soil salinity and various forms of pollution, these disasters have made coastal dwellers very vulnerable and made the whole coastal and marine environment threatened.
Forest is a very important renewable resource in Bangladesh. It provides materials like timber, pulp, pole, fuel wood, food, medicine, habitat for wildlife and primary base for biodiversity. It also provides oxygen, controls or reduces the intensity of the cyclones and tidal surges in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, influences the rainfall, and sustained water yield in the river systems etc. Besides these, forest could be an alternative mechanism for environmentally sustainable development without depleting the forest resources and its habitat and biodiversity. Considering all these, forest and consequently forest management is getting importance with the passage of time.
